Did you know that the fiction writer mentioned in a hugely popular song recorded by The Police was a lepidopterist and a scientific illustrator of butterflies?
By Steven Brodsky
… That fiction writer, Vladimir Nabokov (the author of Lolita), was born on April 22, 1899.
This article appears here in commemoration of Vladimir Nabokov’s birthday tomorrow.
“Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” written by Sting and recorded by The Police, alludes to the novel Lolita and namechecks Nabokov. (The pronunciation of the name “Nabokov” on the record is different than how Nabokov pronounced it.)
About Nabokov and butterflies: Lolita’s Butterflies – California Academy of Sciences.
Want to learn more about Nabokov and the passion that he had for lepidopterology? Read his memoir Speak, Memory.
Posted 4-21-26
Final approval to Pennsylvania’s 2026-2027 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits was given by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners
By Steven Brodsky
The following news release was issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission yesterday, April 11, 2026:
FINAL 2026-27 HUNTING SEASONS APPROVED
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to the 2026-27 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits.
All 2026-27 seasons include the Sundays that fall within their listed start and end dates. Also, seasons that previously ended on Saturdays largely will end on Sundays, providing additional days of opportunity throughout the year.
The lone exception is for migratory game birds. There will be no Sunday hunting for migratory game birds – including waterfowl, woodcock and mourning doves – this coming season.
The Game Commission surveyed migratory game bird hunters in recent weeks, which showed a slight preference for keeping Sundays out of migratory seasons, allowing seasons to stretch farther. That, combined with federal rules that say if Pennsylvania starts incorporating Sundays into migratory seasons, it must do so always – there’s no going back – led commissioners to exclude Sundays for the 2026-27 seasons. Agency staff and board members say they will revisit the issue prior to 2027-28 after further study and input.
The full slate of migratory game bird seasons, which are set through federal frameworks, will be announced after they are finalized.
The approved 2026-27 seasons include several significant changes:
- For wild turkeys, a bag limit of one spring gobbler is approved to offset possible additional harvest due to the inclusion of Sundays and ensure that harvest rates remain within sustainable levels. Hunters are reminded that no Sundays are open for the upcoming 2026 spring gobbler season. Sunday hunting for spring turkeys won’t begin until 2027.
- For white-tailed deer, minor adjustments to date structures of extended firearms, flintlock and late archery seasons are approved to reduce complexity and to ensure season lengths correspond to sporting-arm efficiency and management objectives.
- For black bears, in WMUs 3C and 3D, a longer archery bear season (overlapping with the entire first segment of the archery deer season) is approved to increase harvest in response to bear-human conflicts in these areas.
- For elk, a new early October firearms season segment is approved to limit crowding and maintain hunter satisfaction under current and potential future increased license allocations. The late firearms elk season is approved to be moved later in January to avoid conflicts with major holidays.
- For small game, the squirrel, ruffed grouse, rabbit, pheasant, bobwhite quail and woodchuck seasons all are approved to remain open during the firearms deer season.
- For furbearers, WMU 5A is approved to be opened to bobcat hunting and trapping, and WMUs 2G, 3A, and 4C are approved to be opened to river otter trapping. Habitat and population data indicate that these units can support sustainable harvest for these species.
The Game Commission also announced 1,469,000 antlerless deer licenses will be allocated statewide for 2026-27, which is up from the 1,312,000 licenses allocated for 2025-26.
Allocations by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) are as follows, with the allocation from the previous license year appearing in parentheses. WMU 1A – 52,000 (46,000); WMU 1B – 44,000 (44,000); WMU 2A – 49,000 (44,000); WMU 2B – 62,000 (59,000); WMU 2C – 117,000 (93,000); WMU 2D – 112,000 (96,000); WMU 2E – 63,000 (51,000); WMU 2F – 67,000 (51,000); WMU 2G – 57,000 (57,000); WMU 3A – 21,000 (21,000); WMU 3B – 53,000 (53,000); WMU 3C – 57,000 (57,000); WMU 3D – 52,000 (52,000); WMU 4A – 64,000 (64,000); WMU 4B – 71,000 (60,000); WMU 4C – 51,000 (51,000); WMU 4D – 120,000 (83,000); WMU 4E – 61,000 (61,000); WMU 5A – 65,000 (46,000); WMU 5B – 86,000 (86,000); WMU 5C – 101,000 (98,000); and WMU 5D – 44,000 (39,000).
Once again this year, each Pennsylvania resident hunter will be guaranteed one antlerless deer license in the Wildlife Management Unit of their choice, as long as they buy the license before sales open to nonresidents. Resident hunters can purchase a guaranteed tag at any time between 8 a.m. on June 22, when 2026-27 hunting licenses go on sale, and 8 a.m. on July 13, when nonresidents are eligible to purchase an antlerless license in WMUs where licenses remain available.
