The Pennsylvania Game Commission will be holding its first meeting of the new year today and tomorrow. There are many items on the agenda, and I encourage everyone that is interested to tune in to the Game Commission’s YouTube channel for the live broadcast. 

There are two proposals that will be considered regarding the start of regular firearms deer season. One would keep the opening day as the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The second would move it up a week to the Saturday before, the same as here in NY. 

Starting earlier is thought to help give hunters extra time to harvest a deer so that they can relax and enjoy Thanksgiving with their families. Moving opening day earlier will require several changes to other seasons. All the proposed changes are detailed on the Game Commission website. 

Starting regular firearms season for deer earlier is also thought to help promote one of the Game Commission’s goals, which is to increase hunter participation. The Executive Director of the Commission, Steve Smith, recently discussed the potential change on the agency’s podcast. You can check it out on their YouTube channel. It’s called “Call of the Outdoors”. 

The Game Commission will also be considering other issues at the meeting, including hunting season dates and bag limits, Sunday hunting during the 2027 Spring gobbler season, and many others. 

The two-day meeting begins today, January 23 at 1 p.m. with a broad range of wildlife topics and staff presentations. It resumes tomorrow, Saturday, January 24 at 8:30 a.m. with a chance for public comment. Please respect their rules on the 5-minute time limit, etc. 

As I always say, please take the time to let them know your thoughts. If we don’t give our input, some day they may stop asking. The PA Game Commission does a great job and is very responsive to public comments. 

Some of the topics of the meeting will include the Certified Hunter Program, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), turkey management, the elk application process, baiting in the Special Regulations Areas, fluorescent orange for non-hunters on state game lands during Fall hunting seasons, and approved trapping methods, to name a few. 

The PA Game Commission meeting promises to be very informative. Tune in to their YouTube channel to check it out and don’t forget to give them your comments and suggestions. Final adoption of any changes will be at the April meeting. 

Let’s all enjoy the outdoors