Why the Pa. Game Commission voted to keep opening day for firearms deer season in place

The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Board of Commissioners have given preliminary approval to the 2023-24 hunting seasons and dates, including a firearms deer season that opens on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The board took the action at its meeting last week.

While some hunters had been urging the agency to return to the Monday-after-Thanksgiving firearms opener, the PGC opted to leave the season the same as the past few years. The 2023 firearms season is set to take place Nov. 25-Dec. 9, with Sunday hunting permitted on Nov. 26.

Although some hunters wanted a return to the traditional Monday opener, a 2022 survey conducted for the PGC by the Virginia-based Responsive Management showed that 60% of respondents — resident hunters ages 18 and older were surveyed — strongly or moderately supported the Saturday opener. On the other hand, only 27% were strongly or moderately opposed.

Prior to its vote, the board looked at license sales data, which reflected a positive change following the implementation of the Saturday opener. The PGC pointed out the data showed that the move to a Saturday opener was followed by an increase in license purchases by hunters ages 18-34 and female hunters.

The data regarding 18-34-year-olds is especially important as that particular license buying category had been on a steady decline prior to the addition of the Saturday deer opener.

According to the PGC, in 2015 just over 213,000 general hunting licenses were sold to hunters in that age range, but by 2018 — the year before the Saturday opener — that figure had declined to just under 190,000, a loss of more than 11%.

This year — four years after the implementation of the Saturday opener —the number of licenses sold to 18-34-year-olds is holding steady and, in fact, has increased slightly, with more than 191,000 licenses sold in 2022.

PGC Director of Communications Travis Lau noted the state has an aging hunter base, with the median age for hunters around age 55.

“Growth in younger (age) categories is good in and of itself from a recruitment standpoint, but the 18-34s (category) also historically has been a demographic where some hunters — even if they eventually come back into the fold — have stopped hunting,” he said. “So, it’s good to see growth.

“When we talk about species like deer and bears, and think about the need for their populations to managed, then consider those populations are managed through hunting, it simply is important to keep hunter ranks strong.”

The board will take a final vote on the 2023-24 hunting seasons at its April meeting.