All hunters may purchase a second antlerless license for any available WMU in the second round of sales to begin July 27 at 8 a.m. Similarly, the third round begins at 8 a.m. Aug. 10, when a hunter can get a third license. The fourth round – during which hunters can purchase additional tags to reach their personal limit of six active antlerless licenses – begins Aug. 24 at 8 a.m.
After the guaranteed period closes, though, all antlerless licenses are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, with tags only available before the allocated number for the WMU is sold out.
Meanwhile, 155 elk licenses (80 antlered, 75 antlerless) were allocated across four 2026-27 elk seasons, which includes a new October season in which rifle hunters will get to experience some of the elk rut.
For the Sept. 12-27 archery elk season, 15 antlered and seven antlerless tags are available across open Elk Hunt Zones. For the new Oct. 3-11 season – the first regular firearms elk season segment – 15 antlered and 15 antlerless licenses are available. The Oct. 31-Nov. 8 second regular firearms season provides 26 antlered and 25 antlerless licenses, while the Jan. 9-17, 2027 third regular firearms season offers 24 antlered and 28 antlerless tags.
Elk license applications for the 2026-27 seasons go on sale May 1. The application process will be different this year, and the Elk Hunt Zones are being reconfigured and renamed, so hunters might need to familiarize themselves with these changes prior to applying.
Antlerless deer and elk license allocations are based on scientific data and staff recommendations tailored to meet population objectives within each WMU and Elk Hunt Zone.
The final 2026-27 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits appear below.
FINAL 2026-27 HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS
SQUIRREL, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license – Sept. 12-27 (6 daily, 18 in possession limit after second day).
SQUIRREL, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Sept. 12-Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 28, 2027 (6 daily, 18 possession).
RUFFED GROUSE: Oct. 17-Dec. 24 (2 daily, 6 possession).
RABBIT (Cottontail): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license, and Mentored Permit Holders age 16 and under – Oct. 3-18 (4 daily, 12 possession).
RABBIT (Cottontail): Oct. 17-Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 28, 2027 (4 daily, 12 possession).
PHEASANT: Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license, and all mentored hunters, regardless of age – Oct. 10-18 (2 daily, 6 in possession). Male and female pheasants may be taken in all WMUs. There is no open season for taking pheasants in Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas, except as authorized by executive order.
PHEASANT: Oct. 24-Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 28, 2027 (2 daily, 6 in possession). Male and female pheasants may be taken in all WMUs. There is no open season for taking pheasants in Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas, except as authorized by executive order.
BOBWHITE QUAIL: Sept. 1-Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-March 31, 2027. No limit. There is no open season for the taking of bobwhite quail in the Letterkenny Army Depot Bobwhite Quail Recovery Area.
WOODCHUCK (GROUNDHOG): July 1-Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-June 30, 2027. No limit.
HARE (SNOWSHOE RABBIT) OR VARYING HARE: Dec. 26-Dec. 31, statewide (1 daily, 3 season).
CROW: Aug. 20-March 21, 2027, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. No limit.
STARLING AND ENGLISH SPARROW: No closed season, except during the regular firearms deer season. No limit.
WILD TURKEY, FALL (Male or Female): WMUs 1A, 2G, 3A, 4A, 4B and 4D – Oct. 31-Nov. 15; WMUs 1B, 3D, 4C and 4E – Oct. 31-Nov. 8; WMUs 2A, 2F, 3B and 3C – Oct. 31-Nov. 15 and Nov. 25-27; WMUs 2B, 2C, 2D and 2E – Oct. 31-Nov. 20 and Nov. 25-27; WMUs 5A and 5B – Oct. 31-Nov. 3; WMUs 5C and 5D – CLOSED TO FALL TURKEY HUNTING.
SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with required license, and mentored hunters 16 and under – April 24-25, 2027. Only 1 spring gobbler may be taken during this hunt.
SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): May 1-31, 2027. Daily limit 1, season limit 1. From May 1-16, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon; from May 17-31, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.
DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 19-Nov. 27 and Dec. 26-Jan. 24, 2027. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit. One antlered deer per hunting license year.
DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Oct. 3 –Nov. 20 and Dec. 26-Jan. 24, 2027. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit.
DEER, ANTLERLESS MUZZLELOADER (Statewide): Oct. 17-25. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit.
DEER, ANTLERLESS SPECIAL FIREARMS (Statewide): Oct. 22-25. Junior and Senior License Holders, Mentored Permit Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only, with required antlerless license. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit.
DEER, REGULAR FIREARMS (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Nov. 28-Dec. 13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit.
DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (Statewide): Dec. 26-Jan. 24, 2027. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer may be taken with a general license antlered deer harvest tag, and an antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit.
DEER, ANTLERLESS EXTENDED REGULAR FIREARMS (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D): Dec. 26-Jan. 24, 2027. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit.
DEER, ANTLERLESS EXTENDED REGULAR FIREARMS (WMUs, 4A, 4C, 4D and 5A): Dec. 26-Jan. 18, 2026. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit.
DEER, ANTLERLESS EXTENDED REGULAR FIREARMS (Statewide DMAP): Dec. 26-Jan. 24, 2027. Only on properties enrolled in the Deer Management Assistance Program. An antlerless deer with each required DMAP harvest permit.
DEER, ANTLERLESS (Military Bases): Hunting permitted on days established by the U.S. Department of the Army at Letterkenny Army Depot, Franklin County; New Cumberland Army Depot, York County; and Fort Detrick, Raven Rock Site, Adams County. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license or permit.
DEER, ANTLERLESS (Agricultural Deer Control): Aug. 1-April 15, 2027. An antlerless deer with each required agricultural deer control harvest permit.
BLACK BEAR, ARCHERY (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D): Sept. 19-Nov. 27. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
BLACK BEAR, ARCHERY (WMUs 3C, 3D and 5B): Oct. 3–Nov. 20. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
BLACK BEAR, ARCHERY (WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A): Oct. 17-25. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
BLACK BEAR, MUZZLELOADER (Statewide): Oct. 22-25. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
BLACK BEAR, SPECIAL FIREARMS (Statewide): Oct. 22-25, Junior and Senior License Holders, Mentored Permit Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
BLACK BEAR REGULAR FIREARMS (Statewide): Nov. 21-24. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
BLACK BEAR, EXTENDED FIREARMS (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D): Nov. 28-Dec. 13. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
BLACK BEAR, EXTENDED FIREARMS (WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C, 4E and 5A): Nov. 28-Dec. 6. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
ELK, ARCHERY (Antlered or Antlerless): Sept. 12-27. Only one elk may be taken during the license year.
ELK, REGULAR FIREARMS – FIRST (Antlered or Antlerless): Oct. 3-11. Only one elk may be taken during the license year.
ELK, REGULAR FIREARMS – SECOND (Antlered or Antlerless): Oct. 31-Nov. 8. Only one elk may be taken during the license year.
ELK, REGULAR FIREARMS – THIRD (Antlered or Antlerless): Jan. 9-17, 2027. Only one elk may be taken during the license year.
FINAL 2026-27 FURBEARER HUNTING SEASONS
COYOTE: No closed season. No limit. Outside of any big game season (deer, bear, elk and turkey), coyotes may be taken with a hunting license or a furtaker license, and without wearing orange. During any big game season, coyotes may be taken while lawfully hunting big game or with a furtaker license.
OPOSSUM, STRIPED SKUNK and WEASEL: No closed season, except during the firearms deer season. No limit. May be hunted any hour, day or night, from July 1–Nov. 27 and Dec. 14–June 30, 2027. May only be hunted from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise from Nov. 28–Dec. 13.
FOX and RACCOON: Oct. 24-Feb. 21, 2027. No limit. May be hunted any hour, day or night, from Oct. 24-Nov. 27 and Dec. 14–Feb. 21, 2027. May only be hunted from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise from Nov. 28–Dec. 13.
BOBCAT (WMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A): Jan. 9-Feb. 3, 2027. One bobcat per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.
PORCUPINE: Oct. 10-Nov. 27; Dec. 14-24 and Dec. 26-Jan. 31, 2027. (3 daily, season limit of 10).
FINAL 2026-27 TRAPPING SEASONS
MINK and MUSKRAT: Nov. 21-Jan. 10, 2027. No limits.
BEAVER (Statewide): Dec. 19-March 31, 2027 (Limits vary depending on WMU).
COYOTE, FOX, OPOSSUM, RACCOON, STRIPED SKUNK and WEASEL: Oct. 24-Feb. 21, 2027. No limits.
COYOTE and FOX, CABLE RESTRAINTS (Statewide): Dec. 26-Feb. 21, 2027. No limits. Participants must pass cable restraint certification course.
BOBCAT (WMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A): Dec. 19-Jan. 10, 2027. One bobcat per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.
FISHER (WMUs 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 19-Jan. 10, 2027. One fisher per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.
RIVER OTTER (WMUs 1A, 1B, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C and 4E): Feb. 13-21, 2027. One river otter per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.
FINAL 2026-27 FALCONRY SEASONS
SQUIRREL (combined): Sept. 1-March 31, 2027 (6 daily, 18 possession).
