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State Game Commission considers moving start of firearms deer season to Saturday after Thanksgiving

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Game Commission will consider moving the first day of firearms deer season to the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Board of ...

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Game Commission will consider moving the first day of firearms deer season to the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Board of Game Commissioners announced Tuesday.

The move, which will be voted on in April, would create a 13-day season that would include three Saturdays, the Board said. It is one of several proposals the board will weigh in the coming months.  The Board will vote on it at its next quarterly meeting, scheduled for April 8-9.

Among the other proposals being considered by the Board:

  • Shortening to two days the late-November turkey seasons to accommodate a Saturday firearms deer season opener
  • Expanding the mid-October muzzleloader and special firearms deer seasons to include bears statewide
  • Increasing to two weeks the length of the statewide archery bear season and shifting it to the two weeks following muzzleloader and special arms bear seasons
  • Expanding four-day extended bear seasons to six days in most wildlife management units where they are held
  • Establishing a September archery season and a January antlerless season for elk hunters
  • Expanding bobcat hunting and trapping seasons to Wildlife Management Unit 4B
  • Extending fisher trapping opportunity to Wildlife Management Unit 4A
  • Increasing the season limite on beavers from 20 to 40 in Wildlife Management Units 2A and 2B
  • Reducing the length of porcupine season by about 10 weeks statewide

The public may offer comments on all proposed 2019-20 seasons and bag limits, as well as other board actions, between now and the board’s next quarterly meeting, when 2019-20 seasons and bag limits will be finalized, and antlerless license allocations will be determined.

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