I admit I’m not the brightest bulb in the pack but sometimes I don’t think I’m alone when I say that trying to figure out just exactly how to go about getting a permit to hunt deer can be quite a chore.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced that as of yesterday antlerless deer permits had been sold out for Wildlife Management Unit 2G. This doesn’t mean there are no longer any opportunities left to hunt antlerless deer in this same WMU says Carl Roe, Executive Director of PGC.

Roe noted that this does not mean that hunters, both residents and nonresidents, are out of options when looking to hunt on public lands in this WMU thanks to Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) coupons that remain available for antlerless deer hunting opportunities on several of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) state forests
in WMU 2G.
“While DMAP permits may be used only on the specific property for which they are issued, they do offer hunters additional antlerless deer hunting opportunities on large tracts of public lands in WMU 2G, which has exhausted its antlerless deer license allocation,” Roe said. “DMAP was developed to provide a way for hunters to help landowners achieve the type of deer harvest they require to better manage their lands. We encourage hunters to contact these landowners and take advantage of this
unprecedented opportunity.”

I would suppose that if you have hunted in Pennsylvania, this wouldn’t seem confusing to you but it does to me. Imagine for a minute what it must be like for a new hunter or perhaps someone moving into the state looking to go deer hunting. Granted I’m spoiled, if you will, by hunting in Maine most of my life having grown up there. In Maine, you buy a license and if you choose, you can apply for an “Any Deer” permit in any of several Wildlife Management Districts. The Fish and Game Department determines how many permits to issue for each WMD as part of their management program.

Whether successful in drawing an “Any Deer” permit or not, on opening day you grab your rifle and head for the woods. It’s about as simple a task as one could imagine, so I’m not real familiar with things like DMAP, and which units you can and can’t apply for antlerless permits, as well as how many and whether or not you can or can’t hunt an antlered deer if you have an antlerless permit.

It gets better or worse, depending on how you want to look at it. In total, the PGC allocates 865,000 antlerless permits statewide – not including all the other permits available through DMAP (Deer Management Assistance Program) and other programs. To date, less than half of those permits have been sold and the deadline is August 20, 2007. After that all hell breaks loose as hunters can jockey for position in an attempt to apply for unsold permits.

Once again, bear in mind what it must be like for first-time hunters or new residents to the state. Here’s the crystal clear explanation on the application process after the initial sale of antlerless permits.

Monday, Aug. 27, the Game Commission will accept, only through first-class mail, applications for the first round of unsold antlerless licenses. Hunters may apply for and receive only one antlerless deer license during this first round in any one of the WMUs, except for WMUs 2B, 5C or 5D. Applying for and receiving more than one “unsold” antlerless license prior to Sept. 10 – except in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D — is against the law.
In WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, during the first round of unsold antlerless deer licenses, hunters may apply for multiple antlerless deer licenses, provided they submit no more than three applications per envelope, in addition to the one unsold antlerless deer license they may apply for in the 19 other WMUs. However, they may mail as many envelopes as they desire for unsold antlerless licenses in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D.
Beginning Monday, Sept. 10, the Game Commission will accept, only through first-class mail, applications for the second round of unsold antlerless licenses. Hunters who applied for an unsold antlerless license during the first round may apply for and receive only one antlerless deer license during the second round. Those hunters who did not apply for an unsold license during the first round may make separate applications for and receive up to two unsold antlerless licenses during the second round. The separate applications may be submitted to one or two WMUs.

Isn’t there an easier way?

Tom Remington

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