BOBWHITE QUAIL Sept. 1-March 31, 2027 (No limit).
RUFFED GROUSE Sept. 1-March 31, 2027 (2 daily, 6 possession).
COTTONTAIL RABBIT Sept. 1-March 31, 2027 (4 daily, 12 possession).
PHEASANT (Male or Female combined): Sept. 1-March 31, 2027 (2 daily, 6 possession).
SNOWSHOE OR VARYING HARE Sept. 1-March 31, 2027 (1 daily, 3 season).
MINK, MUSKRAT, FOX, OPOSSUM, RACCOON, STRIPED SKUNK and WEASEL Sept. 1-March 31, 2027 (No limits).
MIGRATORY GAME BIRD Seasons and bag limits shall be in accordance with Federal regulations.
Posted 4-12-26
Pennsylvania’s Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) regulations were amended today by the Pennsylvania Game Commission
By Steven Brodsky
From a Pennsylvania Game Commission news release that was issued today, April 11, 2026:
CWD REGS AMENDED
The Game Commission today adopted changes to regulations regarding Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), adjustments made to better protect the state’s white-tailed deer and simultaneously help hunters.
Hunters no longer will be prohibited from transporting harvested deer – including high-risk deer parts – between any two locations. But hunters statewide would be required to dispose of high-risk deer parts through their commercial trash pickup, and expressly prohibited from disposing of high-risk parts on the landscape after a deer is moved from the harvest site.
Other changes include eliminating the regulatory prohibition on the use of cervid urine-based attractants in any outdoor setting – state law already was changed to make these attractants legal – and providing the Game Commission’s Executive Director with the discretionary authority to establish targeted restrictions on feeding deer and other wild cervids in relation to CWD.
The Game Commission’s goal in managing CWD always has been to mitigate risks related to the disease across the Commonwealth. The agency determined that eliminating restrictions on moving high-risk deer parts or requiring the use of cooperating processors and taxidermists when parts are moved would not impact that, so long as any and all high-risk parts are disposed of properly.
That’s the real key, making sure that all high-risk parts – from deer harvested everywhere in Pennsylvania – are disposed of the right way.
The new regulations are preventative in nature. If high-risk deer parts are disposed of in the trash stream, it eliminates the possibility they will introduce CWD to a new area, and otherwise limits the disease’s spread.
These changes will become final upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, which usually takes about six weeks.
Posted 4-11-26
Pennsylvania’s 2026 trout season opens today, April 4, 2026
By Steven Brodsky
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) issued the following news release on April 1, 2026:
HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 1) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) reminds anglers that the statewide Opening Day of Trout Season is this Saturday, April 4! Anglers can begin fishing at 8 a.m.
Throughout the 2026 season, the PFBC will stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 684 streams and 130 lakes open to public angling. These figures, which are consistent with the number of trout stocked over the past decade, include approximately 2.3 million Rainbow Trout; 698,000 Brown Trout; and 128,000 Brook Trout. As with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length with an average weight of .58 pounds.
The PFBC will also stock approximately 72,000 trophy-sized trout measuring 14″-20″. Approximately 18,000 golden Rainbow Trout, weighing an average of 1.5 pounds, will also be stocked during preseason and in-season stockings. PFBC partner cooperative nurseries sponsored by sportsmen’s groups and other organizations will combine to raise an additional 1.1 million trout that will be stocked into public waterways throughout the trout season.
During the regular trout season (Opening Day through Labor Day), anglers may keep up to five trout (combined species) per day measuring at least seven inches long. During an extended season from September 8, 2026, through February 15, 2027, the daily limit is three trout.
Find Stocked Trout Waters
To locate waters that have been stocked with trout, anglers can review the 2026 Trout Stocking Schedule on the PFBC website (Fishandboat.com). Trout fishing opportunities will continue to be abundant statewide with replenishment stockings occurring throughout the spring.
Get Your Licenses and Permits
Permits and licenses are available using the Huntfish.pa.gov online portal and in-person at nearly 700 license issuing agents. All anglers, including youth, are required to have their own account within the licensing system, which can be created either online or at a retail license issuing location.
Fishing from a Boat?
Anglers who plan to fish from a boat on Opening Day of Trout Season are reminded that the PFBC’s cold weather life jacket requirement is in effect from November 1 through April 30. Under this rule, anyone aboard a boat less than 16 feet, including all canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards, is required to wear a life jacket. Children ages 12 and under should always wear a life jacket while boating in Pennsylvania.
Prepare for Fun!
Whether you’re fishing for trout or any other species of fish this season, take advantage of the PFBC’s online maps to find great places to fish, learn about different types of fishing such as fly fishing and ice fishing, and review catch-and-release techniques for handling fish on the Get Started Fishing page on the PFBC website.
