Pennsylvania’s hunting tradition is one of the richest in the nation. This is a state where schools in rural areas traditionally closed on the opening day of deer season, and where the original red-and-black-checked wool hunting jacket, the “Pennsylvania Tuxedo,” was born. Pennsylvanians are rabid about their white-tailed deer hunting, and with 1.3 million deer in the state, opportunities are plentiful. In 2016, hunters killed 333,254 whitetails, making Pennsylvania third in the nation in overall deer harvest behind Texas and Michigan. Antler sizes of whitetails have improved in recent years with the advent of antler-point restrictions; in the past ten years, hunters in Pennsylvania have entered 45 bucks into the Boone and Crockett record book. Deer season begins in October with a six-week archery season, and small game, waterfowl, and turkey seasons typically open in late October and early November. Upland bird species including ruffed grouse, ring-necked pheasants, and woodcock are popular draws during this time. Waterfowl is abundant and one highlight is a large annual migration of snow geese through the center of the state. Black bear and deer seasons occur in late November. The traditional opener of the rifle deer season is the Monday after Thanksgiving; the season continues into December. After being extirpated from the state in the 1800s, elk were reintroduced into Pennsylvania in 1913. In recent years Pennsylvania’s elk population has experienced rapid growth and the herd now numbers about 1,000. An elk season has been held for the last several years, with some exceptionally large bulls being taken. Pennsylvania elk tags are available via a drawing; in 2017 25 bull and 93 cow tags were drawn out of 30,000 applications. Learn more about hunting in Pennsylvania at www.pgc.pa.gov or www.gohuntpa.org.