Permits on Sale for Deer Management Assistance Program in Pennsylvania State Forests, Parks

HARRISBURG- Offering white-tailed deer hunters more hunting opportunities across Pennsylvania, state forestlands and state parks are participating in the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Deer Management Assistance Program.

The program allows landowners to apply for permits to encourage antlerless deer harvests on their property, enabling the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and private landowners to manage white-tailed deer populations.

Out-of-balance deer populations impact other wildlife and disrupt forest regeneration, which is vital to healthy, sustainable forested ecosystems.

“The Department recognizes the ecological importance and impacts of the white-tailed deer population on commonwealth forests,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “State forest and park managers determine where to place Deer Management Assistance areas by continuously assessing habitat conditions and collecting forest health data. A forest’s ability to support deer while maintaining healthy habitat can vary each year, and the program is used as a tool to meet those needs and strike a balance between healthy forests and a healthy deer population.”

The Department is offering hunters 30,328 permits in 101 units totaling more than 1.3 million acres.

Deer Management Assistance Program tags are now on sale. Hunters obtain permits directly from license issuing agents or the Pennsylvania Game Commission website.

Requests for program-targeted areas, and the number of permits sought, are science-driven.

The Department 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 the program should be applied.

The Department’s goals for the Deer Management Assistance Program 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 Deer Management Assistance Program permits can find Department of Conservation and Natural Resources tract locations and maps, availability numbers, past hunter success rates, and other information on an interactive map.

Visit the Department’s website for more information about the agency and check out the calendar of events for the latest happenings on public lands.