Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County is limited to bows and crossbows only — no firearms for hunting.
Pennsylvania Hunting Laws
Pennsylvania bars semi-automatic rifles for big game — only manually operated actions are legal for deer and bear — and its after-Christmas flintlock season prohibits telescopic sights entirely. Philadelphia County is archery-only.
Rules checked against Pennsylvania Game Commission regulations, August 30, 2026.
At a Glance
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Special Zones
Sourced Rules
Each rule links to the regulation we read and the month we checked it.
Rifle
2 rules
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Elk
Black Bear
Semi-automatic rifles are PROHIBITED for big game — only manually operated actions (bolt, lever, pump, single-shot) are legal for deer, bear, and elk. Semi-autos are authorized only for small game and furbearers.
"Manually operated rifles and handguns chambered for straight-walled centerfire cartridges, [or] muzzleloading long guns, .44 caliber or larger"
47 Pa.B. 806 (amending 58 Pa. Code §§ 141.43–141.45) · verified Aug 2026
Small Game
Small game rifles: manually operated or semi-auto RIMFIRE, .22 caliber or smaller.
58 Pa. Code § 141.22 · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Elk
Black Bear
|
Semi-automatic rifles are PROHIBITED for big game — only manually operated actions (bolt, lever, pump, single-shot) are legal for deer, bear, and elk. Semi-autos are authorized only for small game and furbearers.
"Manually operated rifles and handguns chambered for straight-walled centerfire cartridges, [or] muzzleloading long guns, .44 caliber or larger" |
47 Pa.B. 806 (amending 58 Pa. Code §§ 141.43–141.45) | Aug 2026 |
|
Small Game
|
Small game rifles: manually operated or semi-auto RIMFIRE, .22 caliber or smaller. | 58 Pa. Code § 141.22 | Aug 2026 |
Rifle and Handgun
1 rule
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Elk
Black Bear
Big game requires a manually operated centerfire rifle or handgun (any caliber), or a muzzleloading long gun .44 caliber or larger.
47 Pa.B. 806; PGC digest 2025-26 · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Elk
Black Bear
|
Big game requires a manually operated centerfire rifle or handgun (any caliber), or a muzzleloading long gun .44 caliber or larger. | 47 Pa.B. 806; PGC digest 2025-26 | Aug 2026 |
Rifle, Shotgun, Handgun, and Muzzleloader
1 rule
All species
Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County is limited to bows and crossbows — firearms are not legal for hunting there.
PGC digest — special regulations areas · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
All species
Philadelphia County
|
Philadelphia County is limited to bows and crossbows — firearms are not legal for hunting there. | PGC digest — special regulations areas | Aug 2026 |
Shotgun
2 rules
Small Game
Small game shotguns (10 gauge or smaller): shot no larger than No. 4 lead, No. 2 steel, or No. 4 other nontoxic; centerfire shotgun magazine capped at 2, total 3.
58 Pa. Code § 141.22 · verified Aug 2026
Wild Turkey
Turkey shot: no larger than No. 4 lead, No. 2 steel, or No. 4 other nontoxic; centerfire shotgun magazine ≤2, total ≤3.
"using shot ammunition no larger than # 4 lead, # 2 steel, or # 4 of any other composition or alloy of nontoxic shot"
58 Pa. Code § 141.45(b)(1)(i) spring; § 141.45(a)(1)(ii) fall · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Small Game
|
Small game shotguns (10 gauge or smaller): shot no larger than No. 4 lead, No. 2 steel, or No. 4 other nontoxic; centerfire shotgun magazine capped at 2, total 3. | 58 Pa. Code § 141.22 | Aug 2026 |
|
Wild Turkey
|
Turkey shot: no larger than No. 4 lead, No. 2 steel, or No. 4 other nontoxic; centerfire shotgun magazine ≤2, total ≤3.
"using shot ammunition no larger than # 4 lead, # 2 steel, or # 4 of any other composition or alloy of nontoxic shot" |
58 Pa. Code § 141.45(b)(1)(i) spring; § 141.45(a)(1)(ii) fall | Aug 2026 |
Muzzleloader
4 rules
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Flintlock deer season: flintlock-ignition single-barrel long gun ≥.44 caliber (or handgun ≥.50 caliber) firing a single projectile.
58 Pa. Code § 141.43 — flintlock season · verified Aug 2026
White-tailed / Mule Deer
The after-Christmas deer muzzleloader season is flintlock-ignition only; manmade spark materials on the hammer/frizzen and multiple-projectile loads are unlawful. Breech-loading captured-charge muzzleloaders (e.g., Federal FireStick) are allowed in the October seasons only.
58 Pa. Code § 141.43 (flintlock provisions) · verified Aug 2026
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Telescopic sights are unlawful in the flintlock deer season — open or peep sights only. (Scopes are allowed in the October muzzleloader season.)
"Flintlock Deer Season • Flintlock ignition, single-barrel long gun, .44 caliber or larger, or .50 caliber or larger handgun, using single-projectile ammunition. It is unlawful to use telescopic sights. Peep sights are..."
2026-27 PA Hunting & Trapping Digest — Deer: Legal Sporting Arms, Flintlock Deer Season (p. 24) · verified Oct 2026
White-tailed / Mule Deer
250 square inches of fluorescent orange on the head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees, is required during the October muzzleloader season; none is required in the after-Christmas flintlock season.
"Participants in the flintlock deer season are not required to wear or display fluorescent orange. However, during the October antlerless muzzleloader deer season, hunters must wear 250 square inches of fluorescent ora..."
