Changes for 2019 season
Contributors to this thread:Pennsylvania
From: Bonafide
21-Dec-18
Bonafide's Link
Moving gun opener from Monday after Thanksgiving to Saturday after.
From: Griz
21-Dec-18
Hardly a done deal.
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
Keep it the same , if they do anything make it legal to hunt on sundays. Pa game commision aren't goin to attract alot of young kids to hunting it's a shame but the truth alot of kids have activitys on Saturday there try anything for more money and they will fail again. Way to go gary alt. They mite as well bring in doe season for the whole 2 weeks again., then they won't make no money in a couple years, what a bunch of morons. Plus alot of people don't have a 7 to 3 job mon thru fri.
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
The only way 20 year Olds that would hunt if a family member introduces them to hunting. I have taken my nephew out cause no one in his family hunts, sat with him last year and this year..and he got a deer the last friday of rifle. He was happy.he's a hunter now. He asked me about getting into bowhunting.
From: Teeton
21-Dec-18
Won't happen.. Here is the biggest reason. Most guys that have camps drive to there camps on Saturdays to get ready for the Monday opener. If we have Sunday hunting I can see it maybe opening on Sunday that way most have time to get to camp for a Sunday opener.
On the first Saturday after Xmas I will be with about 12 to 15 guys (deer hunters) I'm going to chat with them about AR to get a feel for how other feel about them.. These with be from guys that are for other parts of Northeast Pa, they will not from the South Western or North Western Part of Pa.. But it's the best I can do right now. Ed
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
From what I hear north east has a good population of deer towards phillidephia am I right?
From: Rut Nut
21-Dec-18
Ed- that's what they said before they moved the Rifle Bear opening day to Sat! ;-)
From: RC
21-Dec-18
It just moves the party day to Friday instead of Sunday:)
From: DaleHajas
21-Dec-18
So many schools will not offer thAt 1st day off anymore? My company will take that holiday away too?
Brilliant......
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
Mite be time to buy another west virginia liscense, been down there twice on there opeaner, and maby ohio not far away aND they got some big bucks in ohio. Without and antler restriction wonder how that's happening.
From: RC
21-Dec-18
Go for it.
That will only cost ya $300.00 + gas
From: BC173
21-Dec-18
I’ve hunted Ohio for over 20 years. Heck of a lot less hunters and no rifles.
From: RC
21-Dec-18
COLUMBUS, OH – Despite enduring some poor weather, hunters in Ohio checked 60,557 white-tailed deer during the 2018 weeklong deer-gun season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Last year, hunters checked 72,814 deer over the same period.
Pa deer harvest last year 163,750 bucks.
367,159 total harvest.
From: stick n string
21-Dec-18
Awwww, shucks RC, there aint no legal bucks in PA!!!!...
From: RC
21-Dec-18
Ah crap, I forgot that.
From: DaleHajas
21-Dec-18
Why would anyone want to hunt bigger deer?
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
West virginia is 140.00 for a buck tag.
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
No rifles in ohio that's why harvest is low and they got bigger bucks, just like iowa and illinois. Pa will never be anything like iowa and illinois.
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
Pa what's a bigger buck state take out the crossguns, go back how it use to be need a handicap to shoot one or the youth that's all. Alot of cross gun hunters now that would never be in the woods during archery, sight it in and your done, sounds no fun.
From: RC
21-Dec-18
West virginia is 140.00 for a buck tag.
Ohio $150.00 for non resident license.
That's $290.00 and ya haven't even driven there yet!
Ohio allows crossbows, prolly Iowa does too.
You get deer every year..
What's ya complaining about?
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
Yea forgot ohio does allow crossbows, no I would not have time to hunt all those states, I will hunt west virginia again 1 day. A guy I work with owns some land down there I can hunt, I've only hunted the wma s down there.
From: Bowhunter s
21-Dec-18
I just get mad at the change , I don't think they should change the rifle opeaner, but maby add that 1 sunday in the middle of season. For guys who work alot.
