Hunting & Trapping Digest 2008-2009 - (Page 96) LICENSE INFORMATION License Required: A current hunting license is required to hunt, take or kill any wildlife in Pennsylvania not classified as a furbearer. A current furtaker license is required to hunt, trap, take or kill any furbearer. A license is valid July 1 to the following June 30. Licenses must be worn on the middle of the back with all numbers visible. Identification Required When Hunting: While afield, in addition to their hunting or furtaker license, sportsmen are required to have cards or papers that must be shown to an officer or landowner upon request to confirm identification and residency. Junior Licenses and Hunters: Persons under 17 years of age must have their application signed by their parent or legal guardian. Persons who turn 17 after purchasing a Junior License can still hunt that year with the Junior License. 11-yearolds who have successfully completed a required Hunter-Trapper Education course may apply for a Junior License if they will be 12 years old by June 30 of the license year. They may not lawfully hunt with the license prior to their 12th birthday. Persons 12 and 13 must be accompanied by an adult member of the family (at least 18), or by an adult serving in place of a parent. Persons 14 and 15 must be accompanied by any adult 18 or older. 16-year-olds may hunt alone. The use of portable radios does not satisfy the legal requirement of accompanying a junior hunter. The accompanying adult must be close enough to give verbal instructions without the aid of an electronic device. Unlicensed Persons: An unlicensed person may accompany a properly licensed hunter or trapper provided the unlicensed person act only as an observer and does not, in any manner, participate in hunting or trapping. Any person accompanying a licensed hunter must wear the required amount of fluorescent orange. An unlicensed person who has never held a hunting license in Pennsylvania or any other state may accompany a properly licensed hunter or trapper and participate in these activities providing the following requirements are met: The person remains in sight and close to a hunter at least 18 years of age; the unlicensed person does not possess a firearm, bow or other hunting device; the person complies with fluorescent orange requirements; and the person is listed, if mandated, on a hunting roster as a member of the hunting party. The ratio of licensed hunters to non-licensed persons must not exceed 1:1. Proof of Residency: Proof of Pennsylvania residency must be shown to obtain a resident hunting or furtaker license. Persons must be domiciled in PA at least 30 consecutive days prior to application. Valid PA driver’s license, certain PA and local tax receipts, or other positive means indicating residency may be used. Training Certificate — Hunting: Persons who have not held a hunting license issued in Pennsylvania or another state or nation, or do not possess a training certificate, are required to attain certification in an accredited hunter-trapper education program before applying for a hunting license. These provisions do not apply to a person presenting: 1) evidence of service in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Coast Guard and honorable discharge or separation within six months of the application, or 2) evidence the person is currently serving in the Armed Forces. Replacement Training Certificate: A $10 fee is now in effect for a replacement Hunter Education Training Certificate. Training Certificate — Trapping: Persons applying for a furtaker license must present to the issuing agent one of the following: 1) evidence the applicant has held a trapping or furtaker license issued in Pennsylvania or another state or nation; 2) a certificate of training; 3) an affidavit the applicant completed a voluntary trapping course sanctioned by the Commission, or 4) the applicant has previously hunted or trapped furbearers within the last five years. These provisions do not apply to persons under 12 who trap furbearers under direct supervision of a licensed adult furtaker at least 18 years old. Antlerless Deer Licenses: Antlerless deer licenses are required to hunt for antlerless deer during any deer season, except during the afterChristmas flintlock season, and only then if the hunter has not used his general license (buck) tag. An antlerless deer license is valid only in the Wildlife Management Unit of issuance. The use or attempted use of an antlerless license in another WMU is a violation of the law. Resident Landowner Hunting License: An eligible landowner who owns 80 or more contiguous acres open to public hunting in a Cooperative Public Access Program, or a designated immediate family member living in the same household, is entitled to a Landowner Hunting License. Landowner Antlerless Deer Licenses: An eligible landowner who owns 50 or more contiguous acres within any county is entitled to one antlerless deer license for the WMU where the land is located, at the prescribed fee ($6 for residents, $26 for nonresidents). If the qualifying acreage is located within a county with two or more WMUs, the applicant selects the management unit he or she desires. A landowner must keep his/her property open to public hunting and trapping year-round to qualify. These licenses are allocated in advance of regular licenses. Landowner license affidavit forms are available from county treasurers, PGC offices and on-line. Applicants must apply directly to the county treasurer of the county where the acreage is located. The filing deadline for a landowner antlerless deer license application is August 1 this year. Bear Licenses: Required to hunt bears. Licenses available directly from all issuing agents and PGC offices. Bear licenses are in the form of stamps and are affixed to the reverse side of the general hunting license back tag in the space provided. The temporary bear tag on the general license back tag is void without a valid bear license. Bear licenses must be purchased prior to the opening of the regular firearms deer season by persons who hold a valid regular hunting license. Federal Duck Stamp: All persons 16 and older are required to have a federal duck stamp to hunt waterfowl. It must be signed in ink across the face and carried by the hunter. It is not necessary to display the stamp in the hunting license holder. Do not cover hunting license letters or numbers with a duck stamp. Migratory Game Bird License: All persons 12 and older are required to have a Migratory Game Bird License to hunt waterfowl and migratory birds including doves, woodcock, brant, coots, gallinules, moorhens, rails and snipe. Applicants must complete the harvest survey card that accompanies each license. The license must be signed in ink and carried by the hunter; it need not be displayed. Resident Military Personnel License: To qualify for this general hunting license for $2 applicants must: 1) be a resident of this commonwealth; 2) be on active and full-time duty in the U.S. Armed Forces; 3) be currently assigned to a facility outside this commonwealth; and 4) be on temporary leave in the commonwealth. Reduced fee $2 general hunting licenses are also available to residents serving in the PA National Guard and Reserves who, within the previous 24 months, were deployed overseas for a period of 180 consecutive days or more, or were released early from such service due to an injury or disease incurred in the line of duty. Only one reduced-fee license may be issued for each qualifying deployment. In addition, reduced fee $2 general hunting licenses are also available to residents who are former Prisoners of War imprisoned by enemy forces while in the service of the armed forces of the U.S. as certified by the appropriate branch of the armed forces of the U.S. All of these licenses are available only through county treasurers and Game Commission offices. Disabled War Veterans: Resident disabled war veterans with service-incurred 100% disability, or the loss of use of one or more limbs, may qualify for free hunting and furtaker licenses. Call your county treasurer. Replacement Licenses: If a license has been lost or destroyed, a replacement may be purchased for $6 by applying to a ny issuing agent (preferably the agent where the original was bought) or to the PGC, License Division, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797. A lost antlerless license can be replaced by any county treasurer. If the antlerless deer license application form is lost, a replacement hunting license must be bought to get another antlerless license application. Replacement licenses may be purchased on-line at www.pgc.state.pa.us (The Outdoor Shop). Back Tag and add on stamp numbers must be provided to get a replacement license. Licenses by Mail: General hunting and furtaker licenses are available by mail from the Game Commission, License Division, Harrisburg. Include $2.50 for postage and handling. The mail order application form may be downloaded from the PGC website. If paying by check or money order, it must be in U.S. dollars. Purchasing Licenses On-Line: All licenses except antlerless deer licenses may be applied for on-line at www.pgc.state.pa.us (The Outdoor Shop). Web Order Numbers: This system grants archery, muzzleloader, migratory game bird and bear license privileges via a unique web order number. The web order number takes the place http://www.pgc.state.pa.us http://www.pgc.state.pa.us
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