2026-27 PA Hunting & Trapping Digest — Deer: Fluorescent Orange, Muzzleloader & Flintlock Deer Seasons (p. 24); Fluorescent Orange general section (p. 8) · verified Oct 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
|
Flintlock deer season: flintlock-ignition single-barrel long gun ≥.44 caliber (or handgun ≥.50 caliber) firing a single projectile. | 58 Pa. Code § 141.43 — flintlock season | Aug 2026 |
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
|
The after-Christmas deer muzzleloader season is flintlock-ignition only; manmade spark materials on the hammer/frizzen and multiple-projectile loads are unlawful. Breech-loading captured-charge muzzleloaders (e.g., Federal FireStick) are allowed in the October seasons only. | 58 Pa. Code § 141.43 (flintlock provisions) | Aug 2026 |
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
|
Telescopic sights are unlawful in the flintlock deer season — open or peep sights only. (Scopes are allowed in the October muzzleloader season.)
"Flintlock Deer Season • Flintlock ignition, single-barrel long gun, .44 caliber or larger, or .50 caliber or larger handgun, using single-projectile ammunition. It is unlawful to use telescopic sights. Peep sights are..." |
2026-27 PA Hunting & Trapping Digest — Deer: Legal Sporting Arms, Flintlock Deer Season (p. 24) | Oct 2026 |
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
|
250 square inches of fluorescent orange on the head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees, is required during the October muzzleloader season; none is required in the after-Christmas flintlock season.
"Participants in the flintlock deer season are not required to wear or display fluorescent orange. However, during the October antlerless muzzleloader deer season, hunters must wear 250 square inches of fluorescent ora..." |
2026-27 PA Hunting & Trapping Digest — Deer: Fluorescent Orange, Muzzleloader & Flintlock Deer Seasons (p. 24); Fluorescent Orange general section (p. 8) | Oct 2026 |
All Weapons
1 rule
All species
Nothing in Pennsylvania's hunting law bans suppressors. The statutory list of unlawful devices does not mention them, the Game Commission's own regulations on illegal devices do not mention them, and the 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Digest never uses the word. The 1923 act that once banned silencers for taking game is no longer in the code. The hunting rules being silent does not settle possession: the state's possession law treats a firearm adapted for silent discharge as an offensive weapon under 18 Pa.C.S. § 908, with federal NFA compliance available only as a defence the owner has to prove.
Suppressor law in 2026: what changed · suppressor prices
"(a) General rule.-- Except as otherwise provided in this title, it is unlawful for any person to hunt or aid, abet, assist or conspire to hunt any game or wildlife through the use of: (1) An automatic firearm or simil..."
34 Pa.C.S. § 2308(a) and 58 Pa. Code ch. 141 — no mention of suppressors, silencers or mufflers in § 2308(a) or the 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Digest (read 2026-10-16) · verified Oct 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
All species
|
Nothing in Pennsylvania's hunting law bans suppressors. The statutory list of unlawful devices does not mention them, the Game Commission's own regulations on illegal devices do not mention them, and the 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Digest never uses the word. The 1923 act that once banned silencers for taking game is no longer in the code. The hunting rules being silent does not settle possession: the state's possession law treats a firearm adapted for silent discharge as an offensive weapon under 18 Pa.C.S. § 908, with federal NFA compliance available only as a defence the owner has to prove.
Suppressor law in 2026: what changed · suppressor prices
"(a) General rule.-- Except as otherwise provided in this title, it is unlawful for any person to hunt or aid, abet, assist or conspire to hunt any game or wildlife through the use of: (1) An automatic firearm or simil..." |
34 Pa.C.S. § 2308(a) and 58 Pa. Code ch. 141 — no mention of suppressors, silencers or mufflers in § 2308(a) or the 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Digest (read 2026-10-16) | Oct 2026 |
Federal Rules That Apply in Every State
These federal requirements apply in Pennsylvania on top of state law.
Federal law: only USFWS-approved nontoxic shot may be used — or even possessed — while hunting waterfowl, coots, and aggregate-bag species.
50 CFR § 20.21(j)(1)–(3)
Federal law: shotguns for migratory birds are limited to 3 shells total (magazine + chamber) with a one-piece plug; limited light-goose and September Canada goose season exceptions exist.
50 CFR § 20.21(b)
Federal law: shotguns for migratory birds may be no larger than 10 gauge.
50 CFR § 20.21(a)
Federal law prohibits taking migratory birds with a rifle, pistol, or fully automatic firearm.
50 CFR § 20.21(a)
On Waterfowl Production Areas and designated National Wildlife Refuge lands, possessing shot other than approved nontoxic shot is prohibited; individual refuges may impose stricter rules.
50 CFR § 32.2(k)
Sources
34 Pa.C.S. § 2308 — Unlawful devices and methods
Pennsylvania General Assembly · retrieved October 16, 2026
47 Pa.B. 806 — Final-form rulemaking amending 58 Pa. Code §§ 141.43–141.45, 141.47
Pennsylvania Bulletin · retrieved August 30, 2026
58 Pa. Code § 141.22 — Small game
Pennsylvania Code · retrieved August 30, 2026
58 Pa. Code § 141.45 — Turkey
Pennsylvania Code · retrieved August 30, 2026
Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest 2026-27
Pennsylvania Game Commission · retrieved October 16, 2026
How to Use This Page
Each rule links to the regulation we read and the month we checked it. Rules marked needs review come from summaries rather than the regulation text, and never produce a green answer in the checker. The checker's energy figures are typical factory loads, so where a rule sets an energy or bullet-weight floor, check your own load's rating. This page covers equipment only, not seasons, tags or local ordinances, and it isn't legal advice. The current Pennsylvania Game Commission regulations are the final word.