The state Game Commission will discuss two proposals regarding the start of firearm deer season during its Jan. 23 meeting.

Commissioners will discuss a proposal to open the firearms season on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The second proposal would maintain the current season structure, with the season opening on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.

“This change would give hunters an earlier start and provide more opportunities for families, young hunters, and those who travel longer distances to enjoy opening weekend without competing with the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Steven Smith, state Game Commission executive director. “Opening the season earlier could improve access for hunters and continues the board’s focus on structuring seasons in ways that maximize participation.”

To accommodate a potential earlier start date, the first proposal would move the firearms bear season one week earlier and shorten the early bear muzzleloader, archery, and special firearms season to a single weekend.

The board also will consider allowing Sunday hunting during the 2027 spring gobbler season. To offset the potential for increased harvest associated with Sunday hunting, the proposal recommends limiting the spring gobbler bag limit to one bird, eliminating the option to purchase a second spring turkey tag for the 2027 season.

Opening deer rifle season from the Monday after Thanksgiving to the current Saturday after Thanksgiving has been a hot-button issue for hunters since the state Game Commission made the change in 2019. It has prompted several pieces of legislation in the General Assembly to change the start of rifle season back to the original Monday after Thanksgiving, including a 2025 proposal from House Rep. Eric Davanzo, R-West Newton.

“This bill responds directly to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s unilateral decision in 2019 to move the opening day of deer rifle season from the culturally relevant Monday after Thanksgiving to the current Saturday after Thanksgiving,” Davanzo wrote in his co-sponsorship memorandum. “This change was not supported by the majority of Pennsylvania sportsmen and has had a disproportionate negative impact on local economies, family traditions, and annual hunting patterns – particularly in northern Pennsylvania.”

The two-day public meeting begins Friday, Jan. 23, at 1 p.m., and will include staff presentations on a range of wildlife management topics, including elk and turkey management, as well as other key agency initiatives. No public comment will be accepted on Friday.

The meeting resumes Saturday, Jan. 24, at 8:30 a.m. Public comment, limited to five minutes per speaker, will be accepted on a first-to-register, first-to-speak basis. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. in the headquarters lobby. PowerPoint presentations will not be permitted during public comment.

In addition to preliminary seasons and bag limits, the Board will consider items related to Pennsylvania’s elk application process, Chronic Wasting Disease response, the Certified Hunter Program, approved trapping methods, fluorescent orange on game lands for non-hunters during the fall hunting seasons, changes to the regulations authorizing baiting in the Special Regulation Areas, and other wildlife management issues.

The Board is set to adopt final seasons and bag limits for the 2026-27 license year at its next meeting on Saturday, April 11.