Hunting
Pennsylvania Deer Season 2026-27: Dates and WMU Maps Offline
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Pennsylvania's regular firearms deer season runs November 28 to December 13, 2026, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Pennsylvania is split into Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), and cell service in many of them is poor. This guide gives you the statewide dates and shows how to carry a WMU map on your phone that works with no signal.
Pennsylvania deer season dates, 2026-27
These dates come from the Game Commission's final 2026-27 hunting seasons announcement.
| Season | Dates |
|---|---|
| Archery (statewide) | Oct. 3 to Nov. 20, and Dec. 26 to Jan. 24, 2027 |
| Antlerless muzzleloader | Oct. 17 to 25 |
| Antlerless special firearms | Oct. 22 to 25 |
| Regular firearms | Nov. 28 to Dec. 13 |
| Flintlock | Dec. 26 to Jan. 24, 2027 |
| Antlerless DMAP (extended firearms) | Dec. 26 to Jan. 24, 2027, DMAP properties only |
Some units have different dates:
- Archery in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 19 to Nov. 27, and Dec. 26 to Jan. 24, 2027.
- Extended antlerless firearms in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 26 to Jan. 24, 2027.
- Extended antlerless firearms in WMUs 4A, 4C, 4D and 5A: Dec. 26 to Jan. 18, 2027.
The Game Commission says the 2026-27 seasons include the Sundays that fall inside the listed dates. Licenses, antlerless permits and bag limits still apply. Always check the official seasons and bag limits page for your unit before you go. This guide is not the rulebook.
Know your WMU before you head out
Every Pennsylvania deer rule is tied to a WMU: antlerless license allocations, season dates and extended seasons. The unit boundaries follow roads, creeks and county lines, so a paper handout is hard to read in the woods. A GeoPDF map shows your live GPS dot on top of the unit, so you can see where you are in relation to the boundary.
Get a WMU map that works offline
Cartahaven lists a Pennsylvania WMU hunting map for each unit, for example WMU 1A, WMU 2B and WMU 2G. Each costs $4.99. You can browse the rest on the Pennsylvania unit pages or in the map store.
- Find your WMU and buy the map.
- Open it in the Cartahaven app on Android or iPhone.
- Download it to your phone while you still have Wi-Fi.
- Turn on airplane mode at home and open the map to confirm it loads.
Do this the night before opening day. Cell coverage drops fast in the northern tier and in the mountain ridges, and a map that is not saved on your phone will not load there.
Opening-day checklist
- Confirm your WMU on the Game Commission's map, then open the matching map on your phone.
- Check that GPS shows your position with airplane mode on.
- Mark your truck or camp as a waypoint before you walk in.
- Carry a charged battery pack. GPS and a bright screen drain a phone quickly in the cold.
- Check state game land and private land boundaries before you cross them. A map helps, but you are responsible for knowing where you may hunt.
Other states
Hunting in another state this fall? See our guides for Minnesota deer permit areas and Indiana hunting maps, or browse deer season maps by state.