Pennsylvania hearing revisits Game Commission’s switch to Saturday firearms deer opener

The House Game and Fisheries Committee held an informational hearing on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s 2019 decision to change the opening day of the regular antlered firearms deer season from the Monday after Thanksgiving to the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with advocates and opponents presenting competing data and anecdotal evidence but no formal action taken.

The shift to a Saturday opener remains controversial because supporters say it improves accessibility for younger and working hunters while opponents warn it fractured tradition and damaged rural businesses. "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.

The change was adopted by the commission in February 2019. Committee testimony summarized three lines of evidence that have driven the debate: long-term declines in license sales, demographic shifts among hunters, and differing survey and public‑comment results about how much the opener itself affects participation.

Smith told the committee that hunting license sales fell sharply in recent decades and that the commission adopted the Saturday opener to arrest that decline. He cited a historical decline in licensed buyers and said the commission staff and a 2021 Responsive Management survey showed a majority of hunters (60 percent) supported a Saturday start because it better fit work and family schedules. Smith also cited U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service research that he said found time constraints were the leading reason lapsed hunters gave for stopping.

Opponents who testified included former commissioner Jim Dailey and organizers of Hunters Against the Saturday Opener. Dailey, who said he proposed the Saturday change while on the commission and later opposed the final move, told the committee the commission failed to weigh social and economic impacts. "The 5 commissioners that voted to go to Saturday ignored the prior Hunter surveys, overwhelming public comments regarding real adverse social and economic impacts," Dailey said, describing the board vote as 5-to-3 in 2019.

Speakers representing rural businesses and local chambers described economic impacts they attribute to the calendar change. Dan DiVillo read letters from chambers and business owners that reported large weekend revenue drops in some towns; one letter cited a decline for particular Wellsboro-area businesses by a figure it characterized as "in excess of 65 percent." Those figures were offered as anecdotal evidence to the committee; no independent audited economic study was presented at the hearing.

Mike Criner, a lobbyist speaking for the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists (PFSC), told the committee the PFSC and a coalition of national and state hunting organizations prefer that the Game Commission retain authority to set season openers rather than legislating a statewide statutory opener. "We trust and support the Game Commission having the authority to set the season opener," Criner said, noting the commission had given preliminary approval earlier this year for a Saturday opener and that the commission will return for final action in April.

Representative Smith (sponsor of House Bill 70) told the committee he collected constituent complaints and introduced legislation because he and many local residents and volunteer organizations say the Saturday change has harmed community fundraisers and local economies and eroded hunting traditions. Representative Debanzo, another committee member who spoke during the hearing, said he observed far fewer hunters in the woods on the Saturday opener and called the Saturday after Thanksgiving "the absolute worst day" to put the season opener.

Committee members pressed for more granular data and solutions. Questions raised during the hearing included whether the commission considered alternatives (regional or staggered openers), the reliability of surveys that asked hunters whether they would change behavior, and the commission’s statutory mandate. Steve Smith told the committee the Game and Wildlife Code (Title 34) directs the commission to manage wildlife and create opportunities for hunting and trapping; he said the statute does not direct the commission to weigh statewide economic outcomes when making season decisions.

The hearing closed with no formal votes or directives. Several committee members urged continued dialogue among commission staff, county chapters and hunting organizations and asked commissioners and testifiers to remain after the formal session for follow-up questions. The committee did not make a legislative decision at the hearing; House Bill 70 remains pending and was discussed but not acted on.

Ending: The committee said it will accept follow-up material by email from testifiers and maintain the record; committee chairs encouraged attendees to remain after adjournment so members could ask additional questions.