WMU 3B, Pennsylvania
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- WMU Group 3
- Area
- 2,220 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 303
Draw odds for Black Beararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Wild Turkey — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 1,903
Draw odds for Wild Turkeyaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 15,600
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for Black Bear, Wild Turkey, White-tailed Deer so far. Deer, Turkey, Bear also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedWMU 3B is a south-central Pennsylvania ridge-and-valley unit spanning Cumberland, Perry, and Dauphin counties, offering a mix of forested Blue Mountain ridges, agricultural bottomlands, and State Game Lands parcels covering roughly 23% of the unit's 2,220 square miles. Hunters can expect good deer numbers, a moderate antlerless tag allocation, solid bear and turkey opportunities, and moderate-to-high pressure near the Harrisburg metro corridor.
Ridge-and-valley physiographic province — Blue Mountain and Second Mountain ridges dominate the northern edge, with Cumberland Valley farmland and limestone-based creek bottoms in the south. Mixed hardwood (oak, hickory, maple) on ridges; agricultural fields and riparian corridors provide deer food plots. Elevation ranges roughly 350–2,000 ft. Rothrock State Forest neighbors the unit to the north and west.
moderate-to-high
Antlered: OTC included with general hunting license; antler restriction applies (3 points on one side, brow tine counts). Antlerless: moderate allocation — residents guaranteed one antlerless license if purchased before July 14 priority window; additional licenses sold first-come-first-served until quota is exhausted. WMU 3B is neither among the most liberal (5C/5D) nor the most restrictive units; hunters typically secure 1–2 doe tags with effort.
DEER — Archery: Oct 3–Nov 20 and Dec 26–Jan 24; Regular Firearms: Nov 21–Dec 5; Muzzleloader: Oct 17–25 (antlerless only without antlered harvest). BEAR — Archery: Oct 18–25; Extended Firearms: Nov 28–Dec 6 (1 bear per license year). TURKEY — Spring Gobbler: May 1–31 (shooting hours sunrise to noon May 1–16, to 30 min after sunset May 17–31; limit 1 bird); Fall: WMU 3B runs Nov 1–15 and Nov 26–28 (1 bird per license year). ELK — WMU 3B is not an elk management zone; elk hunting is restricted to WMU 2G in the north-central elk range (Cameron/Elk/Clearfield counties) via limited-tag draw.
Blue Mountain ridge system holds good bear densities; SGL 264 is a premier big-game destination in Dauphin County. Agricultural edge habitat in the Cumberland Valley produces quality bucks. Turkey populations are healthy on both ridges and farm-country edges. Proximity to Harrisburg means higher weekend pressure during firearms season.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 3B— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about WMU 3B.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: PA Game Commission official Wildlife Management Units. Community info last updated 23d ago.