When the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners holds its two-day public meeting this weekend, it will discuss whether to change the traditional start date of firearms deer season.

On Saturday, the board will consider two preliminary proposals — one to keep the season start on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the other to commence it on the Saturday before the holiday.

Steve Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, said on recent “Call of the Outdoors” podcast that the meeting at the commission’s Harrisburg headquarters will be “big.”

The agency produced the special edition podcast to alert hunters and others of the proposals — and to advise them that opinions are being taken now through the commission’s website and also at the Saturday meeting.

While the board typically discusses season dates and bag limits at its January meeting, finalization won’t occur until April.

Smith explained the two proposals that will be presented at the meeting, which will be livestreamed on the commission’s YouTube Channel.

“One is going to deal with the start of firearms deer season and it’s gong to be that traditional time period when the season has started as of late,” Smith said, referring to the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The second proposal would make the beginning of the season a week earlier.

“So instead of starting it on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the board is going to have a proposal that would start it on the Saturday before Thanksgiving,” Smith said. For this year, it would mean holding the season Nov. 21 - Dec. 6.

“Call of the Outdoors” host Matt Morrett guessed that many will have opinions on what the best time would be for the season beginner.

“Absolutely, we have to manage the wildlife in the state and we have to do it responsibly. And to do that, we need hunters,” Smith explained. “That means setting a season at a time that is convenient for them and that increases the participation because that then allows us to manage the wildlife.”

Public comments will be considered by the board and may be submitted through the agency’s website at pa.gov/pgc. The meeting’s agenda may also be found on the website under “About Us” and “Public Meetings.” Comments will also be taken in-person at the meeting.

“We want the public and our hunters to see what the board is going to be considering and to give their thoughts on if this is the right direction,” Smith said. The bottom line, he said, is that the game commission is looking to increase hunters’ participation during firearms season.

“We want people to think about it, to consider what we’re asking to put in front of our board — think about what would work for them, and what would in particular work for that younger hunter that they know, what’s more convenient for that son or daughter that might be in high school or college or might have just started a job,” Smith said.

Morrett said it’s a big change.

“And it’s exciting,” he said. “This is the first day I’ve heard about it, and my wheels are spinning personally.”

Smith agreed that others would feel the same.

He explained the change would give hunters an earlier start and provide more opportunities for families, young hunters, and those who travel longer distances to enjoy opening weekend without competing with the Thanksgiving holiday.

To accommodate a potential earlier start date, the “new” proposal would move the firearms bear season one week earlier and shorten the early bear muzzleloader, archery and special firearms season to a single weekend.

“With that potential change, there comes a potential for increased harvest of sows” which usually den first, Smith said. When the season is later in November, he said, the majority of sows have denned.

To adjust for that, the proposal includes reducing October bear archery, muzzleloading and special firearms season.

“Our recommendation would be to reduce them to a weekend, to two days in October,” Smith said.

Fall turkey season would remain mostly the same, although a few hunting wildlife management units could be impacted.

The meeting begins at 1 p.m. Friday and will include staff presentations on a range of wildlife management topics, including elk and turkey management. No public comment will be accepted on Friday.

It resumes at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with public comment limited to five minutes per registered speaker. Registration will be accepted on a first-to-register, first-to-speak basis beginning at 7:45 a.m. in the lobby of commission headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg. The firearms proposals will be heard Saturday.

Although the commission posted information about the meeting and the proposals on its Facebook page, it noted that any comments made on social media will not be considered. The post, however, received more than 3,800 comments.

The board is set to adopt final seasons and bag limits for the 2026-27 license year at its next meeting on April 11.