Pennsylvania Elk Tags: July 12 Deadline

Pennsylvania elk hunters have until July 12 to apply for one of 155 tags, under the most significant rule overhaul the state's elk program has seen in years.

Catch up quick:

• Last year, you could pay $11.97 and enter without a Pennsylvania general license
• This year, you must buy a general license first — $20.97 for residents, $101.97 for out-of-staters — then pay $11.97 for five chances at a tag
• Non-residents are now capped at 10% of the total allocation, down from 12–13% in recent years

By the numbers: As of July 7, applications sat at 35,712 — down from 37,328 at the same point last year, and well below last year's final tally of 52,155. Non-resident applications collapsed from 18,893 in 2025 to just 3,553 so far. The license purchase requirement is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission isn't apologizing for the revenue hit. Elk biologist Jeremy Banfield said plainly: "We try to do what's best with the Pennsylvania sportsmen and women. We are expecting some loss of revenue due to these changes." He also noted that if just 11% of the non-residents who previously skipped buying a state license now purchase one, the agency breaks even.

What's new this season: Pennsylvania is adding a fourth elk hunt — a rifle season in the first week of October, during the tail end of the rut when bulls are bugling and responsive to calls. Only 15 of the 80 bull tags go to this new season, keeping harvest pressure low enough to protect age-class structure in the herd. Banfield described it as "an exciting time" for hunters willing to work calling setups on fired-up bulls.

The zone rewrite is the other major change. Pennsylvania's 11 elk management zones have been redrawn with cleaner boundaries — named roads and rivers instead of ambiguous lines — giving wildlife staff tighter control over where hunting is approved or closed. The herd is estimated at roughly 1,400 animals, and a wet summer has the population in good shape heading into fall.

If you've already applied, guide Bryan Hale of Elk County Outfitters has a pointed reminder: log back in and verify your season choices, sex preference, and hunt zone before the deadline. The application is editable until July 12. Hale's office has been fielding a surge of calls since hunting licenses went on sale June 22 — many from hunters who had no idea the rules changed, and some from big-box store employees who didn't understand the new system well enough to explain it at the counter.

What's next: Winners are drawn by computer and announced at 3 p.m. on July 25 at the annual Elk Expo in Benezette. The Game Commission livestreams the drawing on YouTube and Facebook — watch it live, because the recording comes down immediately for privacy reasons. Elk County Outfitters will compile and post the winner list to their own Facebook page if you miss it.