Looking forward to 24
Pennsylvania
I know the 23 season is not completely over yet, but the PGC will be meeting in Jan. to discuss and propose the 24 seasons and bag limits. I was checking my calendear the other day and came across Oct. / Nov. time frame and noticed some very important dates you may want to check out before planning your “rutcation” for "24". Since all the seasons are scheduled in reference to Thanksgiving by the PGC. Assuming that the PGC holds to tradition (I don’t see any reason that they won’t) it may interest you to know that the statewide archery season will not start until Oct. 5th, 2024. This is the latest that Thanksgiving can ever fall in the month of Nov. and therefore the latest for archery season to start also. The next two years after that will be on the 27th and 26th respectively with the dates still remaining very late. If they stick with the 7-week season? the last day of the season in 2024 will be Nov. 22nd, 2024, well past peak buck movement. If you thought that the last week was dead this year, wait till next year. The last two weeks will be well into the downside of the rut “bell curve”.!! The archery Saturday will not be until Sept. 17th. The time will change on Nov.3rd. meaning the last 3 weeks of the season will fall under “standard time”.
This may be something that the UBP might want to address moving forward. Possibly pushing for an 8th week?? (doubt that will happen) and/ or at the very least push for Nov.10th to be the archery Sunday.?? Personally, if I were scheduling “rutcation” for next fall, it would be the week of Nov 3rd to Nov. 9th or 10th if they happen to see the light and give us that Sunday since it is the Veteran’s Day holiday weekend. We probably won’t see any serious rut activity until Oct. 29th or so this is just some food for thought. Let's hear your thoughts and if you would like the "Archery Sunday" moved/ scheduled for Nov. 10th, we should all let the PGC know that. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Along these lines, does anyone know when the PGC meeting is that takes public comments? I believe it is usually in April. I plan on going.
Griz, they usually allow public comment at all meetings before one of the meetings. whether it be the first day or second? - I don't know. They will announce the date of the April mtg. at the Jan. mtg.
I have drawn up a proposal that I'm going to send them once I get a read on the interest and backing. I have attached it so that everyone can read it. ARCHERY SUNDAY HUNTING PROPOSAL - Whereas the PGC by regulation is permitted to schedule three Sundays of hunting in a calendar year - Whereas the PGC has historically scheduled all hunting seasons with respect to the Thanksgiving Day holiday - Whereas in the calendar year of 2024, the Thanksgiving Day falls on Nov.28,2024 the latest such day permitted by the calendar - Whereas the PGC has by precedent been scheduling the Archery Sunday hunting day on the second Sunday in November since the inception of the regulation - Whereas with Thanksgiving Day falling late in the next several years causing the Archery Sunday hunting day to be pushed back to the third Sunday of November
- Let it be resolved by the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania proposes that the 2024 Archery Sunday hunting day be scheduled for Sunday Nov. 10, 2024 on the Veterans Day holiday weekend and a regulation be created that the Archery Sunday hunting day be scheduled on the second Sunday of November in all years forth coming but not beyond November 11 in which case it would revert to the first Sunday in November in any calendar year as long as the current Sunday Hunting Regulations remains in affect or until such time that Sunday Hunting is permitted year around in all seasons.
I saw chasing, hard, on the last day , Nov 17.
Bowbender, Good for you - that may very well be but when you start descending the back side of the rut "bell curve", it is very much location specific as the bulk of all does are already bred. If you happen to be lucky enough to pick the right stand at the right spot with a late doe in the area, it can be exciting but if you go to another stans a 1/4 mile away/ it can be dead as a door nail and there are more of those stand sites when you reach the middle of Nov. that there are hot ones for sure. All you'll do is count chipmunks LOL!!!
I realize this chart from the PGC is a bit dated, but what triggers the rut and it's timing hasn't. Upwards of 60% of doe are bred from 05-Nov to 25-Nov. Bottom line, if I have a buck tag and a chance to be in a tree the first three weeks in November, I'll be there. And what I saw this year was replicated previous years on the previous 1,100 acre property I hunted 5 miles away. My one buddy hunts about 12 miles away saw the same thing. Members of his camp in Clearfield county, same thing. Not being argumentative, but I think it's a stretch to say the 3rd week in November is dead,
I will only say one thing, I agree that those are the ACTUAL BREEDING dates, but every deer expert that you will talk to, watch or read will tell you that the highest amount of movement and action is not in the actual breeding / "lock down" period but the two weeks preceding that when the largest percentage of does are not totally ready and the bucks are in the seeking and chasing phase of the rut cycle and constantly moving. Once the actual breeding starts, buck movement begins to dwindle and drops off exponentially the longer into Nov. that it goes with most all does having been bred. Check into the dates that most archery bucks are harvested, and you'll find that the period from Halloween until Veteran's Day will have the highest harvest and for my money that is the time to hunt. I too had some good sits and exciting encounters that last week, but I was lucky to have chosen the right stand on a couple occasions - other sits were DOA and compared to early Nov. - not even close.
