Harrisburg, Pa. — A bill to restore Pennsylvania’s traditional opening day of statewide firearms deer season to the first Monday after Thanksgiving will soon be introduced.
For more than 50 years, the first Monday after Thanksgiving marked the start of rifle season in Pennsylvania. That long-standing tradition was changed in 2019 when the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) moved the opening day to the Saturday following Thanksgiving, citing the goal of increasing participation and hunting license sales.
The results, Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23) and Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-18), sponsors of the measure said, have been just the opposite.
“Moving rifle season to a Saturday has crushed rural communities,” Yaw said. “Small businesses, fire companies, local grocery stores and hunting camps rooted in tradition have all suffered. It’s time to bring rifle season back to where it belongs, support our sportsmen and women and invest in rural Pennsylvania.”
“It remains unclear whether moving opening day delivered any real benefit,” Boscola said. “What is clear is the toll it has taken on families and communities across Pennsylvania. I’ve heard firsthand from families with generations of hunters how devastating the change has been Pennsylvania’s rich hunting tradition, as well as the small businesses that sustain rural areas.”
According to the legislators, the Monday opener was not just a date on the calendar, but a community event. Schools traditionally gave students the day off, government offices often operated on a reduced schedule and families planned gatherings around the start of the season.
Moving the opener to a Saturday has fractured those traditions, creating conflicts with Thanksgiving celebrations and making participation more difficult. One volunteer fire company in Yaw’s district, which hosts an annual fundraiser tied to hunters’ attendance, saw turnout drop from hundreds to just 40 this year.
The issue was reignited on Jan. 24 when PGC considered, and ultimately rejected, a proposal to move the opening day even earlier to the Saturday before Thanksgiving. While the proposal was voted down, Yaw and Boscola said it reinforced widespread opposition to Saturday openings across Pennsylvania.
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