Saturday opener for rifle deer?

Any thoughts? PGC will be researching the idea of moving the opener of rifle deer from Monday to the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I used to oppose this idea, but do favor it now. Only about 68% of our deer hunters are hunting the first day compared to around 90% 25 years ago. 
 
Yes, for those that like camp life the weekend before the opener, this would be a bummer. I am one of those folks too, but I do think the change would benefit more than it would negatively impact at this point in time. 

I'm open, not only will some people now, get to hunt on opening day but many, will get to hunt two days rather than one. I wouldn't be surprised if PA schools maintain the Monday after Thanksgiving, as a traditional holiday.

I am neutral on it.  I think more and more school districts will be dropping that day off as less and less people hunt.

As with anything else there is pros &  cons. I do not agree that only 68% of the hunters are out 1rst day. If so then I always found them. I quit hunting first day of everything about 15 yrs ago because of the crowds,but it worked for me because I was retired & could go when I wanted to,not when I had to. Also though you may get more kids to be able to go if their father is asked to work overtime on Sat. I think that work will win out. Also not every place has first day off, I know of a coach at a school that had the day off,the coach forced the kids to go to practice or not play the next game. I wish that I would have know about it before the fact. But my strongest objection is that it is another nail in the coffin for traditional camp life. I am a old goat & don't feel like you have to change everything. Doesn't seem to me that most of these changes so far are working. I have been a officer of a gun club for over 30 yrs & can tell you that the involvment in the shooting sports around here by youth has seriously declined even though kids have more  oppurtunities than ever.    sam

mr.crappie
I do not agree that only 68% of the hunters are out 1rst day.

 
That figure is a PGC estimate. I guess it depends on where you are at. Where I hunt, participation on the Monday opener is less than half of what it used to be. 
 

But my strongest objection is that it is another nail in the coffin for traditional camp life. I am a old goat & don't feel like you have to change everything.

 
For sure the traditional opening weekend deer camp will be impacted. Not sure the decline can be stopped though. Those that partake in the traditional weekend at camp are already a minority and that trend will continue with or without a Saturday opener. 
 

Doesn't seem to me that most of these changes so far are working. I have been a officer of a gun club for over 30 yrs & can tell you that the involvement in the shooting sports around here by youth has seriously declined even though kids have more  opportunities than ever. 

 
I don't think anything will stop the decline. I guess my reasoning is that moving to a Saturday opener will benefit more than it will hurt these days. 
 
We used to have 1.2 million hunters and 90% hunted on the opening Monday. Today we have around 800,000 deer hunters and only 68% hunt the opener. That 90% was when doe season was after buck season too. Something is happening for sure. Hunters just ain't hitting the woods on Monday, like they used too. 
 

I think it's a great idea for most of the positive reasons listed above.
 
My limited observations . . . 
 
1.  Most folks I know that go to camps have more and more been going for the first full weekend instead of opening day since the buck/doe splits in a lot of those units a few years back.  
 
2.  I remember how bummed I was in 1987 when I made the junior high basketball team at my school to learn that we had mandatory practice on the first day of buck season.  That continued right on through high school.  That's nothing new, although my 9th grade coach did let me miss that day in exchange for some venison steaks.  But overall, sports are a HUGE reason that kids are not more involved in the outdoors.  All three of my kids are/have been involved in local, travel and school sports, and the obsession that many parents have in making sure their kids never miss an offseason private workout, in season practice or game is just mind numbing.  A lot of my son's friends don't hunt or fish anymore, or did very little in the first place, for exactly that reason.  
 
3.  My dad and I never hunted out of a camp.  We hunted close to home on the fringes of suburbia in Westmoreland County mostly, and ventured to the eastern ridges and valleys around Ligonier as well as time allowed.  I don't have any nostalgia for camp life, but I would imagine for those that do, it's pretty strong and I can understand the fear of future generations losing out on it.  

BeenThereDoneThat.
Any chance changes in archery hunting regs. had an impact on opening firearms?

There are more folks archery hunting than 10 years ago for sure and the harvest has increased. With that said, we have lost hundreds of thousands of rifle deer hunters on the Monday opener. The archery harvest has only increased by a small fraction compared to the decreasing participation on the Monday opener. 

lost sage rod sectio
This is just wishful thinking on changing the Monday opener .The quakers aren't going to change from Tradition. The wheels Grind Slow.!!!!!
 

 
I agree. There will be lots of resistance from the traditionalists but the reality is their numbers are quickly decreasing. The PGC even having this discussion is a big deal. I think we will see a Saturday opener within 5-10 years. 
 

BeenThereDoneThat.
Let's not be quick to judge the "tradionalist", without them (us) PETA would already have had it's way. Then again, when talking Sunday hunting, PETA could serve as an ally in 5 to 10 years.

Not judging them at all. The reality is they are decreasing in numbers. What was traditional 40 years ago is mostly long gone within the hunting world. Our season structures, laws, and regs are constantly being reworked. That will not end. 

I remember when the opening Monday of ( buck ) deer season was almost a Pa. holiday !
Maybe it should have been one !
 
Schools closed , workers took off, some small towns were almost shut down for a day! People from out of state were just amazed at seeing so many people participate in hunting. Long gone are those days , what use to be a bang is now a whimper. I highly doubt moving that opener to  a Saturday will do anything special, but make more traffic heading home on Sunday. In fact I see it hurting local businesses even more with everybody packing up and heading home from their camps Sunday afternoon. Not many will be taking off work to hunt Monday after a Saturday opener.
 
The game commission has played around so much with micro managing deer the past 15 years or so, they have taken the enthusiasm out of many older hunters and that has had a negative effect on encouraging younger hunters. Posted property also has contributed in a big way also. Even with the two Saturdays now in the rifle season hunters are scares !       

Use to be a time one could shoot at a singled horn buck....now you need a telescope to scan deer heads , a rule book for what area your hunting , and a dumb deer to stand still so you can count tines before you shoot. Plus there is no cover left on trees and bushes and your covered in florescent orange so deer don't hang around too long. Hunters want to shoot at deer not go for long walks in the woods and come home and say " I seen 5 deer today hunting ".....big deal ! What's the gun for ?
What's next..... a turkey beard has to be at least 5 " long to be legal ? 

dpms

BeenThereDoneThat.
To the PGC; you made your bed, sleep in it.......   and that's all I have to say, about that!

All states are losing hunters. Pa is actually losing them at a slower rate than most other states. 

 
Well there ya have it Gene, for years we been hearing PA should do what other states are doing and now, PA is beginning to feel the effects.  Serves em right, for becoming a follower and not, staying a leader. 

When you are talking about a Sat. opener Remember you are takeing a day of small game season away from a lot of hunters who enjoy that more than deer season.Just a thought or something to be considerd.
 

lost sage rod sectio
When you are talking about a Sat. opener Remember you are takeing a day of small game season away from a lot of hunters who enjoy that more than deer season.Just a thought or something to be considerd.

 
Yep. Especially since fall turkey was made legal on that Saturday. 

dpms

lost sage rod sectio
When you are talking about a Sat. opener Remember you are takeing a day of small game season away from a lot of hunters who enjoy that more than deer season.Just a thought or something to be considerd.

 
Yep. Especially since fall turkey was made legal on that Saturday. 

+1