Seems to me that this approach is like having half a pie and showing a willingness to accept moving a slice from one side of the pan to the other side of the pan. The science continues to show the whole pie is still to be had.
This premise also depends on which part of the state you are hunting and the ratio of the deer in those areas. When doe ratio is down the movement guys see Is spiked more than a ratio that is elevated. Meaning a higher doe population the less those bucks need to travel. We see this every year, high doe population Meaning his traveling is limited.
This is a good conversation and now I'm hungry for butterscotch pie. Dan and I set 19 traps yesterday and today.
I would remind all that the subject of the thread is the rescheduling of the "Archery Sunday" to a better/ more convenient time in relationship to the holiday weekend and overall deer movement. Not the timing of the rut or breeding. This is why I very rarely post on this sight because the threads are always hijacked to some off the wall subject or something that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the thread. If you prefer to hunt late in Nov., you will have the best chance of your life this coming year and in the next several years because it will be the latest archery season has ever been in Nov. I just thought it would be nice to have the Sunday in archery to be scheduled for the primetime Veteran's Day holiday weekend. It's pretty simple concept without debating the breeding phases of the rut all over the flippen state!!!
The date seem OK to me. Have all 3 Sundays, always run 3 Sundays in a roll?? If so will the Game Commission break that??
That's the $60K question Ed. It's all about providing opportunity to the most hunters. They provide the second day for both bear and gun season hunters so as not to break up their weekends or seasons so why not let the archers have a long weekend when most hunters are off and the vast majority of archer are still hunting instead of the later date of Nov. 17 when a lot of archers will be done hunting and the hunting will arguably be not as good? and if the work it right it could provide another day of archery bear?
Bob, yes, I guess it is. But I bet if you asked and got 100% true answers. We would see that 80% of deer hunters would want to shoot a big buck.
Since this is a hot post right now. I see that there's a bill coming out to create a new seat on the game commission for a member of the farm bureau. I believe it's under the cloak of creating more hunting opportunities for sportsmen. But could it be to hinder sunday hunting? Till Sunday hunting is figured out, the last thing I'd want to see is a politically appointment person on a new seat, on the Game Commission. Anyone else know anything about this?
X,
I fully understand the purpose of your post/thread. I believe the very last sentence in your post was "Thanks in advance for your thoughts." I gave you my thoughts. And while the chart shows peak breeding dates, what are the buck doing up until those peak dates? CHASING. I've had a day in early November where I've been wondering where the heck the deer are. And regardless of archery start dates, my Rut-cation will include from ~Nov 1 thru ~Nov 12. Cuz the rut happens, every year, same Bat time, same Bat channel.
What it really boils down to is this. We currently have three weeks in November to bowhunt. Prime rut. Perfect, right? No, because we need to shift a day, because for whatever reason, it doesn't suit. As much as I want ALL Sundays open for hunting, this is what we currently have. And most hunters do NOT have off the 11th, unless you're gov't. Intead of acting whiny (which is what it looks like) let's put the effort into ALL Sundays, not just a self serving one.
"It's pretty simple concept without debating the breeding phases of the rut all over the flippen state!!!"
It wasn't a debate. Merely supporting data to support my opinion and what I see and hear from others. You don't want thoughts or opinions. You want 100% agreement to your position. Sorry dude, this ain't the site for that.
Ed, do you have a bill number. Senate or House? I can't find anything. All I can think of when I hear politcal appointments on PGC, it just reminds me of how screwed up they can become. I look at Washington & Colorado and see anti-hunters appointed to these positions. CO's governor is on record as wanting wildlife to be managed by wildlife, not hunters.
A seat for the farm bureau? Great, just what the pgc needs, an uneducated mouthpiece who is anti everything that will keep deer from destroying crops but want the deer numbers lowered.
So Bowbender, you're starting to get the drift now. Nov. 1 - 12th - so why not hunt all of them instead of a Sunday way beyond that. The longer it goes beyond the 12th the slower it gets. FACT!! It doesn't hurt to ask - what's the worst they can say - NO?? What's the best - Yes and away we go. BTW there are many more than gov't workers off on Veterans Day. It is a holiday for probably over half the country /state- sorry if you don't get it off - maybe you can schedule vacation? I am a huge proponent of all Sundays" and have been working toward that end for years. If you read the proposal, it states that we would like that Sunday until such time that all Sundays become legal. Right now that's not in the cards - a possible shift of one Sunday might be. Not hard to understand. I'll put you down as a MAYBE! Bob , when the National Pie Eating Assoc. sets their date for next Nov.'s contest - we'll put you down as a Maybe also.
