Lawmaker proposes hunters to vote on start of deer season
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A state lawmaker wants to take the debate over the start of hunting season out of the state Capitol and put it back into the hands of hunters.
Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar, R-Somerset, is preparing to introduce legislation that would give Pennsylvania hunters and trappers the opportunity to vote in a survey when they purchase their hunting license asking whether hunters and trappers prefer the statewide firearms deer season to begin on the current Saturday after Thanksgiving or return to the traditional Monday after Thanksgiving.
"For years there’s been controversy over the start of deer rifle season in Pennsylvania," Metzgar said. "It used to be, of course, the Monday after Thanksgiving. The Game Commission has moved it to the Saturday after Thanksgiving. There’s a lot of dispute over what the date should be. Hunters are in disagreement over that. We want to democratize the process and give every hunter the opportunity to make that decision."
Metzgar's legislation will give the survey decision-making weight. The state Game Commission would be tasked with amending regulations to reflect the will of those who cast their votes. Any changes made would be in effect for 10 years. Resident hunting license applicants would vote in the ninth year to set the opening day for the next 10-year period, ensuring a smooth transition and preventing implementation hiccups.
"Ten years, we wanted some predictability and not to give everyone whiplash and make that decision last for a while," Metzgar said. "There’s been enough whiplash over the decision lately. We’re still preserving the Game Commission’s ability to manage the herd and do all the things, it’s just about the start of that rifle season and when we want that day; whether you want that full weekend to camp and take that day off of work if you’re able to or if you want to keep it the way it is, that’s fine too. We’re going to let the hunters decide."
The Pennsylvania Game Commission changed the opening day of the regular firearms (rifle) deer season to the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2019, ending a tradition of starting on the Monday after Thanksgiving that had been in place since 1963. Many hunters preferred to go to camp during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Debate in the state Legislature began almost immediately with bills introduced regularly to move the start of the season back to the Monday after Thanksgiving. Moving the start of the season was hoped to make it easier for youth, families, and working adults to take part in the opening day of deer season without missing school or work.
"There’s arguments on both sides," Metzgar said. "The conversation probably needs to go to a vote at this point. It’s really up to the sportsmen and women of Pennsylvania to vote whenever they go out there. I know there’s some criticism because there’s a transient vote, meaning people who don't buy their hunting license every year. I told the Game Commission that I think this would be a windfall for them because more people will buy their hunting license that year than any other year because they want to vote in that process. That’s the rationale behind my bill is to take the opinion of the people who it affects."