WMU 4A, Pennsylvania
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- WMU Group 4
- Area
- 1,736 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 71
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
- 1,555
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
- 13,700
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 4A covers the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachian region of south-central Pennsylvania, primarily across Bedford, Fulton, and Franklin counties, with rugged forested ridges, rich agricultural valleys, and substantial public land including Buchanan State Forest. The unit offers excellent deer hunting with a very liberal antlerless tag allocation (60,000+ licenses), extended antlerless firearms seasons, and good black bear and turkey opportunities across over 300,000 acres of public ground.
Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians with forested ridges reaching up to 2,700 ft elevation and productive agricultural valleys. Mixed oak dominates the upland slopes with open farm ground in the valleys. Classic PA big-woods country with significant topographic relief — bedford, Fulton, and Franklin county core.
moderate
Antlered deer: one per license year, OTC with base license (no additional tag needed for buck). Antlerless: very liberal allocation — 61,000+ antlerless licenses issued for WMU 4A in recent seasons. Tags available in multiple rounds via HuntFishPA; hunters may hold up to 6 unfilled antlerless licenses. Extended antlerless-only regular firearms season Dec 26–Jan 18 adds significant harvest opportunity.
DEER: Archery Oct 3–Nov 20 and Dec 26–Jan 18 (antlerless archery continues); Regular firearms Nov 21–Dec 5; Antlerless extended regular firearms Dec 26–Jan 18; Muzzleloader antlerless-only Oct 17–24; Late flintlock statewide into January. BEAR: Archery Oct 17–25; Muzzleloader/special firearms Oct 22–25; Regular firearms Nov 21–24. Bag limit 1 bear per license year. TURKEY (Spring): May 2–16 (sunrise to noon) and May 18–30 (sunrise to 30 min after sunset); 1 bearded turkey/day, 2/season with special license. TURKEY (Fall): Oct 31–Nov 15, either sex. ELK: Not applicable — WMU 4A is not in the elk zone (elk zone is WMU 2G).
One of PA's more generous antlerless quota units, making it realistic to fill multiple doe tags in a season. Large blocks of public land on Buchanan State Forest reduce the private-land access challenge common elsewhere in PA. Extended January antlerless season is a notable bonus. Good black bear density for south-central PA.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 4A— 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 4A.
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.