I hope this link works.
https://www.lancasterfarming.com/country-life/outdoors/pennsylvania-senators-aim-to-limit-wildlife-crop-damage-through-hunting/article_ab1779e4-0e15-5c38-a8ab-08ae8fb1a1b2.html
After read the article again it don't say a member of the farm bureau would be appointed. But a person with agriculture experience. So what does a person with agriculture experience mean, what ties to the farm bureau would this person have?? I guess I get a little ruffled anytime. I read farm bureau and hunting in the same article.
The simple thing would be to just get the Sunday before the one we already get added on. Any objections?
Oh yeah, we got a fisher this morning.
Steve you last response says a lot, and that type of thing is why I don't support your organization. IMO... the focus of your proposal is only about killing bucks. I think there are better ways to approach all Sundays in archery season. But what do I know. I'm only in my 50th year of archery hunting all game in Pa.
"So Bowbender, you're starting to get the drift now. Nov. 1 - 12th - so why not hunt all of them instead of a Sunday way beyond that. "
Yeah..... I've had that drift since November 1993 when we finally got the first two weeks of November. YMMV...
"The longer it goes beyond the 12th the slower it gets. FACT!! "
No, it's your opinion. Using all CAPS doesn't change it. The hundreds and hundreds of posts I read on FB showed buck chasin' hard right past Thanksgiving. Son's best friend shot a nice 8 pt chasing doe on Dec 1st.
"BTW there are many more than gov't workers off on Veterans Day. It is a holiday for probably over half the country /state..."
Probably half, is actually 11% of all workers. Hope that isn't that same place you mine data to show that the 3rd week is dead. Only five states mandate that holiday to employers.
"..maybe you can schedule vacation?"
Aww, so cute. Passive Aggressive much. 'Sides I work from home several days a week. Hunts are easy to fit in when vaca is scheduled.
Bob,
"I think there are better ways to approach all Sundays in archery season."
Exactly!!!
Art,
No objections to that. Put i suspect it wouldn't pass muster with the dedicated rifle group. Any effort should be adding more Sundays. Not shifting one.
Every Sunday that falls inside a hunting season should be legal. No matter the weapons. Ancient illegal blue laws die hard in PA.
For those off us that want more hunting time I found this little tid bit when looking over a CWD article.
"The Game Commission will examine the impact of all those additional licenses on the overall harvest at the conclusion of the 2023-24 seasons, to determine if they were sufficient to meet deer management goals. If not, additional measures might be recommended.
“Based on deer hunter surveys, we find that time is an important factor affecting deer hunters,” said Game Commission Deer and Elk Section Supervisor David Stainbrook. “Expanded hunter opportunity may be recommended if management goals cannot be met with current season structure and the increased antlerless license allocations alone.”
I wonder if they will be presenting the results at the next Commissioner's meeting.
I would MUCH rather have the Sunday hunting day matched with the Veteran’s holiday Monday..............wouldn’t EVERYONE? Then we can hunt SAT/SUN/MON..............3 days in a row! Has nothing to do with buck or doe hunting.............more to do with logistics/scheduling.
Bowhunting 5C, its not just PA where these blue laws die hard. I deal with two states where there is limited Sunday hunting. In CT we can only hunt Sunday for private land archery deer only. That's it, no small game hunting, turkey, coyote and no firearms on Sunday during deer season. Crazy how they can allow in certain instances, but not the entire season like a majority of the other states.
Private land Sunday hunting would be simple. Leave it up to the landowners to decide and the hunters to get permission from them.
Or hold a ceremony for the death of Sunday hunting all together? Problem solved.
Well Men, I'm just trying to make the best of what we have been granted. We need to remember that the PGC also wants Sunday Hunting but they don't have any more control of that than we do. You might as well beat your head against the wall as ask them for more days or every Sunday - It in control of the legislature so that is who you want to bitch to - not the PGC.
I kinda like the later options for 24. Personally, I have noticed a shift from where most of my activity used to be in the rut. My favortite days used to be the 4-8th or therabouts. Over the past decade I have noticed great action the first few days of November, then a big slowdown, then my best action after the 13th. I now refer to the early Novemeber activity as the false start. This past year, my cameras were most active the 13th through the 17th. Gonna be some tough decisions for 24 about what dates to schedule my rutcation.
Gene, that is spot on. I have the same thought. Moving that first week of Nov to a whole week later.
I like X's proposal. Rut Nut hit the nail on the head.
