Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is offering white-tailed deer hunters more opportunities to harvest antlerless deer this hunting season through participation by state forestlands and state parks in the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP).
Through DMAP, DCNR and participating private landowners can make additional antlerless deer permits available to hunters to help manage white-tailed deer populations. Maintaining a healthy balance of deer is essential to forest health, as overabundant deer populations can impact other wildlife and hinder natural forest regeneration – a critical process for healthy, sustainable forest ecosystems.
“DCNR and the Pennsylvania Game Commission work together to mitigate the ecological impacts of the white-tailed deer population on Commonwealth forests,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “Our leadership in state forests and parks carefully assess where to place DMAP areas by continuously surveying habitat conditions and collecting forest health data. Each year, DMAP is used as a tool to determine a forest’s ability to support deer while maintaining healthy habitat, finding a balance between healthy forests and a healthy deer population.”
DCNR is offering hunters 24,981 permits in 89 units across 1.2 million acres. DMAP tags are now on sale. Hunters obtain permits directly from license issuing agents or the Pennsylvania Game Commission website.
Requests for DMAP-targeted areas, and the number of permits sought, are science-driven. DCNR has a statistically based vegetation sampling protocol, with more than 10,000 plots across 2.2 million acres of state forestland, which assists in determining where DMAP should be applied.
DCNR’s goals for DMAP are to:
- Promote a diverse, healthy natural habitat that supports wildlife diversity and healthy deer populations;
- Provide additional hunting opportunities;
- Establish and maintain regeneration to support sustainable forestry practices with minimal need for deer fencing; and
- Promote a healthy, sustainable forest and native, wild plant communities.
Twenty-six state parks and 18 state forest districts are participating in the program this year.
Applicants for DMAP permits can find DCNR and Game Commission tract locations and maps, availability numbers, past hunter success rates, and other information on an interactive map.
Last year, Governor Josh Shapiro signed historic bipartisan legislation to repeal Pennsylvania’s ban on Sunday hunting — expanding Sunday hunting opportunities and strengthening wildlife conservation efforts while growing rural economies across the Commonwealth. The Game Commission approved a record 1.469 million antlerless deer licenses for the 2026-27 hunting year, showing broad interest in the long-held Pennsylvania traditional activity.
Hunting contributes more than $1.6 billion annually to Pennsylvania’s economy, supports more than 15,000 jobs, and generates millions in state and local tax revenue. Expanding Sunday hunting is expected to draw more hunters from within and outside the Commonwealth — increasing spending at local businesses and helping sustain wildlife conservation efforts funded by license sales. Many areas in Pennsylvania’s 125 state parks are open to hunting, including on Sundays, offering a variety of game, species and habitat. Please check the park's hunting page prior to visiting.
Extended Firearms Season
An extended firearms season for antlerless deer will be open on all DMAP properties from December 26, 2026, through January 24, 2027. An antlerless license can only be used in the extended firearms season within Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) with an open extended firearms season. On DMAP properties outside those WMUs, a hunter needs a valid DMAP permit for the property they’re hunting to take part. DCNR recognizes the need for adaptive management when tackling complex issues like forest health and deer management and will carefully evaluate changes to program engagement and DMAP harvest that arise from the extended season for DMAP tags.
DMAP areas have been established in 18 of the 20 forest districts across the state. Snowmobiling is permitted in all forest districts when conditions allow; however, the northcentral, northeast, and southwest regions typically offer the best conditions and highest usage in the Commonwealth. The Bureau of Forestry anticipates opening snowmobile season on schedule, following the conclusion of the statewide regular firearms deer season, which ends December 13, 2026, as established by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Visit the Game Commission website for more information about hunting in Pennsylvania.
Visit DCNR’s website for more information about the agency and check out DCNR’s calendar of events for the latest happenings on public lands.
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