WMU 2F, Pennsylvania

West-central PA ridge-and-valley meets Allegheny Plateau — Cambria and Somerset counties. The Allegheny Front escarpment forms the eastern edge, with steep ridges, laurel-choked drainages, mixed hardwood-conifer forest, and broad plateau flats above. Elevation ranges from roughly 1,200 to 2,900 feet. Heavily forested with oak, cherry, maple, and patches of hemlock. Low agricultural influence; dense cover favors bear and turkey over open-country deer hunting.

moderate

Antlered buck: OTC included with base hunting license, 1 per year. Antlerless: allocated by WMU through PGC quota system — the 2-series plateau units historically receive moderate antlerless allocations reflecting lower deer densities in heavily forested terrain compared to agricultural WMUs. Residents may purchase up to 6 antlerless licenses per year if quotas allow; guaranteed availability before July 14 cutoff for the 2025-26 season. CWD has been confirmed in Cambria County — check current PGC CWD regulations for any transport restrictions.

DEER: Archery Oct 3 – Nov 20 and Dec 26 – Jan 24; Regular Firearms (rifle) Nov 21 – Dec 5; Muzzleloader Dec 26 – Jan 17 (check current digest for exact 2025-26 dates). Antlered buck OTC; antlerless by quota license. BEAR: Firearms bear season typically runs late October through mid-November with an extended season around Thanksgiving week (Oct 31 – Nov 15 and Nov 25–27 for 2025-26); 1 bear per license year, requires a bear license. TURKEY: Spring gobbler season mid-April through May, 2 bearded birds per season. Fall turkey Oct 31 – Nov 15 and Nov 25–27; 1 bird per license year fall season. ELK: Not applicable — WMU 2F is not within the Pennsylvania elk management area. Elk hunting is restricted to WMU 2G and designated elk hunt zones in north-central PA (Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Centre, Clearfield, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Lycoming counties); tags awarded by lottery, antlered licenses now once-in-a-lifetime.

Prime black bear habitat as the bear population expands southward along the Allegheny Front — Cambria and Somerset counties are among the top emerging bear counties in the southwest expansion zone. Rugged laurel-and-hardwood terrain provides good turkey cover on both spring and fall seasons. SGL 42 is the marquee public parcel. No elk — WMU 2F is not part of the elk management area (WMU 2G covers elk range in north-central PA).