PA Hunting License Requirements: Age, Education, and Residency

To get a Pennsylvania hunting license, you need proof of residency (or non-resident status), a Social Security number, and — if you have never held a hunting license anywhere before — a completed hunter education course. Pennsylvania hunting license requirements also vary by age: junior applicants aged 12 to 16 need a parent or guardian’s signature, adults 17 to 64 buy the standard license, and seniors 65 and older can choose an annual or lifetime license at reduced cost. First-time buyers without hunter education can still enter the field through the Mentored Hunting Program.

Residency and Age

Pennsylvania law defines a resident as someone who has maintained a home in the Commonwealth for at least 30 consecutive days before applying.¹ If you recently moved to the state, wait out that window before you qualify for resident pricing.

Age determines your license class:

Junior, ages 12 to 16, requires a parent or guardian’s written signature. Hunting privileges begin on the applicant’s 12th birthday, even if the license is bought earlier.
Adult, ages 17 to 64, is the standard license.
Senior, 65 and up, is available as an annual or one-time lifetime license at reduced cost.

Non-residents can buy the same license classes and the age brackets mirror the resident ones, but fees are significantly higher in every category. Junior non-residents also need parental consent.¹

Hunter Education

If you have never held a hunting license in Pennsylvania or any other state, you must finish a hunter education course before the Game Commission will issue you a license. The one exception covers active-duty military members and veterans discharged under honorable conditions within six months of applying.² If you held a license in the past but can’t find proof, you can sign a certification on the application stating so.

The Basic Hunter-Trapper Education course is offered in three formats. The in-person classroom course is free and open to anyone age 11 or older. An online interactive course is available to Pennsylvania residents age 11 and up. A standard online course is limited to Pennsylvania residents age 16 and older.

Every format ends with a written exam requiring an 80 percent score to pass. A temporary certificate prints immediately on completion, and a permanent card follows by mail.³ You will need to show the certificate when buying your first license, so hold onto it.

The Mentored Hunting Program

Pennsylvania sets no minimum age for hunting. Children of any age and adults who have never taken hunter education can hunt through the Mentored Hunting Program, which pairs an inexperienced hunter with a licensed mentor at least 21 years old.⁴ The mentor is legally responsible for the mentored hunter in the field and can accompany up to three junior or mentored hunters at a time.

Mentored permit fees are much lower than standard licenses. Resident and non-resident applicants under 12 pay $2.97. Residents 12 to 16 pay $6.97, and residents 17 and older pay $20.97. Non-residents pay $41.97 for ages 12 to 16 and $101.97 for 17 and older.⁴ Mentored hunters do not need separate archery or muzzleloader add-ons for species covered by the program.

The program has a built-in time limit. Hunters who start before age 12 must obtain a regular license at 12, which means completing hunter education. Those who enter at 12 or older have three license years in the program before they need to take the course and move to a standard license.⁴

Social Security Number and Proof of Residency

Every applicant must provide a Social Security number. Federal law requires states to collect it on recreational license applications for child support enforcement.⁵ The system uses your SSN to generate a nine-digit Customer Identification Number (CID), which becomes your permanent identifier in the licensing database. Save it somewhere reliable; you will use your CID every time you buy a license or permit going forward.⁶

A Pennsylvania driver’s license is the simplest way to prove residency. The Game Commission also accepts current receipts showing payment of state or local personal income tax, or another form of government-issued ID that verifies your Pennsylvania address.⁶

What the General License Covers and What It Doesn’t

The general hunting license is the foundation. It covers small game and includes one antlered deer tag and two turkey tags for the license year.⁷ If you plan to hunt with a bow during archery season, use a muzzleloader, pursue bear, or hunt spring turkey, each of those requires a separate add-on license.

Resident add-on prices for the 2025–26 license year range from $3.97 for a migratory game bird license to $21.97 for a special spring turkey license. Non-resident add-ons run from $6.97 to $41.97 for the same permits.⁷ A separate furtaker license is required if you intend to trap rather than hunt.⁸

Buy your add-ons at the same time as the general license when you can. Adding them later means another trip to an issuing agent or another online transaction.

Antlerless Deer Licenses

Antlerless deer licenses work differently from every other add-on. They sell through a multi-round, first-come-first-served system tied to specific Wildlife Management Units, not a lottery. There is no longer a separate application; you just need a current general hunting license and to know which WMU you want to hunt.⁹

For the 2026–27 license year, the rounds follow this structure:

Prequalified round for resident and non-resident landowners, one license per qualifying acreage.
First round for residents only. Every resident hunter is guaranteed one antlerless license in any WMU if purchased before the resident-only window closes.
First round for non-residents, opening after the resident window.
Second and third rounds, one license per round subject to WMU availability.
Fourth round, in which hunters may purchase up to six total antlerless licenses across most WMUs, with certain units allowing up to 15.

The guaranteed first-round license for residents is the detail to remember. Buy during that first window and you get a tag. Wait too long, or target a popular WMU in later rounds, and you may find it sold out.⁹ Armed forces members and disabled veterans receive guaranteed antlerless licenses in any round, regardless of WMU availability.

Waterfowl Hunters Need Federal Documents Too

If you plan to hunt ducks, geese, or other migratory waterfowl, state licenses alone are not enough. Federal law requires every waterfowl hunter age 16 or older to carry a current Federal Duck Stamp, which costs $25 and runs from July 1 through June 30.¹⁰ You also need to buy the Pennsylvania migratory game bird add-on.

Federal regulations ban lead shot for all waterfowl hunting nationwide. You must use approved non-toxic shot. Steel is the most common and affordable option, and bismuth and tungsten alternatives are also approved.¹¹

How and When To Buy

You can buy a license two ways: online through the HuntFishPA portal, or in person at any authorized issuing agent, which includes county treasurer offices and many sporting goods retailers.¹²

Buying online has one catch. Hunters with an email on file receive a digital copy of their license and permits, but harvest tags are not included in the digital version. Physical tags come by mail, with standard delivery taking up to 10 business days and stretching to 20 during peak sales periods.¹² If you are buying close to opening day, buy in person and walk out with everything in hand.

The license year runs from late June through the following late June. For the 2026–27 season, general hunting licenses go on sale June 22, 2026.¹³ Buying early gives you access to the first-round antlerless allocation and avoids the mail-delivery crunch that hits every September.

1
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 34 – Chapter 27
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 34 – Section 2704
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Hunter-Trapper Education
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Purchase a Mentored Hunting Permit
5
Pennsylvania Bulletin. Social Security Number Exemption
6
Pennsylvania Game Commission. License Frequently Asked License Questions
7
Pennsylvania Game Commission. 2025-26 License Catalog
8
Pennsylvania Game Commission. License Types
9
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Antlerless Deer License
10
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Federal Duck Stamp
11
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Nontoxic Shot Regulations For Hunting Waterfowl and Coots in the U.S.
12
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Licenses and Permits
13
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Final 2026-27 Hunting Seasons Approved