Six notable changes in the 2019-2020 Pa. Hunting and Trapping Digest

Hunting licenses officially go on sale on June 17, while antlerless applications are being accepted July 8 for Pennsylvania residents and July 15 for nonresidents.

The release of those dates means the 2019-2020 hunting season is upon us. And with the start of the hunting season comes the release of the new Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest.

The digest lays out hunting dates, limits and regulations for the entire year and is available at Game Commission offices and most locations that issue licenses.

Here are some of this year’s changes to the digest:

Size and Price

The latest edition of the digest has 12 fewer pages and is free of charge. 

Chronic Wasting Disease

One of the more notable changes in the digest is a broader section committed to battling Chronic Wasting Disease in deer. 

“Everything in the digest is color-coded, and we’ve given CWD its own color,” said Game Commission spokesman Travis Lau.  “Another difference is there is a lot more news on what’s currently happening in Pennsylvania on a statewide level, as well as disease management areas.”

The Game Commission hopes this educates hunters throughout the state, which could help slow the spread of the disease.

“Even with more than six years of handling this, CWD is still kind of a local issue, and if you don’t hunt around some of the disease management areas, it’s possible you still don’t know much about it, and that’s a challenge we’re facing,” Lau said.

More:Will eating a 'zombie deer' make you a zombie human? Know the facts about CWD

Junior pheasant hunt stocking locations

This year’s digest does not include the list of junior pheasant stocking locations. The locations will be available online. 

Individualized WMU maps

An overall state map of the Wildlife Management Units is still available in the print edition of the digest. However, individualized breakdowns of WMUs are now only available on the Game Commission website.

Tracking dogs

The use of dogs to track downed game was legalized in 2018, but the regulations for tracking dogs have made it into the digest for this first time this year.

More:If you use a dog to track a downed deer in Pa., you are no longer breaking the law

Elk application chart

Although it doesn’t provide much new information, there is a new full-page flowchart in the digest that walks the reader through the application process for elk licenses. This includes the new elk archery season.