HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)– While the focus this Easter weekend will be bunnies for many, the focus at the state capitol is on deer and when hunters should be able to start their season.

The start of rifle deer season is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which was changed in 2019. For decades prior, the start was the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Several Pennsylvania lawmakers want to move that date back to the original Monday start time. They argue that small businesses in the deer-hunting parts of the state have seen a decline in revenue because people aren’t spending several days in their deer camps and aren’t spending money in those local communities.

They insist that an unintended consequence of the switch is the wounding of local economies, but the Game Commission still opposes moving it back.

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“If you were a hunter, you would go on like a Saturday, can’t start camping out. You go to the restaurants, the shops, the community, you’d hang out for a couple of days, then you’d hunt on Monday, and that’s not happening anymore,” Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton) said. “So all these businesses were the ones that were calling me, saying, We’re losing business. Why did the Game Commission change it, and can we set it back? And I’m like, okay.”

The Game Commission said it wants to give more hunters, especially younger ones, more opportunities to get into the woods.

“I think that going back to the Monday opening day after Thanksgiving and Black Friday, I think that, you know, it kind of limits the opportunity that these young hunters have that are, you know, still in high school, maybe they’re in college,” hunter Jake Schall said.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission issued a statement regarding the bill:

The Pennsylvania Game Commission acknowledges the high level of interest surrounding the first day of regular firearms deer season, the state’s most popular hunting season. In response to Senate Bill 1244, the Game Commission has been in contact with the sponsors and understands the intent of the legislation. However, the agency supports its Board of Game Commissioners having the authority to set the state’s hunting seasons.

In 2019, the Board voted to move the opening day of this season from Monday to Saturday to expand opportunities for hunters of all ages. While the Board recognizes and appreciates that some hunters value the traditions tied to the Monday opener, including the hunting camp experience, it also values the necessity to ensure the future of the sport.

Over the last seven years, the Board has remained committed to the Saturday opener because it keeps younger hunters engaged, eliminates barriers for working adults, and enables families to spend time together outdoors. The Game Commission and the Board remain committed to Pennsylvania’s hunters, wildlife, and the future of conservation.

Statement from Pennsylvania Game Commission.

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