TATUM: Winds of change in Harrisburg will impact hunting here

Brisk winds are blowing in Pennsylvania’s state capitol, gusting in both the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and the halls of the state legislature. Make no mistake — these are serious winds of change poised to change the face of hunting in Pennsylvania for years to come.

Let’s first consider the latest actions by the PGC where the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners has given preliminary approval to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for the 2019-20 license year.

A number of modifications are set to be implemented for the upcoming seasons. The most significant and controversial of these is moving the opening day of the firearms deer season to the Saturday following Thanksgiving as opposed to the traditional Monday opener that’s been in place since 1963. While some traditionalists might object to this move, it’s a change intended to attract and retain hunters whose work schedules or academic obligations keep them out of the deer woods on weekdays. In any case, this change creates a 13-day season that includes three Saturdays as opposed to just two as per the existing schedule. 

Other proposed changes include shortening the late November turkey seasons to two days in order to accommodate a Saturday firearms deer opener; expanding the mid-October muzzleloader and special firearms deer seasons to include bears statewide; increasing to two weeks the length of the statewide archery bear season and shifting it to the two weeks following the muzzleloader and special firearms bear seasons; expanding four-day extended bear seasons to six days in most wildlife management units (WMUs) where they are held; establishing a September archery season and a January antlerless season for elk hunters; expanding bobcat hunting and trapping seasons to WMU 4B; extending fisher trapping opportunity to WMU 4A; increasing the season limit on beavers from 20 to 40 in WMUs 2A and 2B; and reducing the length of the porcupine season by about 10 weeks statewide.

The public may offer comments on all proposed 2019-20 seasons and bag limits, as well as other board actions, between now and the board’s next quarterly meeting, when 2019-20 seasons and bag limits will be finalized and antlerless license allocations will be determined. The board’s next quarterly meeting is scheduled to be held April 8 and 9 at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters.

In their efforts to make our hunting seasons more user friendly with the Saturday opener for firearms deer season, the folks at the PGC would also like to expand Sunday hunting to include deer and small game. But this is not a change the PGC in and of itself can make unless and until the state legislature grants them that authority. So, to that end, on Tuesday, Feb. 5, the State Senate Game and Fisheries Committee approved Senate Bill 147, legislation which would bestow the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners with the authority to regulate hunting on Sundays. The prohibition on Sunday hunting is in state law, and the Game Commission currently does not have the authority to change it without legislative action.

The PGC supports this legislation that would give the agency the authority to determine for which species Sunday hunting should be lawful. The legislation approved must pass the full Senate, the House of Representatives, and be signed by the Governor before it could become law.

As I noted in this column last month, the case for legalizing Sunday deer hunting is similar to that supporting a Saturday opener – hunter recruitment and retention – and the push for it is gaining strength. There’s a grassroots group called HUSH (Hunters United for Sunday Hunting) lobbying hard to make it happen. And while there’s still significant opposition to it from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, anti-hunting organizations, and some hunters mired in tradition who believe that deer deserve a day of rest too, momentum appears to be firmly on the side of legalizing it.

As a retiree with plenty of hunting time on my hands, I might selfishly oppose legalizing Sunday hunting, but I understand the time constraints that keep working folks and their kids from purchasing or renewing their hunting licenses. The PGC believes that legalizing Sunday hunting will provide a shot of adrenaline for attracting new hunters to the sport and retaining older ones. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens as the legislation slowly works its way through the state legislature toward the governor’s desk.

**** GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT BEGINS FRIDAY.The annual Great Backyard Bird Count, now in its 22nd year, is set to take place February 15-18, 2019. During this popular citizen science event, people from all over the world head outdoors to count birds and the data are used by scientists to track the health of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world. For more info visit https://www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-backyard-bird-count.

**** PHILADELPHIA FISHING SHOW.The demise of the Greater Philadelphia Sports Show appears to have given rise to a new exposition — the Philadelphia Fishing Show set to open at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA, on Feb. 22 through 24. The show features guides, lodges, rods, reels, flies lures, tackle, gear, apparel, art, and marine accessories. Fishing experts, guides and captains will all be on hand to provide a full slate of free daily seminars with topics ranging from trout to tuna and everything in between. Show times are Friday, Feb. 22, noon to 7:00 p.m.; Saturday Feb. 23, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Admission is $10 for adults; kids ages 6 to 12 $5, with kids 5 and under admitted free.