Pennsylvania’s fall turkey season is over, the bear season has ended, and the regular firearm season for deer ended on December 14. For many of the Keystone State’s hunters, the end of the rifle deer season signals that it is time to clean their rifles and shotguns and that the hunting season has ended. But not so fast! If you still have the itch to get out and enjoy the fresh air while continuing to hunt for small game, big game, and predators, there is good news.
Small Game: The last segment of the squirrel season runs from December 26 through February 28, 2025. With a daily limit of 6 and a possession limit of 18, gray squirrels — and fox squirrels if you can find them — can provide hours of hunting for the next two months. The woods nearby, picked over corn fields and hardwood forests that have abundant red and white oak trees, are usually quite productive. Wherever oak trees were not hit hard by gypsy moth caterpillars this spring, there seems to be an abundance of acorns — a favorite food of bushy tails.
The late season for pheasants also runs from December 26 until February 28, 2025. While finding a native pheasant seems to be a thing of the past, the Game Commission is actively involved in a stocking program of both male and female birds. The daily limit is 2, and the possession limit is 6 birds. A pheasant permit is required for most pheasant hunters. Although stocked birds are not as challenging as native pheasants, they are still fun to hunt and provide some very tasty table fare.
Finally, there is the remaining season for rabbits, which also runs on the same days as the squirrel and pheasant seasons. The daily limit is 4, with a possession limit of 12. Rabbits can often be found in abandoned fields and along wood edges and are generally hunted with the aid of a good rabbit dog. Some of my fondest memories are my early years of tramping the fields of Lycoming County in pursuit of rabbits — with the aid of a beagle! It is almost musical to hear a beagle running a rabbit as it is rousted from its bed and makes a large circle to return to the same spot that it ran from!
Remember to wear the required minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange on the head, chest, and back combined when small game hunting.
Big Game: If you still need venison for your freezer, there’s good news. The statewide archery and flintlock seasons for antlered and antlerless deer run consecutively throughout the state from December 26 until January 20, 2025. Since the regular firearms season ended almost two weeks ago, the deer woods have had sufficient time to settle down, and the deer will be returning to their patterns of travel between bedding and feeding areas. As the deer concentrate on acorns and leftover corn at harvested fields and as they travel to and from their bedding areas, early morning and late afternoons should be the best times to hunt.
Predators: Coyote hunting is open year-round, with the short exceptions during big game seasons and there is no limit on them. Additionally, raccoons and foxes remain “in season” until February 22, and neither is limited. The season for hunting bobcats opens on January 11, 2025, and ends on February 5, 2025. There is a limit of one for the season, and a special bobcat permit is required. All of these predators are huntable using hounds and have other dates for the seasons when trapping is permissible. Further, all the predators are very receptive to calling to lure them into shooting range. A separate furtaker’s license is required. Spending days afield hunting any of these various predators allows you to continue enjoying time outdoors and provides the added benefit of reducing the amount of predation of other wild birds and animals.
Whether you wish to pursue big game, small game, or predators, there are numerous chances to do so over the next few months. There! The hunting seasons aren’t over yet, after all!
