I guess change is a common thing in the world we live in, but to be honest, the older I get, the less I like having to deal with changes.

That being said, it’s probably no secret that we hunters will be looking at a number of changes to our game regulations. One of those changes we’ve already had to deal with and that was the purchasing of antlerless deer licenses for 2025-26. This year, antlerless deer licenses for all WMUs were guaranteed to Pennsylvania residents as long as they purchased them before 7 a.m. on Monday, July 14. After that date, it was on a first-come, first-served basis.

Some other changes that we will be dealing with this hunting season include the extended firearms deer season. The extended season will be open on all Deer Management Assistance Program properties statewide from December 26 to January 24, 2026. Participating hunters will need a valid permit for the property. In addition, an extended firearms deer season will run from January 2 to January 19 in WMU 4C, where Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was recently detected.

There are also some changes to our bear hunting season; the bear archery season will be shortened to one week only. That season will run from October 18 to October 25. The only exemption will be for WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C, and 5D; these units will retain their longer formats.

Another change that I’m sure will affect only a small number of hunters is a change to the snowshoe hare hunting season. To be honest, not many of us hunters have ever seen a snowshoe hare in Pennsylvania, let alone hunted for them. Many years ago, I hunted for snowshoes with an experienced snowshoe hunter; we found some tracks but never spotted a hare. For those who do hunt them and maybe even bag some under the new changes, you may only have three per season. Previously, a hunter could take one a day and six for the season.

I personally have no plans to hunt on a Sunday, but for those who do, if I understand the current law correctly, Pennsylvania allows three Sunday hunting dates: November 16, November 23, and November 30, with the likelihood of more to come.

Those applying for an elk license had to submit applications for the 2025-26 season by July 13. This year, a total of 140 elk licenses were offered, comprising 65 bulls and 75 cows. The one-week general season runs from November 3-8. Thirty antlered and 38 antlerless tags have been allocated. For the archery season only in select Elk Hunt Zones from Sept. 13-27, 16 antlered and 11 antlerless licenses were available. There were 19 antlered and 26 antlerless licenses available for the late season from December 27 to January 3.

Starting in 2026, all hunters will be required to buy a hunting license before applying for an elk tag; in the past, you only needed to buy a license if you were drawn for an elk tag.

Speaking of changes to elk hunting in Pennsylvania, there is another interesting change: any hunter drawn for a bull elk license will no longer be eligible for another bull elk tag. In the past, after a five-year waiting period, you could re-enter in hopes of obtaining another bull tag. An elk hunter today, however, may apply for a cow tag even if they previously received a bull tag. In 2009, I was fortunate to draw a bull tag, and on the second day of my hunt, I dropped a good-sized 8×8 bull. I have never applied again, but the regulations state that those who drew a bull tag prior to Jan. 1, 2026, are still eligible to draw a second bull tag.

Well, those are a few changes to keep in mind this coming season; I’m sure we’ll have more changes to deal with in the days to come. Enjoy the upcoming hunting season.