Pennsylvania Archery Season: Dates, Licenses and Rules

Is archery season open in PA? Yes: Pennsylvania's statewide archery deer season runs from 3 October to 20 November 2026, closes for the regular firearms season, then reopens from 26 December 2026 to 24 January 2027. In Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 2B, 5C and 5D it opened earlier, on 19 September, and runs to 27 November. For 2026–27, every Sunday inside those dates is open too.

This guide sets out the season dates, the licences you need, the equipment and orange rules, and how to report a deer, all taken from the Pennsylvania Game Commission's own release and its 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Digest.

Rules checked on 9 October 2026; this isn't legal advice and regulations change, so confirm with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Pennsylvania archery season dates for 2026–27

The Game Commission's 30 September 2026 release says the "statewide archery deer season opens on Oct. 3, 2026, and runs through Nov. 20, 2026," and that "after regular firearms deer season, archery deer season reopens Dec. 26, 2026, and runs through Jan. 24, 2027." The digest adds the early season in three WMUs.

Several shorter firearm seasons sit inside the October archery window: the October muzzleloader season for antlerless deer (17 to 25 October) and the antlerless special firearms season (22 to 25 October), which is open only to certain groups, such as licensed seniors and junior licence holders. Both matter for orange, covered below.

Is archery season over in Pennsylvania?

Not until 24 January 2027. Between 21 November and 25 December (28 November to 25 December in the three early WMUs) archery season is closed. Even so, the digest notes that "bows and arrows, and crossbows may be used during regular, special and extended firearms deer seasons without purchasing muzzleloader or archery licenses", so a bowhunter can still hunt the firearms season under a general licence, following that season's rules.

The all-Sundays rule

The 2026–27 season is the first with Sunday hunting "expanded to include all Sundays that fall within the seasons start and end dates, with the exception of migratory game bird seasons," the Game Commission says. Many seasons that used to end on a Saturday now end on a Sunday.

One exception: the digest limits Sunday hunting in state parks and state preserves in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties to 15, 22 and 29 November. Elsewhere, Sundays are open on state game lands, state forests, parks and preserves.

Licences, antlerless permits and hunter education

To hunt any archery deer season you need, in the digest's words, "an archery license in addition to a general license, unless possessing a combination license or mentored permit that includes archery privileges." The digest lists these 2026-27 fees:

Bag limits are "one antlered deer per license year, and an antlerless deer with each required license or permit." The digest is clear that "archers must have a valid antlerless deer license or permit to harvest an antlerless deer," and antlerless licences are WMU-specific. Antler restrictions apply: three points on one side in most of the state, and "three up" (three points on one side, not counting the brow tine) in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 2D. Junior and mentored youth hunters, among others, follow a lighter rule.

Hunter education. The digest says people who haven't held a hunting licence before "are required to attain certification in an accredited hunter-trapper education program before hunting or applying for a hunting license." We didn't find a separate bowhunter-education requirement for deer in the 2026-27 digest; the Hunter-Trapper Education course is the one that unlocks a licence. The Mentored Hunting Program is the exception: mentored hunters don't need the course first, and are exempt from the archery add-on licence. Our guide to hunting deer with a bow covers the first-season basics.

Equipment rules: bows, crossbows, broadheads and electronics

For the archery deer seasons, the digest allows "long, recurve, compound bows (minimum draw weight of 35 pounds), and crossbows with broadheads of cutting-edge design." The main details:

• Draw weight: at least 35 lb for vertical bows. Crossbows must have "a draw weight not less than 125 pounds." Our guide to draw weight for deer explains why being comfortable at your weight matters more than the minimum.
• Broadheads: fixed or mechanical, with sharpened metal or stone edges, "an outside diameter or width of at least 7/8 of an inch," and no longer than 3.25 inches. Every arrow and bolt must carry one.
• Crossbows: legal in all archery deer seasons, and "magnifying scopes and red-dot sights can be used on crossbows."
• Lighted pins and nocks: lighted sight pins and lighted reticles are allowed "as long as they don't cast a beam," and illuminated nocks fixed to the back of an arrow or bolt "used solely for the purpose of locating or tracking" its flight are legal. Our lighted nocks guide explains how they work.
• Rangefinders: handheld rangefinders and those built into an archery sight are allowed.
• Firearms: archery deer hunters may not carry a firearm, except holders of a License to Carry Firearms, and then only the firearms it authorises.

Fluorescent orange for bowhunters

The digest says plainly: "No fluorescent orange is required during archery seasons when hunting for deer, bear or elk." But "orange is required, however, by hunters using archery equipment during firearms deer seasons (regular, special and extended)." When required, it's 250 square inches on the head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees; an orange hat and vest meets it. In the regular firearms season, a blind or enclosed tree stand also needs a 100-square-inch orange band within 15 feet, visible from all directions.

Because the October muzzleloader and special firearms seasons fall inside the archery window, and the regular firearms bear season (21 to 24 November) overlaps the last week of archery in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, read the digest's orange section carefully for those dates. The digest highly recommends orange in every season, required or not.

On state game lands, the digest says non-hunters must wear orange from 1 October to 31 January and 20 April to 31 May, "unless engaged in lawful hunting, trapping or fishing that does not require the use of orange." (The Game Commission's release gives the autumn end date as "Jan. 30, 2026", which looks like a typo; we've used the digest.)

Public land, tree stands and harvest reporting

Pennsylvania's state game lands and state forests are open to archers, and the digest notes "more than 2.2 million acres of state forests." On state game lands, tree stands and portable blinds can go out no more than two weeks before the first deer season in that area and must come down within two weeks after the last. Left unattended, they must carry the owner's name and address or licence CID number. You can't damage a tree with a stand or climbing device without the landowner's written permission. The release asks archers to "wear a full-body safety harness or belt before their feet leave the ground"; see our tree stand safety guide for the full routine.

Tag it, then report it. Tag the deer in the ear before you move it. The digest says each hunter "who harvests a deer or turkey must report it to the Game Commission within 10 days" (five days if you had to make a homemade tag). Report online at huntfish.pa.gov, by phone on 1-800-838-4431, or by mail using the report card in the digest.

For dates in other states, see our archery season dates by state hub.

Rules checked on 9 October 2026; not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Is archery season open in PA right now?

From 3 October to 20 November 2026, and from 26 December 2026 to 24 January 2027, yes, statewide. In WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D it's open from 19 September to 27 November and again from 26 December. Outside those dates it's closed for archery, though bows can be used during the firearms seasons under a general licence.

When does archery season start in PA for 2026?

Statewide, Saturday 3 October 2026. In WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D it began on 19 September 2026. Both reopen for the late season on 26 December. The Game Commission publishes the dates each year in its Hunting & Trapping Digest, so check the new digest before planning next season.

Do you need an archery licence in Pennsylvania?

Yes. The 2026-27 digest says participants in any archery deer season need an archery licence in addition to a general hunting licence, unless they hold a combination licence or a mentored permit with archery privileges. You also need an antlerless licence or permit for each antlerless deer you take.

Can you hunt archery season on Sundays in Pennsylvania?

Yes, in 2026–27. The Game Commission says all Sundays within season dates are open except for migratory game birds. Sunday hunting is limited in some state parks and state preserves in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, where the digest lists only 15, 22 and 29 November.

Can I use a crossbow during archery season in PA?

Yes. The digest lists crossbows as legal in the archery deer seasons, with a draw weight of at least 125 pounds and a legal broadhead at least 7/8 inch wide. Magnifying scopes and red-dot sights are allowed on crossbows. A cocked crossbow with a bolt in place isn't allowed in or on a motor vehicle.