Is the opening day of rifle season still one of Pa.'s favorite holidays? (column)
That special Pennsylvania-only holiday is almost here. The first day of rifle season had always started the Monday after Thanksgiving as far back as I can remember. However, this year’s opening day will be on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 30th. It is the most traditional of all hunting seasons, and at one time PA was known all over the country as a prime destination,
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I knew of one hunter that traveled from Montana just to take part in our opening day.
“This is the best whitetail deer state I know of,” he told me.
It has been 20 years since we last experienced "the way things used to be" in Pennsylvania deer hunting when a three-day antlerless season followed the traditional two-week “antlered-only” season. However, starting in 2000, numerous changes in hunting seasons, and deer populations began.
More:This isn't your grandpa's hunting trip: How hunting has changed in Pa. through the years
Over the next eight years, hunting license sales continued to decline at a steady rate. Back in 1999, if someone had used information on hunter declines from 1982 to 1999 to forecast hunting licenses sales in 2008, they would have predicted sales of about 935,000. In reality, 926,000 hunting licenses were sold. What this indicated was that hunter numbers have declined at a steady and predictable rate for all those years. According to the PA Game Commission the changes in the deer management programs have neither helped, nor hurt, hunting license sales.
In a PGC survey of Pennsylvania hunters conducted by Responsive Management in 2004, more than a third of hunters cited personal health and age as the number one reason they did not plan to hunt in the future. The second reason was devoting more time to non-hunting activities. Only eight percent of hunters stated the lack of game, including small game, was the main reason they quit hunting in Pennsylvania.
CWD awareness rising in the state
As most realize Chronic Wasting Disease has been a huge topic during these past number of years, and the PGC urges hunters to have their deer tested before consuming the meat.
Hunters who harvest deer within a DMA can get their deer tested free-of-charge by placing the head of their deer in a “head collection” container provided by the Game Commission. Hunters who submit their deer for testing must double-bag the head with the harvest tag attached. Those hunters that wish to keep the antlers can do so by capping the skull, and submitting the remaining head in the same manner as stated earlier. A hunter can also choose to have their deer mounted at any licensed taxidermist within the DMA.
Hunters outside of the disease management area (DMA) can get their deer tested through the PA Animal Diagnostics Laboratory Service (PADLS) for a fee. The fee is reported to be $80.
Saturday opener concerning some hunters
Some hunters are concerned by the season opening only two days after Thanksgiving, claiming they will be rushed to get to camp. Others welcome the new Saturday opener, saying that will give them an extra day to hunt.
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Although there are 2.2 million acres of forest land in 48 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties to use and enjoy, hunters seem reluctant to hunt land that has been targeted for deer reduction.
The Game Commission owns and manages nearly 1.5 million acres of state game lands throughout the Commonwealth. However, hunters tell me that many parking lots along these lands are vacant during most of the season. My wife and I drove to many Game Lands during the last two deer seasons, and found this to be true.
Perhaps the most important thing to do before heading out, is to read your Hunting and Trapping Digest, and once you're out in the woods, please be sure of your target.
More:Your complete guide to the 2019 Pa. deer rifle season: Dates, CWD rules, antler laws & more
With that, we wish each of you a safe and memorable hunting experience.
Dave Wolf may be reached by email:wolfang418@msn.com
