HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe reminded hunters that county treasurers will begin accepting antlerless deer license applications from resident hunters starting July 12; and from nonresidents beginning July 26.
For the 2010-11 license year, antlerless 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, which is paid directly to Automated License Systems, the Nashville-based company that runs Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS). 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, antlerless deer licenses will continue to be sold only by county treasurers, so hunters will need to prepare and mail separate applications for antlerless 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. However, after publication of the digest, it was discovered that the addresses for the Adams, Lancaster and Montgomery county treasurers had changed. The correct addresses are as follows: Adams County Treasurer, 117 Baltimore St RM 101, Gettysburg PA 17325-2390; Lancaster County Treasurer, PO Box 1447, Lancaster PA 17608-1447; and Montgomery County Treasurer, PO Box 311, Norristown PA 19404-0311.
The county treasurer address page in the online version of the digest, which can be accessed through the Game Commission’s Web site has been updated with the correct addresses.
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 Web site, 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 antlerless deer license. If an applicant’s first choice of WMU has exhausted its allocation of antlerless 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 antlerless deer license during the processing of regular antlerless deer licenses. However, hunters are not required to list more than one choice of WMU.”
Also, Roe said that the early start to the antlerless deer license application process will help ensure that county treasurers will be able to mail antlerless deer licenses back to hunters prior to the opening of the archery season. The first such season opens with the antlerless archery season in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D on Sept. 18. The opening date of the general statewide archery deer season is Oct. 2.
Under the 2010 timeline, residents will apply for regular antlerless deer licenses on July 12; nonresidents will apply for regular antlerless deer licenses on July 26. After this, residents and nonresidents will apply for the first round of unsold antlerless deer licenses on Aug. 2, and residents and nonresidents will apply for the second round of unsold antlerless deer licenses on Aug. 16.
County treasurers will have to mail regular and first round of unsold antlerless deer licenses no later than Sept. 13, and second round of unsold antlerless deer licenses no later than the Sept. 27.
Beginning Aug. 2, for WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D only, there is no limit to the number of unsold antlerless deer license applications an individual can submit until the allocations are exhausted. This must be done by mail only, and there is a limit of three applications per pink envelope.
Beginning Aug. 23, county treasurers will begin accepting applications over-the-counter for WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, and may immediately issue antlerless deer licenses. Hunters may apply over-the-counter to county treasurers for any other WMU with antlerless license allocations on Oct. 4.
Roe noted that the Game Commission will continue to accept online harvest reporting for antlered and antlerless deer, as well as fall turkey, spring gobbler, bobcat, fisher and Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits. Postage-paid report cards still 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.
“Reporting online also will ensure your harvest data will not be lost in the mail,” Roe said.
Roe noted that antlerless deer licenses, as well as general hunting licenses, still will need to be displayed by hunters.