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Saturday Gun opener

cspot

cspot

Member
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Home is PA--- Camp is in SE Ohio
Don't know if anyone saw the news but PA changed their gun opener for the upcoming year to Saturday instead of the traditional Monday after Thanksgiving. This added one day to the gun season. They are hoping it increase participation especially in younger hunters who may be at college or can't get off work. PA hunters hate change so there is a lot of ticked off people who said they ruined the tradition.

Has Ohio ever considered changing the opening day. Thoughts?
 
I just saw that. I'm pretty pumped about it seeing as I'm one of those Ohioans that go up for a rifle season. I'm glad they did it. They also need to get rid of the archaic no Sunday rule. Doesn't make a damn bit of sense for any reason. But, the being said, I think most are happy with Ohio season openers. That's just around me. I know some who are just gun hunters would love to see an extra couple days but, my argument always is, then pick up a bow and you have months more. Just my two cents.
 
It has been brought up here in Ohio before. They always said it would make opening day even more crowded. Back when I heard that argument, gun season was the most popular time to hunt. Now, public lands in my area are more crowded the first two weeks of November.
 
BlueSpruceOutfitters said:
I just saw that. I'm pretty pumped about it seeing as I'm one of those Ohioans that go up for a rifle season. I'm glad they did it. They also need to get rid of the archaic no Sunday rule. Doesn't make a damn bit of sense for any reason. But, the being said, I think most are happy with Ohio season openers. That's just around me. I know some who are just gun hunters would love to see an extra couple days but, my argument always is, then pick up a bow and you have months more. Just my two cents.
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Sunday hunting in PA requires the legislature to pass a bill as the PGC doesn't have the authority to regulate hunting on Sundays.

I agree with changing it in PA as I think it will help more people than it hurts. Personally it doesn't matter to me as I could bowhunt in Ohio over that weekend if I wanted to anyway.
 
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Kentucky has Saturday openers for firearm deer and turkey seasons. I’ve always liked the idea since not everyone can take off work or school for a Monday opener. Makes too much sense to do it here, I guess.
 
A Saturday opener is going to mess up a lot of plans for most of the hunters who travel to the mountains. Most travel to camp on Saturday, place their stands on Sunday and start hunting on Monday. Now they’re going to have to take a couple more days off work to be able to hunt the opener.
 
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I haven't hunted the Allegheny in years, but camp tradition was always leave on Friday, gun drawing and partying Saturday, Sunday gun range. I don't know how I feel about opening day of gun being on Saturday in either state, but ya, I expect a lot of pushback from ppl hunting PA.
 
So let’s open a season on a Saturday, not be able too hunt the next day and then resume too normal through the week.... Yeah that makes sense...
 
IMO... This will prove to be a big mistake by the Pa. Game Commission... Only thing I see happening is more hunting camps in Northern Pa. empty during deer season... Long gone will be the trek North to Potter, Tioga, Cameron, Bradford Counties on Sat. morning after Thanksgiving to open up camp and begin a ritual that has gone on for years... Sat. morning would start with a walk in the wood's to check out your favorite spot, clean the leaves out from around the tree you were going to stand or sit by come Monday morning... Come back to camp and throw a few bucks in the kitty prior to everyone checking their guns, best grouping won the pool... Sunday morning would start with a nice breakfast and bullshit session of years gone by... Then off to a local establishment to watch a football game or two and bullshit with the local's that you've become friends with over the years... Then back to camp and off to bed with high expectations for Monday morning... Most would stay in camp till Wed. before heading home even if they scored on Monday...

So I can see this Sat. opening throwing a big monkey wrench into a long time tradition... I can see it now at Bob's house on Thanksgiving...Bob's wife's parent's drove up from Florida to spend Thanksgiving with them... As Bob finishes his Thanksgiving dinner and get's up from the table, his wife ask's: Honey where you going??? Bob responds: Honey, I gotta go pack the truck as I'm leaving for deer camp in the morning as deer season starts Sat. morning... Bob's wife stands there in disbelief as here parents just drove for hours to spend a few day's with them... How many times will this happen before Bob's wife changes the lock's for his arrival home... So Thanksgiving will play a big role in this...

And without Sunday hunting, how many will drive hours to camp to hunt a day and sit around on Sunday??? Many will just opt to hunt local around their house Monday.... Or they'll just not hunt anymore as a week they used to look forward to is gone... So I see over the years less license's being sold rather than more... As for kid's???? As long as I remember the opening of buck week that Monday was a scheduled day off on the school calendar...
 
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I was not for or against the change but seeing well more than enough debate over on huntingpa I got so sick of the topic in general. As for the camp thing whilst I agree with the thought if you actually have ever ventured north during seasons you will see that is probably not a relevant conversation point anymore. The camp scene in general is a dying breed a good majority of that territory sits empty year round.
 
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PA Bandit said:
I was not for or against the change but seeing well more than enough debate over on huntingpa I got so sick of the topic in general. As for the camp thing whilst I agree with the thought if you actually have ever ventured north during seasons you will see that is probably not a relevant conversation point anymore. The camp scene in general is a dying breed a good majority of that territory sits empty year round.
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It’s been like that for years all over the country. The “my deer” shit has ruined deer camp.
 
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