Posted 4-4-26
For many magnolias
By Steven Brodsky
Photo by Steven Brodsky
… spring is the season to come into bloom.
Enjoy the sight of blooming magnolias.
Many people have pleasant magnolia-related memories.
Memories of a “magnolia mother’s love” are revealed in the lyrics of this linked song: Billy Joe Shaver Magnolia Mother’s Love.
Posted 3-30-26
Deer harvest estimates
By Steven Brodsky
The Pennsylvania Game Commission issued the following news release today, March 23, 2026:
GAME COMMISSION RELEASES DEER HARVEST ESTIMATES
Pennsylvania hunters harvested about 6% more deer in the 2025-26 hunting seasons than they did the year before, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission estimates.
The statewide 2025-26 deer harvest was estimated at 505,600 deer, 185,310 of them antlered and 320,290 antlerless.
By comparison, the statewide 2024-25 harvest was estimated at 476,880 deer.
The year-over-year increase is equally attributable to rises in the antlered and antlerless deer harvests. Both were about 6% higher than the year before.
It’s notable, however, that 2025-26’s antlered deer harvest was up about 9% over the most-recent three-year average, and the antlerless harvest was about 17% higher.
That was partly by design, in regard to antlerless harvest, said Game Commission Deer and Elk Section Supervisor David Stainbrook.
The objective in most of the state’s 22 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) was to reduce deer numbers, either because deer were negatively impacting forest health, Chronic Wasting Disease is present and increasing harvest might slow the spread, or both.
To help meet those harvest objectives and expand hunter opportunity, the Game Commission offered additional antlerless licenses last season.
That hunters responded – helping guide local deer populations toward target levels by buying hunting licenses, obtaining available antlerless deer tags and filling them – is no surprise, said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. For more than century, hunters have been a powerful force for conservation.
“Pennsylvania has a strong hunting heritage, one that brings hundreds of thousands of hunters together in groups large and small each fall and winter to enjoy days with family and friends,” Smith said. “But this is about more than just fun and tradition.
“Deer are one species that can impact the composition of their own environment, with consequences not just for themselves, but for our forests and fields and all the other wildlife that habitat sustains. Hunters, by managing deer, buoy not only deer, but all our other natural resources. Their time afield is a commitment to stewardship that deserves our thanks.”
The Game Commission’s harvest estimates are calculated using antlered and antlerless harvest reports submitted by hunters in combination with data from deer checked at processors across the state, Stainbrook said. Last season, hunters reported more than 150,000 deer – by far most often using the online reporting form – and Game Commission personnel checked more than 25,000 deer at processors.
Statewide, about 29% of deer hunters took an antlered deer. That’s the highest success rate since at least 2007.
Most of those bucks were older ones, too. Two of every three were at least 2.5 years old.
Meanwhile, hunters turned about 25% of antlerless tags into harvested deer. That’s consistent with past seasons, as is the fact about 70% of those deer were adult females.
Looking at the harvests by season, hunters once again took more deer overall in the regular statewide firearms deer season than in any other. It accounted for an estimated 299,230 deer, counting 89,980 antlered and 209,250 antlerless.
Archers, meanwhile, took an estimated 182,190 deer, 94,290 of them antlered and 87,900 antlerless. Muzzleloader hunters got 24,180 deer, 1,040 of them antlered and 23,140 antlerless.
It’s worth noting that firearms seasons account for the majority of the harvest in most WMUs. Archery harvests make up the majority in more-developed WMUs (such as WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D), where the use of firearms might be more restricted. Archery hunting is critical, Stainbrook said, to effectively manage deer in those more-suburban areas.
The 2025-26 Deer Harvest Estimates report can be found alongside harvest estimates from other years on the White-tailed deer page.
In the meantime, here’s a look at the estimated harvest by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) for 2025-26, with 2024-25 estimates in parentheses for comparison:
WMU 1A: 10,000 (8,900) antlered, 15,800 (16,600) antlerless.
WMU 1B: 11,100 (9,200) antlered, 17,600 (14,100) antlerless.
WMU 2A: 8,400 (8,800) antlered, 13,600 (13,800) antlerless.
WMU 2B: 9,000 (8,000) antlered, 15,000 (14,300) antlerless.
WMU 2C: 11,400 (10,400) antlered, 23,000 (21,700) antlerless.
WMU 2D: 15,000 (13,400) antlered, 27,300 (28,800) antlerless.
WMU 2E: 7,700 (6,800) antlered, 12,500 (14,900) antlerless.
WMU 2F: 10,800 (11,100) antlered, 15,700 (17,700) antlerless.
