Pennsylvania State Game Lands: Rules, Hunting, and Penalties

The rules for Pennsylvania state game lands put hunting and trapping first, and every other activity fits around that priority. You can hike, fish, watch birds, take photos, cross-country ski, and pick mushrooms or berries. You cannot camp, swim, build fires (with narrow exceptions), ride an ATV, target shoot outside a designated range, or remove rocks, plants, or artifacts. From November 15 through December 15, anyone on the property — hunter or not — must wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange visible from all directions. Horses and bicycles are limited to designated routes and blocked entirely during the main hunting seasons. Most violations are summary offenses carrying fines up to $1,500.

What You Can Do

Hunting and trapping are the primary purposes of every state game land tract, and fishing is permitted on game lands waters. Beyond those, you can hike, watch birds, photograph wildlife, and cross-country ski, provided you don’t interfere with wildlife management or active hunting.¹

One narrow carve-out to the general ban on taking things: you can pick mushrooms and berries. That’s it. Digging up plants, cutting trees, or removing anything else is prohibited.²

What’s Prohibited

The list of banned activities is considerably longer than what you’d find at a state park. Each of the following requires written permission from the Game Commission Director, and without it you’re in violation:²

Camping. No overnight stays, no tents, no campsites of any kind.
Swimming in any dam, pond, lake, or stream on game lands.
Open fires. The general public cannot build them at all. Licensed hunters, trappers, and anglers may build small cooking or warming fires when the state fire danger index is not rated high or above, and Appalachian Trail thru-hikers within the trail corridor get the same exception.¹
Motorized vehicles off designated open roads. Only vehicles licensed for highway use are allowed, and only on roads specifically open to public travel. Unlicensed ATVs and dirt bikes are prohibited everywhere on game lands.
Removing natural or man-made objects. Rocks, minerals, sand, and archaeological artifacts must stay put.
Damaging or polluting waterways, damaging property, or littering.
Disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, as defined by Pennsylvania’s criminal code. This isn’t a blanket ban on possessing alcohol, but showing up drunk or causing a disturbance is a citation.
Possessing controlled substances or drug paraphernalia.
Placing structures, other than portable tree stands and blinds under the timing rules described below.
Target shooting outside a designated range. Discharging a firearm, bow, or any launch-capable device recreationally is only allowed at the Commission’s public shooting ranges.

The Director also has emergency authority to close any game lands entirely when fire danger, habitat concerns, or conflicts with hunting activity warrant it.¹

Fluorescent Orange Between November 15 and December 15

This is the rule that surprises non-hunters. From November 15 through December 15, every person on state game lands must wear at least 250 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange, visible from all directions.³ Hikers, bird watchers, photographers, dog walkers — everyone. A blaze orange hat and vest together will put most people above the minimum. The 2026–27 regular firearms deer season runs November 28 through December 13, squarely inside that window.⁴

Hunters have additional orange requirements during other seasons, including the antlerless muzzleloader season (October 17–25, 2026), extended firearms seasons in select wildlife management units, and agricultural deer control periods.⁵ Even outside those mandatory windows, wearing orange on game lands during any active hunting season is a sensible precaution.

Horses and Bicycles: Designated Routes Only, and Not During Season

Horseback riding and bicycling are limited to designated routes year-round. These are typically old logging roads or maintenance paths that can absorb the impact. Riding off marked trails, through fields, or cross-country is never allowed.¹

During two seasonal windows, even designated routes are largely off-limits:⁶

From the last Saturday in September through the third Saturday in January, riding is prohibited. Sundays are the exception, along with riders who are lawfully hunting, trapping, or fishing.
From the second Saturday in April through the last Saturday in May, riding is prohibited before 1 p.m. to protect spring turkey hunting mornings. Afternoons are open.

