While doing some internet research for a future article, I came across a news story posted just before the start of deer season.

The focus of that story was that many rural businesses would like to see the opening day of deer season moved back to the Monday after Thanksgiving rather than the Saturday after Thanksgiving as it has been since 2019.

This response seems strongest from some businesses in the sparsely populated northcentral region of Pennsylvania that benefited from a large influx of deer hunters coming there to spend the weekend before the opener at a hunting camp or other local lodging. Opening deer season on Saturday evidently changed that dynamic.

Most hunters now travel to their northcentral destinations on Friday, hunt the weekend and return home or to work on Monday, which apparently eliminates the non-hunting time available to patronize local businesses.

Another sentiment expressed in the story implied that the Pennsylvania Game Commission didn’t explore the economic impact of changing the first day of deer season to Saturday. That is incorrect on two counts. The duty of the Game Commission is to manage the wildlife of Pennsylvania. I am completely sympathetic to and supportive of small business, but the big picture here is, and should be, conservation, not the economics of a relatively few small businesses.

When contemplating the change to the Saturday deer opener, however, the Game Commission certainly did consider economics: its own. Both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission are “independent” agencies tasked with managing all the fish and wildlife and many related natural resources for all the citizens of Pennsylvania.

Neither receive any general tax revenue from the state treasury, and both are supported entirely by revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and some federal funding derived from excise taxes on sporting arms, ammunition and fishing tackle. The Game Commission also receives some revenue from the sale of timber and oil and gas leases on state game lands, property that has been purchased mostly with hunting license dollars.

Pennsylvania perennially ranks as one of the top states in the country in terms of the numbers of hunting licenses sold each year. But over the past 20 years or more, the numbers of hunters has continually declined nationwide and in Pennsylvania. Most other states can augment the resulting revenue shortfalls with state tax dollars, but that is not an option in Pennsylvania. To obtain the bulk of its required revenue, the Game Commission must sell as many hunting licenses as possible.

Data from surveys showed that 60 percent of hunters preferred starting deer season on Saturday as opposed to Monday, which motivated the change from the longtime Monday first day in 2019. Last weekend was the sixth Saturday opener for seer season, and its probably safe to say it’s here to stay at this point. While license sales haven’t increased dramatically most years, the rate of decline in Pennsylvania is notably better than most other states.

And speaking of licenses, reminder for the Holiday season is the 2025 fishing licenses are now on sale and can be purchased online at huntfish.pa.gov or at more than 700 issuing agents around the state. A fishing license makes a worthwhile gift for any anglers on your holiday shopping list as well. Even the most avid angler who already owns every conceivable piece of tackle still needs a new fishing license each year (or at least until they turn 65 and qualify for a lifetime license).

A voucher can be purchased online or from any license vendor, and the recipient can redeem it for an actual license. The price of an annual resident fishing license for 2025 is $27.97. Multi-year license options are also available in three-, five- and 10-year increments and will enable the recipient to be properly licensed to fish for years to come. A trout permit, a Lake Erie permit or a combination permit are necessary add-ons for many anglers as well.

Fly-tying classes

The John Kennedy Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be offering an 8-week Beginner Fly-Tying Class on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon, starting Jan. 4 through Feb. 22 at the Allegheny Volunteer Fire Department located at 651 Sugar Run Road, Altoona. The program is free and all the necessary tools and materials will be provided. Class size is limited to the first 30 participants to register for the course. For more information or to register, contact Scott Kavanagh at 814-515-4788 or Creg Strock at 814-215-5532 or email to johnkennedytu@gmail.com.

Fly tying has been a constant source of fascination and satisfaction for nearly my entire life. When I began the craft back in the 1960s, I would have loved having access to some in-person fly-tying instruction such as this. Back then, most avid fly-fishermen tied their own flies for several reasons. One big one was that flies were not available in the quantity or variety that most tackle shops currently offer. Another was saving some money. Once you have incurred the initial startup costs for a basic assortment of tools and materials, you can tie a fly for a fraction of the cost of buying one at retail prices.

As new tiers gain experience, they tend to experiment, which can result in the creation of a personal custom fly pattern or two that become real fish-takers. And finally, fly tying is a great hobby in its own right, so if you’ve been tempted to learn what it’s all about, these free wintertime classes are a perfect opportunity to do it.