The Pennsylvania Game Commission reminds hunters that county treasurers will begin accepting antler-less deer license applications from resident hunters starting Monday, and from nonresidents beginning July 26.
For the 2010-11 license year, antler-less deer license fees are the same as they have been since 1999, except for the 70-cent transaction fee attached to the purchase of each license and permit. This transaction fee means that residents will need to write checks made payable to "County Treasurer" for $6.70, and nonresidents for $26.70.
By state law, antler-less deer licenses will continue to be sold only by county treasurers, so hunters will need to prepare and mail separate applications for antler-less deer licenses. A listing of all county treasurer addresses can be found on page 50 of the 2010-11 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which is provided free to each license buyer.
Game commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe noted that hunters must use the official pink envelopes, which are provided to each license buyer by the issuing agents. For those who order licenses via the Game Commission's website ( www.pgc.state.pa.us ), a new digest and two pink envelopes will be included in the package, along with the licenses, which will arrive in seven to 10 business days from the date of their transaction.
"As county treasurers are set up with PALS, hunters will be able to submit an application to any county treasurer," Roe said. "Additionally, hunters have the option of listing up to three choices, in order of preference, for a specific Wildlife Management Unit antler-less deer license. If an applicant's first choice of WMU has exhausted its allocation of antler-less deer licenses, the county treasurer will move to the second preference -- and third, if necessary.
"This process will nearly eliminate the chance that a hunter will not be able to receive at least one antler-less deer license during the processing of regular antler-less deer licenses. However, hunters are not required to list more than one choice of WMU."
Also, Roe said that the early start to the antler-less deer license application process will help ensure that county treasurers will be able to mail antler-less deer licenses back to hunters prior to the opening of the archery season. The first such season opens with the antler-less archery season in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D on Sept. 18. The opening date of the general statewide archery deer season is Oct. 2.
Roe noted that the Game Commission will continue to accept online harvest reporting for antlered and antler-less deer, as well as fall turkey, spring gobbler, bobcat, fisher and Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits. Postage-paid report cards are available in the digest, but the agency is encouraging hunters to report online to improve accuracy of data entry and to save on the cost of postage and data entry.
