Permits on sale for Deer Management Assistance Program in Pennsylvania state forests, parks

Harrisburg, PA – Offering white-tailed deer hunters more hunting opportunities across Pennsylvania, state forestlands and state parks are participating in the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP).

DMAP allows landowners to apply for permits to encourage antlerless harvests on their property, enabling the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and private landowners to more effectively manage white-tailed deer populations and curtail damage to forests and crops.

“Habitat conditions guide all of DCNR's DMAP applications,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “DMAP permits remain an important tool upon which state forest and park managers rely heavily for continued sustainability of state plants and forests.”

DCNR is offering hunters 30,024 permits in 104 units totaling more than 1.3 million acres. DMAP tags are now on sale. Hunters obtain permits directly from license issuing agents or the Pennsylvania Game Commission website.

Requests for DMAP-targeted areas, and the number of permits sought, are science driven. DCNR has a statistically based vegetation sampling protocol, with more than 10,000 plots across state forestland, which assists in determining where DMAP should be applied.

DCNR's goals for DMAP are to:

• Promote a diverse, healthy natural habitat that supports wildlife diversity and healthy deer populations;

• Provide additional hunting opportunities;

• Establish and maintain regeneration to support sustainable forestry practices with minimal need for deer fencing; and

• Promote a healthy, sustainable forest and native, wild plant communities.

Twenty-six state parks also are participating in the program this year.

Applicants for DMAP permits can find DCNR tract locations and maps, availability numbers, past hunter success rates and other information on an interactive map.