From: RC
21-Dec-18
I understand your frustration with the PGC.
We all feel that way many times...
From: Bob Hildenbrand
21-Dec-18
First off...its an article from a newspaper. Don't mean jack. I'm sure there will be discussion come January meeting just as there will be clueless folks asking for Sundays(Has to go through the politicians). I am hoping for less stringent and more streamlined orange requirements. Pretty sure that will be on the table.
From: Grunt-N-Gobble
21-Dec-18
Everything changes........ Nothing stays the same.
IMO, allow Sunday hunting, in all seasons. PA is so behind the times on this its laughable. I believe it will be one of the best ways to help retain hunter #'s and bring in new, younger hunters. Its bad enough as it is now that kid sports extend into Sunday.
From: Red Beastmaster
22-Dec-18
So the reason it won't change is because hunters with camps drive there on Saturday?
Yeah, that's probably it.
From: RC
22-Dec-18
Orange requirements?
When they start that?
From: Bowhunter s
22-Dec-18
What are they changin about orange requirements?
From: RC
22-Dec-18
I think bow hunters will now have to wear orange from head to toes now, all of bow season?
Rumor I heard, because them crossbows are good out to 100 yards now.
From: Rut Nut
22-Dec-18
Bowhunter s- they want to make it less confusing. Make it easier to comply.
From: BC173
22-Dec-18
This just in and added to agenda:
Canceling bow season. No deer left.
From: Bowhunter s
22-Dec-18
They ought to cancel doe rifle season in some places next year, or maby the pgc should get off there ass and get in the woods in some places and see how many deer are in some of these woods. Then they mite see why no new hunters are not comin about???????????? That ought too ruffle some feathers. Hell there's 170 deer per square mile.
From: Red Beastmaster
22-Dec-18
From: Bowhunter s
22-Dec-18
Rut nut, yea I heard you mite not have to wear orange hat and vest when u are movin when fall turkey is in, heck if they would pass have to wear orange during archery mite as well ban treestands too. Lol.
From: RC
22-Dec-18
I read where they are talking about setting a tree stand height limit to 5 feet to prevent hunters getting hurt or kilt from falling 20 feet.
Real bow hunters hunt from the ground anyway.
From: Bowhunter s
22-Dec-18
I agree, i praise guys who can get it done on the ground, I did a ground hunt this year it was fun, had a big doe 20 yards I got a shot but hit a branch, gets your adrenalin running, she knew something was up, I'm just glad it was a clean miss.
From: Bowhunter s
22-Dec-18
I've yet to pull it off , harvested all my deer with a bow in a tree.
From: stick n string
22-Dec-18
Thats why i hunt from a tree, RC.
From: Bob Hildenbrand
23-Dec-18
Treestands should be illegal.
From: RC
23-Dec-18
So should compounds.
From: Bonafide
23-Dec-18
So should PBR induced posting ;)
From: RC
23-Dec-18
3.5 months there fuzz nuts with no beer...
From: DaleHajas
23-Dec-18
So should kubotas
From: Bowhunter s
23-Dec-18
He'll they could put a limit on height of a treestand no worrys there not goin to walk in woods anyways. You Could Go 50 Feet up.
From: Bowhunter s
23-Dec-18
There goin to band broadheads to got to make your own flint , like the indians, no carbon arrows , all cedar arrows.
From: RC
23-Dec-18
I do.
From: Bowhunter s
23-Dec-18
That's cool , I went to school with a guy who makes his bows by hand, goes out in woods and chops down a tree, and they come out nice, he does it for a hobby, think he sells some too.makes his own arrows . Pretty cool he can easily sell them gor 800 dollars.
From: Mule Power
24-Dec-18
Crossbow hunters should have to go 100 feet up a tree to limit their range sonwe don’t have to wear orange. They should only be allowed to hunt Sundays too. In Ohio. At night.
