The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners is scheduled to hold their regular quarterly meeting next weekend in Harrisburg.

Typically, the main agenda item for their January meeting is the proposed hunting seasons and bag limits for the upcoming year.

Most years, those proposed seasons are almost a carbon copy of the previous year and, with possibly a few tweaks here-and-there, are given final approval at the next meeting in April.

Last Thursday, however, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) announced that the Board of Commissioners would be considering two proposals regarding the firearms deer season.

One of them is to maintain the current format with deer season starting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The other would open deer season on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

If the commissioners decide to propose moving the opening of deer season a week earlier, that will necessitate modifying some other seasons as well.

The statewide bear season would need to be moved a week earlier and would run concurrently with the last week of the fall archery deer season. Otherwise, the fall archery deer season would remain unchanged but would end on the day before the start of the firearms deer season.

The earlier bear season could possibly mean more female bears with cubs might have not denned by then and could possibly result in a larger harvest. To offset that situation, the early bear muzzleloader, archery, and special firearms seasons would be shortened to a single weekend.

Commenting on the potential shift in the start of deer season, PGC Executive Director Steve Smith said, “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. Opening the season earlier could improve access for hunters and continues the Board’s focus on structuring seasons in ways that maximize participation.”

I’m not sure how having Thanksgiving fall in the middle of the first week of deer season is not “competing with the Thanksgiving holiday.”

Even hunters who don’t “travel longer distances to enjoy opening weekend” will still be faced with the choice of spending the day by feasting and football with family or going deer hunting.

Keep in mind, however, that moving deer season a week earlier would only be a proposal and subject to what would undoubtedly be a large volume of public comments concerning the issue.

There is also the possibility that the commissioners won’t adopt the proposed new season structure and choose to maintain the status quo for deer season. But I don’t expect that.

It was only back in 2019 that the first day of deer season was moved ahead just two days from the Monday after Thanksgiving to the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Remember the amount of opposition that drew from many dedicated hunters? They saw moving the opener as an outright assault on the grand tradition of Pennsylvania deer hunting. But those who favored the move did so because they believed it would save a hunting tradition that has been steadily declining.

Starting the season on a Saturday would give access to hunters who were unable to take a day off from work or school to participate in a Monday opener.

According to the PGC, the shift to a Saturday start had the desired effect of increased participation and a spike in hunting license sales. And increasing hunter participation will be a driving force for the agency for the foreseeable future.

The two-day PGC public meeting which begins Friday, Jan. 23, at 1 p.m. will be held at the Pennsylvania Game Commission headquarters just off the Progress Avenue exit 69 of Interstate 81.

This session 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. with 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.

Following public comment, the Board will proceed with its regular agenda and new business. The full agenda is available on the Game Commission’s website under “About Us” and “Public Meetings.”

Those unable to attend may watch the meeting live on the Game Commission’s YouTube channel and a link to that media is available on that “About Us” webpage.

Comments can also be sent to the commissioners via email at pgcboard@pa.gov.

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