WMU 2G: 7,600 (9,300) antlered, 12,300 (8,200) antlerless.
WMU 3A: 7,600 (6,300) antlered, 6,900 (6,600) antlerless.
WMU 3B: 7,900 (7,100) antlered, 14,100 (8,500) antlerless.
WMU 3C: 8,000 (10,500) antlered; 14,700 (12,300) antlerless.
WMU 3D: 6,000 (5,600) antlered, 9,600 (7,700) antlerless.
WMU 4A: 5,000 (4,000) antlered, 8,500 (9,700) antlerless.
WMU 4B: 6,700 (6,200) antlered; 14,400 (12,600) antlerless.
WMU 4C: 9,400 (8,000) antlered, 13,900 (12,000) antlerless.
WMU 4D: 9,400 (8,600) antlered, 15,400 (15,800) antlerless.
WMU 4E: 7,500 (7,400) antlered, 17,500 (15,900) antlerless.
WMU 5A: 4,800 (3,900) antlered, 7,300 (8,300) antlerless.
WMU 5B: 10,300 (11,200) antlered, 19,800 (17,200) antlerless.
WMU 5C: 8,100 (7,700) antlered, 18,000 (17,000) antlerless.
WMU 5D: 3,000 (2,300) antlered, 7,100 (7,700) antlerless.
Unknown WMU: 610 (580) antlered, 290 (200) antlerless.
Season-specific 2025-26 deer harvest estimates (with 2024-25) harvest estimates in parentheses) are as follows:
WMU 1A: archery, 5,740 (5,240) antlered and 4,250 (4,900) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 60 (60) antlered and 1,150 (900) antlerless.
WMU 1B: archery, 5,560 (4,930) antlered and 3,460 (3,150) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 40 (70) antlered and 1,140 (750) antlerless.
WMU 2A: archery, 4,140 (4,160) antlered and 2,850 (3,140) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 60 (40) antlered and 1,350 (860) antlerless.
WMU 2B: archery, 6,860 (6,230) antlered and 7,870 (7,850) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 40 (70) antlered and 730 (350) antlerless.
WMU 2C: archery, 5,710 (4,940) antlered and 5,610 (5,820) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 90 (60) antlered and 1,790 (980) antlerless.
WMU 2D: archery, 8,010 (7,080) antlered and 5,670 (6,700) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 90 (120) antlered and 2,230 (1,700) antlerless.
WMU 2E: archery, 3,530 (2,940) antlered and 2,380 (3,250) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 70 (60) antlered and 920 (750) antlerless.
WMU 2F: archery, 4,340 (4,320) antlered and 2,430 (3,260) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 60 (80) antlered and 1,270 (940) antlerless.
WMU 2G: archery, 2,750 (3,210) antlered and 2,210 (1,690) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 50 (90) antlered and 1,390 (710) antlerless.
WMU 3A: archery, 2,980 (2,380) antlered and 1,160 (1,510) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 20 (20) antlered and 640 (390) antlerless.
WMU 3B: archery, 3,570 (3,060) antlered and 3,080 (1,950) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 30 (40) antlered and 1,220 (450) antlerless.
WMU 3C: archery, 3,170 (3,970) antlered and 2,950 (2,570) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 30 (30) antlered and 1,250 (730) antlerless.
WMU 3D: archery, 2,780 (2,570) antlered and 2,680 (2,260) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 20 (30) antlered and 620 (340) antlerless.
WMU 4A: archery, 1,670 (1,460) antlered and 1,570 (1,950) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 30 (40) antlered and 630 (250) antlerless.
WMU 4B: archery, 3,250 (2,860) antlered and 3,950 (3,950) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 50 (40) antlered and 1,050 (450) antlerless.
WMU 4C: archery, 4,850 (3,960) antlered and 3,690 (3,770) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 50 (40) antlered and 910 (530) antlerless.
WMU 4D: archery, 3,830 (3,540) antlered and 3,460 (4,000) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 70 (60) antlered and 940 (600) antlerless.
WMU 4E: archery, 3,550 (3,670) antlered and 4,180 (4,610) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 50 (30) antlered and 1,420 (790) antlerless.
WMU 5A: archery, 2,480 (1,970) antlered and 2,320 (2,660) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 20 (30) antlered and 480 (240) antlerless.
WMU 5B: archery, 6,960 (7,400) antlered and 8,230 (7,730) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 40 (100) antlered and 1,270 (570) antlerless.
WMU 5C: archery, 5,850 (5,510) antlered and 8,690 (8,330) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 50 (90) antlered and 610 (370) antlerless.
WMU 5D: archery, 2,580 (1,990) antlered and 5,180 (5,500) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 20 (10) antlered and 120 (100) antlerless.
