They recommend increasing, decreasing or maintaining stable deer populations accordingly. “What really controls deer harvest and future population is the antlerless allocation.”īiologists examine forest and deer health and deer-human conflicts in every wildlife management unit, Gregg said. But that doesn’t necessarily go together,” Gregg said. “You hear very commonly, from people who want more deer and from people who want less deer, that concurrent, longer seasons is automatically going to mean a lower deer population. That’s not to drive deer populations down, said Ian Gregg, chief of the commission’s game management division. It would start the Saturday after Thanksgiving and include that Sunday. Doe hunting was legal the last seven days.īiologists want to make it so hunters with the right tag can shoot a buck or doe any time in what will be a 14-day season. This year, hunters outside of special regulations areas were limited to shooting only bucks during the first six days of the rifle deer season. White-tailed deerīiologists want to return to the past and open the two-week firearms deer season to concurrent buck and doe hunting statewide. Here’s a look at what’s under discussion. Some hunters and trappers are sure to like the proposals, other not so much, based on previous comments. That includes where they plan to include the three Sundays available to hunters. Final approval won’t come until April.īut, during a working group meeting in Harrisburg this week, agency biologists provided an “initial overview and preview” of what changes they’re seeking. Pennsylvania Game Commissioners won’t even give preliminary approval to hunting seasons - and trapping ones - along with bag limits for 2020-21 until their January board meeting. This is neither the time to celebrate nor to panic. New rules for when hunters can shoot a doe are among the possible hunting season changes coming to Pennsylvania in 2020-21.

Pa hunting seasons