When Must You Tag Your Deer in Pennsylvania?

Locating the Tag

• Deer tags issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission are attached to the annual license that hunters receive to harvest deer. Each year, tags are issued in a different color, with the hunting year imprinted on the upper righthand corner to help hunters differentiate current tags from tags issued during prior hunting seasons. After harvesting a deer, detach the lower portion of the license/tag sheet to attach to the animal. The hunter keeps the tag.

Tagging Timeframe

• Affix Pennslvania deer tags to the animal immediately after you kill it and prior to transporting it from the kill site. Failure to tag a harvested deer properly may result in fines from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. In the instance that two hunters shoot at the same deer and the kill the animal, the first hunter to tag the deerhas possession. Thus, tagging quickly also helps ensure that your claim your harvests. (No argument about whose deer it is.)

Affixing the Tag

• Confirm that you are using the correct tag by inspecting the top section of the Pennsylvania Game Commission deer tag. The year printed on the tag should coincide with the current date and the animal outline on the tag must match the type of animal that you are tagging. For instance, an antlerless tag cannot be affixed to an animal with antlers. After filling out the required information on the tag, utilize the two pre-punched holes on the tag and run thin gauge wire or zip ties, then attach the tag to the animal's leg.

Reporting Your Harvest

• After killing and tagging a deer, Pennsylvania hunters must report their harvest to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Do so by visiting the Game Commission online at pgc.state.pa.us and enter your tag and deer information into the harvest reporting feature. Access this online report by clicking on the hunting section of the website. Be prepared with your license and kill information to complete the online form.