From: Thunderflight
24-Dec-18
Two changes Id like to see.
1. Keep archery season open ALL season. Why the hell the shut it down during the peak of the rut is ridiculous.
2. Sunday hunting! Thats how you bring in new hunters. Saturday openers wont make a difference. Most kids are playing sports and wont be able to go.
Folks, PA sucks... sorry but when compared to other states PA is 40 years behind times. Two weeks ago i was in my home state of Ohio hunting. Archery season is open from the start to end of deer season. You can hunt on sundays. You can bait if you want and you can use a semi auto shot gun during deer gun season.
You can use a rifle in Ohio now, but it has to be a straight walled cartridge. The only reason you cant use a necked down high power cartridge is because most of ohio is flat.
From: Thunderflight
24-Dec-18
Oh.... and if you want to buy a doe tag you dont have to deal with mailing an application in.
Also u can buy multiple tags too.
From: Bowhunter s
24-Dec-18
I agree with you thunderflight, opening first day of rifle buck on a saturday is not goin to attract that many more hunters , let us pa hunters hunt on sundays, I work in a steel mill ,my days off are precious, sometimes far and few in between. There are alot of guys that work saturdays. And off sundays, and in archery season seems like Saturdays always suck weather nice on sundays,lol.
From: hawkeye in PA
24-Dec-18
Some think they over estimate the deer herd, I think they over estimate the hunters. Hear less gun shots every year. Maybe I'm deaf, or maybe they have become better shooters. Or maybe it's the archery season.....
Also wonder what the average hours of hunting is per licensed hunter.
From: Bowhunting 5C
24-Dec-18
Saturday and Sunday hunting for DEER in Pa. Will I be yo old to enjoy it?
From: Bowhunter s
24-Dec-18
Hawkeye talked to my butcher this year alot of guys are archery hunting now, he said they get way more deer in archery now then years ago. I'm thinking because they legalized crossbows.
From: hawkeye in PA
24-Dec-18
I would agree with that, around here quite a few places that would butcher a deer won't do it anymore. Just farm raised meat.
From: Thunderflight
24-Dec-18
Ohio in the 80s: bowhunter numbers were low and the ODNR relied on thevone week gun season to keep the deer herd in check. Attendence in HS was cut in half. Shoot i can remember if u drew a doe tag u were a local celeb.
Now... everyone hunts with a string gun and gun season is 1/4 of what it used to be.
I didnt gun hunt this year, but from what i heard it sucked (at least in my part of perry county).
Two feaking weeks fron gun to FL season is ridiculous.
From: Bowhunter s
30-Dec-18
Hope they would let the news out so people who have to work most weekends can put vacation days in. Mon thru Friday jobs are gone.
From: DanWesson357
30-Dec-18
To remove the prohibition of Sunday hunting a law Has to be amended by the PA State Legislature first. PA Game Commission cant do anything about SUnday hunting until the law is changed. If you want Sunday Hunting you need to contact your local PA State Senator and Your Local PA Representative. You could also contact the Majority Leader of the Senate and you could contact ALL members of the Senate Fish and Game Committee. You could also join HUSH Hunters United for Sunday HUnting. WE ARE GOING TO GET THIS LAW CHANGED if we act and actually make the calls and write the letters and send the e-mails.
From: hawkeye in PA
31-Dec-18
If they legalize Sunday hunting all the private property owners will have to stay home to patrol.
From: BC173
31-Dec-18
I took it upon myself to extend my middle finger to our states legislature and hunt on Sundays. :)
From: Bowhunting 5C
31-Dec-18
You can already hunt on Sunday, just not what people wanna hunt, but if your looking at eating some crow there BC...
From: BC173
31-Dec-18
Bahahaha
From: Bowhunter s
12-Jan-19
I heard there goin back to old days 1 deer per season , shoot a doe in archery got to use your buck tag, your done for year, other then flintlock.