Sunday Hunting Is Now Allowed

Pennsylvania’s longstanding Sunday hunting ban was repealed by a law that took effect September 7, 2025. Sundays that fall inside an established hunting season are now open on state game lands and state forests.⁷ For anyone using game lands for non-hunting recreation, that changes the calendar: expect active hunting on Sundays through the fall and winter, and plan orange accordingly.

A few limits still apply. Migratory game bird hunting, including waterfowl and mourning doves, remains closed on Sundays; crows, starlings, and English sparrows are exceptions. Sunday hunting on private land requires written permission from the landowner. And if a season was set to close on a Saturday, the next day isn’t automatically added.⁷ For the 2026–27 seasons, most previously Saturday-ending seasons now run through Sunday.⁴

Snowmobiles

Registered snowmobiles are allowed from the third Sunday in January through April 1, only on designated areas, roads, and trails marked with signs. Outside that window, or off marked routes, a snowmobile is treated the same as any other prohibited motorized vehicle.¹

Dogs

All dogs on state game lands must be leashed or under the owner’s immediate control so they don’t chase wildlife or interfere with hunts.⁸ Dogs actively engaged in lawful hunting or authorized training are exempt. Dog training on small game is restricted around the pheasant season opener to protect stocked birds, so check the current pocket guide before heading out with a training dog.

Tree Stands and Blinds

Portable stands and blinds are allowed, but the rules are strict. Any stand or climbing device that damages a tree, including steps that penetrate the bark’s cambium layer, is unlawful on game lands.⁹

You can leave a portable stand or blind overnight starting two weeks before the opening of the first deer season in your wildlife management unit, and you must remove it no later than two weeks after the close of the last deer season in that unit. Portable blinds can also be left out during spring turkey season. Anything left outside those windows is considered abandoned property.¹

Every stand on game lands must carry a durable identification tag showing the owner’s full name and home address, their nine-digit Customer ID number, or a Sportsman’s Equipment ID number issued by the Commission. Untagged stands are removed.⁹

Shooting Only at Designated Ranges

Recreational shooting on game lands is restricted to the Commission’s public ranges. Access requires either a current Pennsylvania hunting or furtaker license or a separate range use permit, which costs $31.97 and is valid for 365 days from purchase. You must carry the permit and a secondary form of ID while using any range, and each permit or license holder may bring one guest.¹⁰

Group Events Need a Permit

Any organized event with more than 10 people requires a Special Use Permit from the Game Commission. That covers group hikes, organized hunts, trail runs, and educational outings. Only adults over 18 can apply. The review looks at habitat impact, threatened species, and soil conditions, so allow lead time before the event.¹¹

Penalties

Most violations are summary offenses under Title 34 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, and the penalty depends on the degree:¹²

Summary offense of the first degree: fine of $1,000 to $1,500 and possible imprisonment up to three months.
Lower-degree summary offenses: smaller fines scaled to the severity of the violation.

The Game Commission can also revoke hunting and furtaker licenses and deny future ones. Some serious violations can trigger revocation before conviction, including hunting under the influence, violating safety zones, damaging property, shooting at or injuring a person, and failing to render assistance after a hunting incident. A court handling a game-law case can independently revoke licenses. Damage to Commission property can bring a civil action to recover the value of what was damaged or taken. Wildlife conservation officers patrol the tracts regularly, and violations that might feel minor, like riding a bike on an unmarked trail during deer season, are treated seriously.

1
Cornell Law Institute. Pennsylvania Code 58 135.41 – State Game Lands
2
Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code 58 135.2 – Unlawful Actions
3
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Safe Hunting Tips
4
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Final 2026-27 Hunting Seasons Approved
5
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Seasons and Bag Limits
6
Pennsylvania Game Commission. State Game Lands Information
7
Pennsylvania Game Commission. 2025-2026 Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Pocket Guide – Sunday Hunting
8
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 34 – Game, Chapter 23
9
Pennsylvania Game Commission. In Pennsylvania, It’s Almost Deer Season
10
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Purchase a Shooting Range Permit
11
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for a State Game Lands Special Use Permit
12
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 34 – Game, Section 925