WMU 5C, Pennsylvania
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- WMU Group 5
- Area
- 1,982 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 17
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
- 481
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
- 24,700
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
Sign in to contributeWMU 5C covers southeastern Pennsylvania, primarily Chester, Berks, and a sliver of Lancaster counties — rolling farmland, woodlots, and creek bottoms with one of the highest deer densities in the state. It carries Pennsylvania's largest antlerless allocation (98,000 tags for 2025-26) and offers extended firearms and flintlock seasons through late January, making it a top producer for hunters willing to navigate heavy pressure on limited public land.
Rolling agricultural landscape of southeastern PA — Chester, Berks, and Lancaster counties. Mix of woodlots, brushy field edges, creek and stream bottoms, swamps, and cedar thickets interspersed with farmland. Low to moderate elevation with no significant mountain ranges; habitat is defined by farm-forest edge rather than big timber.
Public land is limited relative to the large deer population. Key State Game Lands include SGL 43 (Berks and Chester counties — the only SGL in Chester County), SGL 56 (entirely within 5C), SGL 182 (northwest of Kutztown, Berks County), and SGL 234. No state forest or national forest presence. French Creek State Park (Chester County) also offers hunting. Private land access via DMAP (Deer Management Assistance Program) permits adds meaningful opportunity.
high
Antlered buck: OTC included with hunting license (any antlered deer statewide). Antlerless: WMU 5C holds Pennsylvania's highest allocation at 98,000 tags for 2025-26 (up from 79,000 prior season); hunters may hold up to 15 unfilled antlerless licenses simultaneously in 5C and 5D — the statewide standard is 6. Tags typically remain available but sell fast in early rounds; DMAP permits available at $10.97 for additional antlerless opportunities on enrolled properties.
DEER: Archery Sept 19–Nov 27 and Dec 26–Jan 24; Regular Firearms (buck-and-doe) Nov 28–Dec 13; Flintlock Dec 26–Jan 24; Extended Antlerless Firearms Dec 26–Jan 24. BEAR: Archery season Sept 19–Nov 27; Extended Firearms Nov 28–Dec 13; 1 bear per license year limit. TURKEY: Fall turkey season CLOSED in WMU 5C. Spring gobbler May 1–31 (sunrise to noon May 1–16, sunrise to sunset May 17–31); 1 bird daily and season limit. ELK: Not applicable — elk are restricted to WMU 2G in northcentral PA.
Highest antlerless tag quota in Pennsylvania; extended late-season firearms and flintlock through late January; archery opens September 19; fall turkey season closed but deer density is exceptional; heavy farming creates excellent food-source hunting near bedding cover.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU 5C— 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 5C.
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 113d ago.