How to Get a PA Hunting License: Steps, Fees, and Tagging

To get a PA hunting license, establish 30 days of Pennsylvania residency, complete a Hunter-Trapper Education course if you’ve never held a hunting license, then buy the license through the HuntFishPA online portal or in person at a County Treasurer’s office or authorized issuing agent. A resident adult general hunting license costs $20.97 for the current license year.¹ If your education course is already done, you can finish the whole process in a single day.

Step 1: Confirm You Qualify as a Resident

Pennsylvania requires you to have lived in the state for at least 30 consecutive days before applying for a resident license. The Game Commission accepts a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license, proof of state or local income tax payment, or another form of positive identification as verification.² Without a PA driver’s license, a current tax receipt showing your Pennsylvania address will do the job.³

Active-duty military stationed in Pennsylvania for at least 30 days also qualify. So do service members whose military home of record is Pennsylvania, even when they’re stationed elsewhere.² If you fall short of the 30 days, you’ll pay nonresident rates, which run considerably higher.

Step 2: Complete Hunter-Trapper Education

Every first-time hunter in Pennsylvania has to complete a Hunter-Trapper Education course before a license can be issued. You’re exempt if you’ve previously held a hunting license in any state or country. Active-duty military and those honorably discharged within six months of applying are also exempt.⁴

The Game Commission offers four ways to complete the course:⁵

In-person course, free, open to anyone 11 and older, with some independent study required before the classroom session.
Online interactive course, $49.95, for Pennsylvania residents age 11 and older.
Online course, $34.95, limited to Pennsylvania residents age 16 and older.
NRA Hunter Education course, free, open to Pennsylvania residents age 11 and older.

Once you pass, the certification never expires. Pennsylvania recognizes hunter education credentials from other states, and most states accept Pennsylvania’s certification for firearm hunting, though states with separate bowhunter or trapper credentials may not accept the basic PA course for those activities.⁵

Want to Hunt Before Finishing the Course?

The Mentored Hunting Program lets first-time hunters of any age hunt under the direct supervision of a licensed mentor who is at least 21 years old.⁶ You can use a mentored permit for up to three license years before the Game Commission requires you to complete the full education course. Permit fees range from $2.97 for a mentored youth permit to $20.97 for a resident mentored adult permit; nonresident mentored adult permits run $101.97.¹ A parent or guardian must co-sign for anyone under 18 and must accompany a minor during any mentored hunt.

Step 3: Gather What You Need to Apply

Have these in front of you before you start:

Your Social Security number. Pennsylvania law requires it on any recreational license application to help the Department of Human Services with child support enforcement. It’s kept on file and does not appear on the face of the license.⁷
Proof of residency: a Pennsylvania driver’s license, state-issued ID, or current state or local income tax receipt.
Hunter education documentation. If you took the course in Pennsylvania, your record is already in the system; if you took it in another state, have that certificate handy.
Your Customer Identification (CID) number if you’ve held a license before. You can find it on a previous license or in your HuntFishPA profile, and it speeds up the transaction considerably.⁸

Step 4: Buy the License

Online Through HuntFishPA

At huntfish.pa.gov, you select your license type, add any stamps or permits, and pay with a credit or debit card. A digital version of the license is available immediately after checkout and is legal to carry in the field for most purposes. The physical card ships within 10 business days, though during peak periods that can stretch to 20 business days.⁹

One important exception to the digital-is-fine rule: big game harvest tags for deer, bear, elk, and turkey must be printed on the official durable stock and physically attached to the animal during transport.³ If you’re buying close to a big game opener, either give the mail time to arrive or buy in person.

In Person at an Issuing Agent

County Treasurer’s offices and authorized retail issuing agents print your license and harvest tags on the spot, which eliminates any delivery worry.⁹

If You Lose Your License

A replacement costs $6.97 through HuntFishPA or any issuing agent. Note that ordering a replacement automatically invalidates any unused harvest tags from the lost license, and only the tags issued with the replacement remain valid.¹

What Your License Covers and What Costs Extra

A general hunting license includes one antlered deer tag, one fall turkey tag, one spring turkey tag, and small game hunting privileges for the license year. Fees by category:¹

Resident Adult (ages 17–64): $20.97
Nonresident Adult (age 17+): $101.97
Resident Junior (ages 12–16): reduced rate. An 11-year-old can apply if they turn 12 by June 30 of the license year, but cannot hunt until their 12th birthday.
Resident Senior (age 65+): $13.97, with a lifetime senior license available for $51.97.

Several seasons and species require an add-on license on top of the base license:¹

Archery: $16.97 resident, $26.97 nonresident.
Muzzleloader: $11.97 resident, $21.97 nonresident.
Bear: $16.97 resident, $36.97 nonresident.
Pheasant permit: $26.97, required to hunt pheasants in stocked areas.¹⁰

Antlerless Deer

An antlerless deer license is separate from the antlered tag included with your general license and sells in staggered rounds by Wildlife Management Unit. For the 2026–27 license year, resident hunters are guaranteed one antlerless license in any WMU if they buy before nonresident sales open on July 13. First-round resident sales begin June 22 at 8 a.m., and additional rounds open on July 27, August 10, and August 24, with a personal cap of six active antlerless licenses.¹¹ Popular units sell out fast in the early rounds.

Elk

Elk tags are drawn through a limited lottery, not sold over the counter. For the 2026–27 season, applications open May 1 and close July 12 at 11:59 p.m. The application fee is $11.97, and you may select up to five combinations of season, hunt zone, and sex on a single application. Unsuccessful applicants accumulate bonus points that carry into future years.¹²

Waterfowl

Duck, goose, and other migratory waterfowl hunters age 16 and older need a Federal Duck Stamp in addition to their Pennsylvania license, and must carry either a signed physical stamp or a valid E-Stamp in the field.¹³ Pennsylvania is one of 30 states where you can buy the E-Stamp through HuntFishPA and receive immediate proof of purchase; a physical stamp follows in the mail. U.S. Post Offices and participating retailers also sell physical stamps. A retail receipt on its own is not a legal substitute for the stamp.

After the Hunt: Tagging and Reporting

Once you take a deer, turkey, bear, or elk, fill out the harvest tag and attach it to the animal before moving it from the kill site. Notch the month and day boxes to record the date, and leave the tag on until the animal is processed for consumption or prepared for mounting.

Report the kill within 10 days through HuntFishPA or by mailing the harvest report card from the Hunting and Trapping Digest.¹⁴ Mentored hunters and hunters using homemade tags have a shorter five-day reporting window for deer and turkey. Missing the deadline is a summary offense under the Game Code.

1
Pennsylvania Game Commission. License Types
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 34 Chapter 27 – 2702 Residents
3
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Licensing FAQs
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 34 Chapter 27 – 2704 Eligibility for License
5
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Hunter-Trapper Education
6
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Get Started Hunting
7
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 23 Chapter 43 – 4304.1 Cooperation of Government and Nongovernment Agencies
8
HuntFishPA Support. The Customer Homepage
9
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Licenses and Permits
10
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Pheasant Season Nears Liftoff
11
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Final 2026-27 Hunting Seasons Approved
12
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Elk Hunting
13
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Buy a Duck Stamp or Electronic Duck Stamp (E-Stamp)
14
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Reporting a Harvest