This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a daily newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown.
BELLEFONTE — In 2019, a state agency bucked tradition when it moved the start of rifle deer season to the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Moving it back two days — from the longtime Monday start — was controversial. Some hunters criticized the move as an unnecessary shift, while others welcomed the extra time in the woods.
A Pennsylvania legislator thinks he’s found a compromise that will work for both rural communities and hunters who want more flexibility.
Legislation introduced by state Rep. Eric Davanzo (R., Westmoreland) would create two start dates for the regular firearms deer season, determined by game commissioner districts. Using Interstate 80 as a rough dividing line, the bill would have northern counties return to the traditional Monday, and have those to the south begin on the Saturday before the holiday.
The bill was referred to the state House Game and Fisheries Committee in late June but has yet to receive a vote.
A split approach to the season opener, Davanzo told Spotlight PA, balances the needs of hunters in rural areas — where the sport is so integral to the culture and economy that most schools are closed on traditional opening day — and people in other parts of the state that still have school or work on Monday but want more time in the woods.
“I didn’t design this to be a Saturday bill or a Monday,” he said. “This was really about the longevity of hunting.”
Modernizing the state’s hunting laws has been a slow process in Harrisburg, marked by a divide between tradition-minded hunters and those pushing for more flexibility and time in the woods. The latter hope updates can help keep the sport alive, especially among younger people. The Saturday opener was one such change.
Lawmakers approved an update in 2019 that allowed hunting on three Sundays each year. And last month, Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, signed legislation that lets the Game Commission decide which Sundays to include when setting season dates, ending Pennsylvania’s near-total ban, despite opposition from non-hunters.
Some rural businesses said the shift from Monday to Saturday has hurt their bottom lines because hunters spend less time — and money — in their communities.
Prior to the vote, Game Commission studies showed most hunters preferred the traditional Monday opener, 2 to 1. Then-Commissioner James Daley pointed to those data during an April 2019 public meeting. Another survey of lapsed hunters, he noted, found that only a small number would buy a license with a Saturday opener.
But in the end, the hope that a Saturday opener would boost hunting license sales won in a 5-3 vote. Daley later resigned, citing the new date as the reason.
Brookville Area Chamber Director Jamie Popson told Spotlight PA some small businesses in Jefferson County — gas stations, grocery stores, bars, and restaurants — took a hit after the change. Representatives from chambers in Mercer, Clearfield, and Lackawanna Counties told Spotlight PA that members haven’t expressed concerns about the shift from Monday to Saturday.
In 2021, after three seasons with a Saturday opener, the Game Commission contracted with Responsive Management, a survey research firm, to gauge opening day preferences among hunters. Sixty percent of respondents supported the Saturday opener, with hunters noting work obligations on Monday. Opposition to the change was higher among hunters 55 and older and those who went to hunting camps.
Travis Lau, a Game Commission spokesperson, told Spotlight PA in an email that Davanzo’s proposal takes away the state agency’s decision-making authority.
He also noted that a split approach “would be unlike any other hunting season” because it relies on commissioner districts — nine in total, each with multiple counties — instead of the current 22 wildlife management units, which are based on habitat and can cut across county lines.
The Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists understands the concept behind the legislation, Mike Kriner, a lobbyist for the organization, told Spotlight PA.
But it’s the Game Commission’s job to annually set hunting season dates in consultation with their wildlife and conservation experts and hunters, he said — not lawmakers.
“Maybe the workweek changes 50 years from now, and it makes more sense to have a season opener on a Wednesday, the Game Commission can make that change every year, right?” Kriner said. “It takes a long time — having been in Harrisburg since 1991 — even when the legislature wants to get something changed, it takes them a long time to do it.”
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