PA Hunting License Information

[Dredly]

Originally Posted by Buckmark.35

Legally yes you do. Others have posted that they have gotten a license without taking the course. Mostly due to the fact that many license vendors are under the mistaken impression that you don't need the course after you're 18. The course is mostly common sense stuff, but it's required if you want to get a license, and let's face it...There are worse ways to spend a weekend.

bah all you need is to get a license once and then you can use that as proof that you had one in the past and everyone will sell you a new one, including the state off the website..

if you need a license Walk into Walmart, tell them you need a license, if they ask (haha yeah right) tell them you lost last years and they will sell you one.

I've had several friends do this.

[Archiver]

Originally Posted by ham385

74Blazer, your signature indicates you are a marine. If you are still active, reserve, or within 6 months of your discharge date, you are not required to take the hunter safety course. (It's in the hunter safety affidavit section of the license applicaton)

Thats cool but quite unfair. Killing people isn't exactly like hunting safely. Just because you've served your country (Thanks and welcome home btw) doesnt mean you know how to hunt safely!

Sure there is safe firearm handling componant in hunting class...but that seems like the State is doing an "end run" and its really an illegal firearms education course.

[ham385]

Originally Posted by Archiver

Thats cool but quite unfair. Killing people isn't exactly like hunting safely. Just because you've served your country (Thanks and welcome home btw) doesnt mean you know how to hunt safely!

Sure there is safe firearm handling componant in hunting class...but that seems like the State is doing an "end run" and its really an illegal firearms education course.

Not trying to start an argument here, but I disagree. The tricky thing about killing people is to not shoot your buddy by accident, or civilians for that matter. Firearms safety is a big part of weapons training, and indiscretions are dealt with swiftly and almost brutally by the chain of command.

As far as fairness goes, you gave up 8 hours to sit through a class. Over the course of my 6 years I gave up a week in basic training, one day/year for qualification, a month of MOUT training, as well as countless hours of rehearsals, and more time than I want to think about doing it for real. All of this involved situational awareness, knowing your target and what is beyond, and muzzle awareness, which I rarely see from someone who just took a hunter safety course.

[Pooch15825]

Though people can walk in and get a license without a copy of a hunters safety course, if you are into hunting and want to hunt in other states, they require proof of passing a hunters safety course in your state in order to be licensed in theirs. At least it used to be that way. Now, if you were born before the start of the hunter safety course, you were not required to take it, I was, but I have taken it 3 different times, when each of my kids were 12 I took it with them. It was well worth the time.
Pooch15825

[Ret-Fed]

You may want to consider the legal (i.e. lawsuit) ramifications of being involved in a hunting accident (as the "shooter") and you lied about having attended a PGC Hunter Education course in order to obtain a hunting license.

[freedomfighter]

i would feel much more comfortable going hunting with a Marine then with a redneck hillbilly! no matter how many ppl he may or may not have killed.

[str8shooter]

Originally Posted by unclemoak

Is it possible to get a Pa hunting license online?

I work the hours the Local Courthouse is open, so I can't really make it to get one.

Old thread, but I didn't see a definitive answer to the question.

Yes, you can get one online. Very easy, comes in the US mail with the application for an antlerless tag within a couple days of ordering. You can also choose whatever other stamps you want also.

ETA: the link in post #7 also says you can fax an application.

[theSaj]

Do you need a specific Hunter Safety Course? What if you have NRA Basic Pistol or such?

[str8shooter]

Originally Posted by theSaj

Do you need a specific Hunter Safety Course? What if you have NRA Basic Pistol or such?

Yes, it has to be a hunters safety course, or to use the PGC wording, a "Hunter-Trapper Education Course".

from PA Hunting License Information web page

If the applicant has not held a prior license, he or she must successfully complete a Hunter-Trapper Education Course. First-time license buyers must produce a valid Hunter-Trapper Education Card.

If you have any questions concerning hunting or furtaker licenses, please call or write to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, License Division, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797, telephone (717) 787-2084. Our office is open Monday through Friday (except state holidays) from 7:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

On a side note, a neighbor of mine who grew up hunting in NC called to see if he needed to take a PA course. The answer he got was that if he can truthfully sign the statement saying he has passed a hunters education course, than he can purchase a license. He rephrased his question, emphasizing he passed it in NC, but not PA, and said the person simply repeated the same answer, as though he was asking the stupidest question in the world. He said he still wasn't comfortable with the vagueness of the answer, but also didn't want to sit in a class with bunch of 12 year olds, so he found a way to maintain his dignity, but not take any risks with the law. He signed his daughter up for the class and like a good dad, signed himself up to so she wouldn't be alone.

[Siobhra]

I have no interest in hunting. Nice skills to have for a SHTF time and the shooting at moving targets that can hide sounds like fun but. But I have no interest in cleaning and gutting the catch. And I hate the taste of wild meat.

That said, hunting is part of the gun culture and if I want hunters to take more interest in protecting my shooting rights and my rights to carry I need to take an interest in theirs.

The world counts numbers. How many hunters are there? Only a handful then why should we listen to them? Small numbers translates to small number of voters so who cares about them? Some might also say if not many people are doing it then it must not be very much fun.

I was thinking about getting a hunting license just to bring up the numbers and urge others to do the same.

What are the draw backs?
Are there enough licenses for everyone or are they limited?
Will having a hunting license make for problems if I carry my handgun while backpacking? (that's the big one)