Unknown WMU: archery, 130 (150) antlered and 30 (50) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 0 (0) antlered and 10 (20) antlerless.
Posted 3-23-26
Life jacket requirement in effect through April 30, 2026
By Steven Brodsky
Photo by Steven Brodsky
The following news release was issued by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC):
HARRISBURG, Pa. (March 9) – With warmer temperatures expected to arrive this week across portions of the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) reminds anglers and boaters that the annual cold weather life jacket requirement remains in effect through April 30.
“While many of us are looking forward to finally putting this year’s frigid winter weather behind us, don’t be fooled by a few days of sunny skies and balmy air temperatures that tend to be temporary this time of year,” said Ryan Walt, PFBC Boating and Watercraft Safety Manager. “Even though you may be anxious to get outside to enjoy your favorite activities like fishing and boating, please remember water temperatures are still bitterly cold and present tremendous danger to someone who falls into the water.”
From November 1 through April 30, boaters are required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or on any kayak, canoe, or paddleboard. The requirement applies to all Pennsylvania waters and violators are subject to fines.
Sudden cold-water immersion, or cold-water shock, occurs when a person is unexpectedly plunged into cold water resulting in an involuntary gasp where water is often inhaled. This uncontrollable reaction causes panic, hyperventilation, inhalation of water, and inhibits the ability of a person to swim.
According to Pennsylvania boating accident reports, nearly 80% of all boating fatalities occurred because boaters were not wearing life jackets. Since the mandatory life jacket wear law was enacted in 2012, the PFBC has seen a significant drop (approximately 50%) in the percentage of boating incidents resulting in fatalities during the cold weather months.
Posted 3-11-26
A Conversation With Katie Fallon, Author of ‘Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird’
By Steven Brodsky
Katie Fallon is a co-founder of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. She’s worked with many species of raptors and other kinds of birds. Katie’s books include Cerulean Blues (2011) and the recently released Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird. Her essays have appeared in a number of literary journals. She has a lifelong love of nature. I’ve heard that the first word she ever spoke was “bird.”
Your new book gives vultures, particularly turkey vultures, the positive attention these non-predator raptors deserve. What brought about your interest in these maligned birds?
I’ve been fascinated by vultures for at least fifteen years. There was a roost near where I lived in West Virginia; every day I’d drive by this big, old dead tree with ten or so turkey vultures hunched in it. They became a familiar sight, and I looked forward to seeing them. Vultures are big and kind of dramatic, and in flight, there’s nothing more beautiful. In addition, they’re the ultimate recyclers—they turn death into life.
Many people in the U.S. have an aversion to vultures. Speak about this.
I think vultures remind people of their own mortality. It can be a little creepy to think about a large, dark bird waiting to consume your body when you die. In general, I don’t think people in the US are comfortable with thinking of our bodies as food. Vultures remind us that life will continue after we die, and that some life will continue because we die. They remind us of our animal bodies. Which can be unnerving!
In the absence of vultures, we’d have major health issues to contend with. Tell us why.
Vultures clean up our ecosystems by removing animal carcasses that could potentially contaminate soil and water. They can eat animals that have died of anthrax and botulism. In the absence of vultures, mammalian scavengers could increase in number, and many mammalian scavengers such as raccoons, skunks, feral dogs and cats can spread rabies; vultures do not. Several vulture species in India have suffered catastrophic population crashes in the last twenty years, and public health has suffered. India leads the world in human rabies cases, and the number of cases has increased as the number of feral dogs increased in the absence of vultures.
People get close to vultures by attending your presentations that feature non-releasable birds. How are these birds acquired? How are they trained?
The nonprofit I co-founded, the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, keeps eight non-releasable raptors for educational purposes (you need permits from the US Fish & Wildlife Service to do this, of course – the birds aren’t pets or personal property). All of our birds were injured wild birds that cannot return to the wild. We have three vultures. Lew the turkey vulture was hit by a car and suffered an injury to his shoulder that prevents flight. His “girlfriend,” Boris, was shot in the wing, and by the time she reached us the bone had already healed incorrectly. Our black vulture is Maverick, and he was hit by a car, which resulted in a shoulder injury that prevents adequate flight.
Our birds are all trained using positive reinforcement. We avoid negative reinforcement and punishment, and we try to empower the birds to have some control over their environments. We condition behaviors by offering food rewards when the birds perform the behaviors. Vultures (especially our black vulture!) learn quickly, and they are a lot of fun to work with.
What myths and misunderstandings about vultures do these presentations help to dispel?
People are surprised at how clean and charismatic the vultures are – and how beautiful they are up close, despite their featherless heads.
What vulture behaviors do people find to be most interesting?
