Pennsylvania Migratory Game Bird License Requirements

To hunt migratory birds in Pennsylvania, you need a Pennsylvania migratory game bird license added to your base hunting license, and you have to complete a short Harvest Information Program (HIP) registration before you can buy it. The add-on costs $3.97 for residents and $6.97 for non-residents. Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older also need a $25 federal duck stamp.¹

Who Needs It

Pennsylvania requires the migratory bird privilege on top of whatever primary license you hold. It isn’t bundled with anything. Residents need a general hunting license or combination license first. Non-residents need either a general hunting license or a 7-day nonresident small game license. Mentored permit holders, both youth and adults, must also purchase the add-on before hunting any covered species.²

A common surprise: senior licenses, senior lifetime licenses, and lifetime combination licenses do not include migratory bird privileges. If you hold any of those, you still buy the add-on each license year.² The same is true for junior hunters aged 12 to 16, and for mentored youth under 12 who hunt migratory species through the mentored program.³

Which Birds the License Covers

The license applies to all migratory game birds, not just waterfowl. You need it for ducks, geese, brant, coots, gallinules, doves, woodcock, rails, and snipe.⁴ Dove hunters and duck hunters face the same state licensing requirement. Season dates are set by the Pennsylvania Game Commission each year within federal frameworks and published on the commission’s website and in the annual hunting digest.

Step One: Harvest Information Program Registration

Before you can add the migratory bird privilege to your license, you have to complete HIP registration. HIP is a federal program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and every state that allows migratory bird hunting requires it as a gateway to licensing.⁵

The registration is short. You give your name, address, and Customer Identification number (CID) through HuntFishPA, then answer questions about whether you hunted migratory birds during the previous season and roughly how many you harvested. Questions cover the full HIP species list, including ducks, geese, brant, coots, doves, woodcock, rails, snipe, gallinules, and swans.⁵ Honest estimates are fine; the Fish and Wildlife Service uses your answers to pick who receives follow-up harvest surveys. You can complete HIP through the HuntFishPA online portal or in person at an authorized issuing agent. Either way, the system won’t let you add the migratory bird privilege until the HIP questions are answered.

Step Two: Buying the License

Once HIP is done, buy the license through HuntFishPA at huntfish.pa.gov or at any authorized retail agent. It’s available at both year-round once sales open for the license year.¹

Total cost including the issuing agent fee:

Resident: $3.97
Non-resident: $6.97

The statutory base is $2 for residents and $5 for non-residents; the rest is the agent fee.⁶ Online purchases through HuntFishPA may add processing fees on top of these amounts.¹

The Pennsylvania license year runs July 1 through June 30. For 2026–27, licenses go on sale at 8 a.m. on June 22, 2026.⁷ Your migratory bird privilege expires at the end of that license year, so repurchase and re-do HIP each year.

Carrying the License in the Field

Pennsylvania allows a digital version of your hunting license on a mobile device instead of paper, so you don’t need a printed copy in most situations.⁸ A paper license, if you carry one, must be signed in ink to be valid. Conservation officers can request proof at any time.

One exception: paper harvest tags are still required for deer, bear, and turkey. No electronic harvest tags are authorized in Pennsylvania. If you hunt migratory birds and big game in overlapping seasons, keep paper tags on hand for the big game side even if the rest of your licenses live on your phone.⁸

Federal Duck Stamp for Waterfowl Hunters

If you hunt ducks, geese, brant, swans, or coots and you are 16 or older, federal law requires you to carry a valid Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly called the federal duck stamp. It is separate from the Pennsylvania license.⁹ The stamp costs $25 and is valid July 1 through June 30.

You can buy it as a physical stamp or as an electronic stamp through authorized state systems. An electronic duck stamp is valid through the first June 30 after the date of purchase.¹⁰ A physical stamp must be signed in ink across the face before you hunt. Unsigned, it is not valid.¹¹

Hunters 15 and under are exempt from the federal duck stamp requirement, though they still need the Pennsylvania Migratory Game Bird License.⁹

Non-Toxic Shot Rule for Waterfowl

Federal regulations prohibit lead shot when hunting waterfowl, coots, and any species sharing aggregate bag limits with waterfowl in concurrent seasons. You must use approved non-toxic shot such as steel or bismuth, containing less than one percent residual lead.¹² This applies nationwide, not just in specific zones. If you hunt doves and ducks the same weekend, keep the ammunition separate and be deliberate about what you load.

Penalties for Hunting Without It

Hunting migratory birds without a valid Migratory Game Bird License is a summary offense of the third degree under Pennsylvania law, and each day of unlicensed hunting counts as a separate offense.⁶ Repeat or serious wildlife violations can also lead to license suspensions that affect your ability to hunt any species in Pennsylvania.

Federal penalties stack on top for waterfowl. Hunting waterfowl without a federal duck stamp, or with an unsigned physical stamp, violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a misdemeanor carrying a maximum fine of $15,000 and up to six months in jail.⁹ First-time offenders rarely see the statutory maximum, but the fines still dwarf the price of the stamp and the state license combined.

1
Pennsylvania Game Commission. 2025 PGC License Year Catalog
2
Pennsylvania Game Commission. License Types
3
Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. Subchapter X – Mentored Hunting Program Permit
4
Pennsylvania Game Commission. 2025-26 Migratory Game Bird Seasons Set
5
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Migratory Bird Harvest Surveys – What We Do
6
Pennsylvania General Assembly. 34 Pa. C.S. Chapter 27 – Hunting and Furtaking Licenses
7
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Final 2026-27 Hunting Seasons Approved
8
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Digital Hunting Licenses Now Available for Download
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 718a – Prohibition on Taking
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC Chapter 7, Subchapter IV-A – Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 718b – Stamp Design, Term of Validity
12
eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal