Expand AllClick here for a more accessible versionFrequently Asked License Questions
Hunting and Furtaker licenses are sold at many locations across Pennsylvania. Explore our interactive map to find addresses, phone numbers, and driving directions to any of the agents who sell our licenses. If you purchase your license at one of our issuing agents, your physical licenses and harvest tags will print immediately.
You may also purchase your licenses online at HuntFishPA. Licenses purchased online are printed and mailed to customers within 14 business days. Digital licenses are available immediately after completing an online transaction, however, you must have physical harvest tags printed on the official durable stock if you intend to go out and hunt/trap any game that requires a harvest tag.
A CID is your Customer Identification Number,
also referred to as Customer Number. When purchasing a license through the
Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS), you will be assigned a nine-digit
CID that will be printed on your license. Your CID is your permanent
identification number in PALS and identifies you in the database. Please retain
this number for future purchases or hunter identification purposes.
No, digital licenses now may be carried afield
as an alternative to carrying certain paper licenses. You do need to carry physical harvest tags
that are printed on durable license stock. Deer, bear, elk and turkey under
transport, including those taken outside of Pennsylvania, are some game animals
that must have an appropriate tag completed and attached.
Yes.
The purchaser must provide confirmation of residency for a resident license. When
the licensee signs their license and takes the privileges afield, they certify
the correctness of all the information presented.
Yes, however, you will have to present some other form of positive identification verifying residency, such as current receipts documenting payment of Pennsylvania state or local personal income tax. For junior license applicants who are too young to drive, the parent or legal guardian who signs the application must present proof of residency.
Yes. When either you or an agent create an account for them in HuntFishPA, simply
leave the driver’s license fields blank. The system will allow you to continue
without entering anything.
License issuing agents have very limited access to the PALS database and only for the purpose of issuing or replacing a license. Your SSN cannot be viewed. There are many layers of security built into PALS to ensure that all licensee information is protected and kept confidential. In addition, the Game and Wildlife Code prohibits all license-issuing agents from disclosing license information in any manner.
No. You may enter your own SSN securely using
the agent’s pin-pad. The only time you would need to enter your SSN again is if
there is no SSN on file or you can't remember your CID when renewing your license.
No. A court-order is required to prohibit the issuance of a hunting/furtaker license or to suspend an existing license. You should receive notice before your hunting/furtaker privileges are affected. Of course, the best way to avoid problems with your hunting license or other licenses (including your driver's license) is to get yourself up to date on your child support. If you believe you have been denied a license in error, please contact the Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Protection directly at (717) 787-4024.
Please contact the HuntFishPA help desk by calling 1-800-838-4431.
You may purchase a replacement license for $6.97 from any issuing agent or online at HuntFishPA. Using your CID, SSN, or driver's license number, the issuing agent will access your record in the database to verify the license privileges you have on file. If ordering replacements online, please allow 14 business days for your replacement license documents to arrive in the mail.
You must be at least 65 years of age before June 30th of the current license year.
Hunters who purchased a senior lifetime hunting/combo license prior to May 13, 2017 are eligible to hunt pheasant without the pheasant permit. Those who purchased their lifetime license after that date will need the pheasant hunting permit to hunt pheasant.
General hunting, archery, muzzleloader and furtaker privileges are what make up the combo license. This is true for both junior and senior lifetime combos. There is no Disabled Veteran Combo license.
These licenses allow for archery hunting and muzzleloader hunting in
their respective seasons. You can hunt during the regular firearms season with
a bow or a muzzleloading gun without either add-on license.
Information on these requirements can be found on our
License Types page. Military personnel can contact the PGC
License Division at 717-787-2084 with questions.
A mentored hunter can hunt deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, hare, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, pheasant, crow, dove, porcupine, woodchuck, waterfowl, bear and coyote in any of their respective seasons, and must follow daily and season bag limits for each species.
Mentored hunters ages 12 or older may participate in the mentored program for a maximum of three license years. After that period, they must take and pass a Hunter-Trapper Education class in order to obtain a license. Individuals who have participated in the program for at least three years before turning 12 are unable to continue as a mentored hunter and must obtain a license.
Licenses are valid for the license year they are purchased for. License
years run from July 1st – June 30th.
The
Seasons and Bag Limits page on the PGC website, mobile app, and the
Hunting and Trapping Digest are all great resources when looking for current
hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits. Specific information is available
by emailing pgccomments@pa.gov or calling 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD.
Please call our Centralized Dispatch Center at 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD for assistance.
Yes. Use of the shooting ranges is included with a general hunting license. No license or permit is required to use the archery-only ranges. PGC Shooting Range permits are not valid at DCNR shooting ranges.
Yes, one guest can accompany you to use the range if you have a current hunting license or shooting range permit.
For name changes, you can reach out to the PGC License Division directly
at (717) 787-2084 or by emailing pgclicdiv@pa.gov. There is no need to get a new license. Once we update your profile,
the changes will reflect immediately and the change history will be available
to a warden in the event you are stopped.
Contact the Bureau of Wildlife Protection, Special Permits Division at 717-783-8164 or click
here to print the application and to find more information.
For hunters who have purchased their hunting license and then changed residency during the license year, the
Change of Residency Application must be completed and sent to the Game Commission to keep that license valid for the remainder of the current hunting year.
Senior license holders that move out of state are considered nonresidents
and will have to purchase nonresident licenses. Your lifetime license will be
inactive during this time. If you ever move back to Pennsylvania as a full-time
resident, you can call the PGC License Division at 717-787-2084 to have your
lifetime license reactivated.
If you are unable to log in to your HuntFishPA account, some of your personal information may be incorrect on your account. You should contact the HuntFishPA help desk at 1-800-838-4431 (24/7) or the PGC License Division at 717-787-2084 (during normal business hours) to have them investigate further and make necessary corrections to your account.
Having
duplicate accounts can create problems in accessing your account and/or
purchasing licenses. Please contact the HuntFishPA help
desk at 1-800-838-4431 or the License Division Staff at 717-787-2084 as
soon as you can to have your profiles merged into one active account.
You can send an email to infocwd@pa.gov or call 1-833-INFOCWD.
If it is a licensing issue, you can email pgclicdiv@pa.gov. All others may be made by filling out the PGC Conact form.