A white-tailed deer buck. (Pennsylvania Game Commission)
The first Monday after Thanksgiving for decades was treated as an unofficial holiday in Pennsylvania, as hunters took to the fields and woods for the first day of deer rifle season.
Schools would close and rural communities would see an influx of orange-clad men, women and children in their restaurants, convenience stores and other businesses in the weekend leading up to opening day.
But for the last six seasons, opening day has been held on a Saturday — a move that remains fiercely debated amongst the commonwealth’s hunters.
“This is a decision that has undoubtedly sparked passionate debate, but it’s also a decision that prioritizes participation, accessibility and the long term sustainability of hunting in the commonwealth,” said Steve Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, during a meeting earlier this month of the House Game and Fisheries committee.
In 2019, the Pennsylvania Game Commission voted 5-3 to move the opening day to the first Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Smith said the tradition of the Monday opening day “thrived” for years, but cited a decline in the number of hunters over decades as a reason to move the opening day. He said a “lack of free time” was the biggest reason for the decline.
“In the years since then, younger hunters in particular have benefited from this change,” Smith said. He added that the move to a Saturday makes it easier for hunters to participate because they don’t have to take paid leave for missing work on a Monday.
In 2021, a survey conducted on behalf of the Game Commission showed 60% of hunters supported starting the season on a Saturday, while 27% opposed, and 13% had no preference. Smith described the results as a significant shift compared to previous years’ surveys, before the change was made.
“The Saturday opener is more than a scheduling change. It’s a commitment to Pennsylvania’s hunters, wildlife and the future of conservation,” he said.
But, not everyone on hand at the state House Game and Fisheries Committee hearing saw it that way. Some said they would like to return to a Monday start date.
Jim Daley, who served as a board member on the state Game Commission until 2019, said he suggested the change to Saturday, citing concerns about the decline in the number of hunters in Pennsylvania. But he noted that, during the 2019 public comment period, 82% of the 1,152 responses opposed the proposed change.
Following the move, Daley said there have been “a lot of economic losses for rural and retail establishments,” citing the day being on the holiday weekend just after Thanksgiving. He said it disproportionately impacted older hunters and people who enjoy the Monday tradition.
Daley said the five commissioners who voted for the switch “ignored” the concerns raised during the public comment period and it has had an “adverse social and economic” impact. He also claimed the survey Smith cited disproportionately sampled hunters 45 and younger.
Randy Santucci, southwest regional director for the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania, also told lawmakers he still doesn’t like the move.
“How bad of an idea is it to put the most participated deer season opening day smack dab in the middle of the most traveled family holiday of the year?” Santucci asked.
Opponents, like Santucci, also read recent letters from members of chambers of commerce from across the state, highlighting claims that it has had a negative impact on rural businesses. According to one submitted by Julie Henry from the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, the change to a Saturday opening day has resulted in profits decreasing in excess of 65% for rural businesses.
Some lawmakers are moving to reinstate the traditional start date. House Bill 70, sponsored by state Rep. Brian Smith (R-Jefferson), would return the opening day to the Monday after Thanksgiving. State Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton) backs similar legislation in the Senate.
Rep. Smith said a majority of the fellow hunters he’s come across want opening day to return to its traditional Monday slot, but added the impact goes deeper than just the sport.
“We’re here to make decisions that affect everyone, and this decision affected everyone, not just hunters,” Rep. Smith said.
In his co-sponsorship memo, Rep. Smith said it “is not an issue of wildlife management, it is purely cultural and economic, and thus the legislature must propose a permanent solution.”
The measure did not receive a vote in committee in the previous session and Rep. Smith said it’s a matter of wait-and-see if it will receive a vote in the coming weeks and months.
State Rep. Eric Davanzo (R-Westmoreland) said he made peace with the Saturday move for the first two years, but noticed the woods were empty last year on opening day, while the community he was in held a parade.
“If we put this on a Saturday to prioritize participation, we picked the wrong Saturday,” Davanzo said. “We picked the absolute worst day to do this.”
Davanzo also noted Penn State hosted a football game that day, which likely resulted in people choosing to attend the game instead of the start of the rifle deer season.
State Rep. Jim Haddock (D-Luzerne) described himself as a “traditionalist,” who originally didn’t like the move to Saturday, but said it has positively impacted hunting. He argues hunters were “rejuvenated” as a result and thinks it works better for hunters who typically work on Mondays.
A spokesperson for the Game Commission told the Capital-Star a deer hunter survey is conducted once every three years to measure participation on opening day. In 2016, when it was on a Monday, 80% of all deer hunters reported hunting the opening day. Three years later, the first year opening day was held on a Saturday, 73% reported going out on the opening day. In 2022, that number jumped back up to 79%.
Mike Kriner, a lobbyist representing the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists, said his organization opposes the legislative effort to move opening day back to Monday. He said its members believe the Game Commission is best suited to make those decisions, not the General Assembly.
Kriner noted from 2013 through 2018, hunting license sales in Pennsylvania decreased by over 10%. Sales increased in the first year after the change to Saturday and remained flat afterwards. He noted that he was “not directly attributing” the change alone to the issue.
In 2013-14, the Game Commission reported there were 953,027 general hunting licenses issued in the state. By 2018/19, that number dropped to 855,546 for that year. In 2023-24, the latest numbers available, the figure was at 853,440, per data submitted by the Game Commission.
The most recent annual financial report from the Game Commission shows revenues for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024 were $241,201,445, which was a 46.2% decrease from the prior year. Revenues from gas and oil lease royalties were down $220,949,115, which correlates with the worldwide decrease per unit of energy prices. Sales of adult nonresident hunting licenses were up $187,464 from the previous year, however revenue from adult resident hunting licenses fell $249,295 this year.
Every type of hunting licenses, contributed roughly 17% of the revenue in the fiscal year ending in June 30, 2024.
At the most recent Game Commission meeting, they voted to keep Saturday as the opening day of deer hunting season in Pennsylvania. They will meet in April for final approval.