People often ask if vultures throw up on us; our education vultures usually don’t (unless they get scared). Vultures also expel liquid waste on their legs and feet, probably to clean them as well as to keep cool. This often fascinates people as well.
Which species of vulture are found in Pennsylvania and neighboring states?
We have turkey vultures and black vultures. During the last Ice Age we may have had California condors, too, and possibly some other now-extinct vultures.
What has been learned about migration of these species?
Hawk Mountain has taken the lead on turkey vulture migration research. Dr. Keith Bildstein and his team have placed transmitters and wing tags on turkey vultures all over the Americas. They’ve learned that our eastern turkey vultures are partial migrants—some spend the winters in Florida, some on the New Jersey shore, some in Virginia, and in many places in between. Many western turkey vultures are complete migrants, leaving their breeding ranges in Canada and heading all the way to South America. And still others in the American southwest migrate into Central America and return. It’s fascinating how the different subspecies have different migratory strategies. Dr. Bildstein and his colleagues have ongoing research projects about turkey vulture migration, and are discovering more all the time.
Vultures have spectacular flying ability. What makes this possible?
Turkey vultures are very light – they have almost the same wingspan as a bald eagle but weigh less than half what an eagle weighs. Their wings are long and broad, and are made for soaring.
How high can they fly?
The Ruppell’s vulture holds the record for the highest-flying bird. Unfortunately for that individual, it was hit and killed by a jet flying over Africa at 37,000 feet.
Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird informs readers about lead toxicity in vultures. What is the extent of the problem? How do vultures ingest lead?
Vultures (and eagles, hawks, crows, ravens, and owls) can ingest small pieces of spent lead ammunition in animal carcasses or “gut piles” left by hunters. When someone shoots a white-tailed deer, for example, the deer is usually field-dressed, and many of the organs are left. This can be a delight for vultures and other scavengers! In ecosystems, scavengers often follow the big predators to clean up the leftovers; here, the same thing is happening—a human is the big predator, a gut pile is the leftover, and a vulture or eagle is the scavenger. However, if small lead fragments are still in the gut piles, avian scavengers can inadvertently ingest the lead and become sick. Lead toxicity from spent ammunition is the biggest obstacle in the way of California condor recovery.
The Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia provides rehabilitation for injured birds. What kind of care do vultures receive?
We’ve treated vultures with a wide variety of injuries and ailments—broken bones, head trauma, lead toxicity, soft tissue injuries. Every bird we admit receives an immediate comprehensive examination by an avian veterinarian, and is then treated as necessary with antibiotics, antifungals, anti-inflammatories, fluid therapy, or chelation therapy. They also receive orthopedic surgery if necessary. We do our best to get the birds back out in the wild if possible.
It must be very joyful to enable an injured bird to regain flight ability. Please tell us about a memorable release.
Two and a half years ago we released a female turkey vulture that had been shot with a shotgun—she had three pellets embedded in soft tissue. We had to leave the pellets in her body because removing them would cause damage. Once she was nursed back to health, we released her wearing a transmitter to track her movements. We learned that she travels to northern Georgia in the winters and comes back to West Virginia in the breeding season. We are thrilled that this vulture was able to return to the wild—and thrive!
Vulture watching is growing in popularity. Turkey vultures are very widespread. Where are some of the best places and times to observe them?
In many parts of the southeastern United States, you can see turkey vultures any day of the year in a variety of habitats. In the winter, vultures can be observed roosting together in and near many cities: in Virginia, check out Leesburg, Staunton, Radford, Pulaski, and Charlottesville; in West Virginia, many vultures can be observed migrating in the fall over Hanging Rock Tower in Monroe County and over Harper’s Ferry in the eastern panhandle. During the summer and fall, the overlook at Cooper’s Rock State Forest near Morgantown, WV, is a sure place to see turkey vultures. Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, of course, is an excellent place to watch turkey vultures and birds of prey during migration, especially in September and October.
What stimulated your interest in nature?
I’ve always been an outdoors person. I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, and I had horses as a kid. I spent a great deal of time with my horses, trail riding and competing, and when I got a bit older I often went hiking and camping with friends and family. One of my favorite childhood hiking spots was Ricketts Glen State Park—it’s filled with hemlock trees and many gorgeous waterfalls. It’s definitely worth checking out if you visit northeastern PA.
Was “bird” your first word?
Yes! My parents had bird feeders in their yard when I was a baby (well, they still do) and my mother says she used to hold me in front of the window to show me the birds at the feeder. One day, she said, “Look at the birds! Look at the birds outside.” And I nodded and said, “Bird.” I haven’t stopped talking about them since.
Katie Fallon’s website address is: www.katiefallon.com.
Posted 4-6-17, Reposted 10-29-19