Pennsylvania · Public Land · 2026 Edition
Pennsylvania Public Hunting Land 2026: WMAs & Access Rules
2 wildlife management areas tracked here, from 6,000 to 49,000 acres. A hunting license covers you on Pennsylvania WMA land the same as anywhere else in the state — but read the access rules below before you assume that's all you need.
01 — Wildlife management areas
| Area | County | Acres | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area | Lancaster, Lebanon | 6,000 | Waterfowl, Deer, Small game |
| State Game Land 13 | Sullivan, Columbia | 49,000 | Deer, Bear, Turkey |
Middle Creek draws its search volume from a genuinely famous spectacle — up to 100,000 snow geese and thousands of tundra swans stopping over each spring — but the hunting itself runs through a lottery, unlike almost everywhere else on Pennsylvania public land. State Game Land 13, at nearly 49,000 acres across Sullivan and Columbia counties, is the more typical Pennsylvania story: open, unreserved, rugged hardwood terrain with a strong deer and bear population and no name recognition outside hunting circles. This list is a starting point, not PGC's full inventory of more than 300 State Game Lands.
02 — Access rules beyond your hunting license
Pennsylvania's public hunting land is almost entirely numbered State Game Lands — over 1.5 million acres open under ordinary statewide license rules, no extra permit needed. Middle Creek is the one well-known exception: its best waterfowl blinds and special deer hunts run through a separate PGC lottery (Special Hunt Applications), not open walk-in access like a normal State Game Land.
03 — Where to go next
Verified · Pennsylvania Game Commission · Last verified 2026-08-08
Publisher's note. WMA list and access rules read from PGC, retrieved 2026-08-08. Review due 2027-08-01. This is a starting list, not the agency's full WMA inventory — confirm current rules for a specific area before you hunt it.