Hey everyone! I appreciate all of the comments, and as mentioned in the video and description - varying opinions are welcomed, but be respectful. This shouldn't be a finger pointing blaming of "the other side", rather speaking on why you feel a certain way. We are all sportsmen and women. I'm genuinely curious as to what everyone else thinks. I can only speak for myself, those that I surround myself with, and feedback that gets sent into the show. Thank you all!
@noneofurbiz9069 they don't care about.. the average hunter... I mean look at the blonde a better shirt would of been better... sat was better for the kids.. but they don't care about that either... who cares about camps... I'm losing faith in u guys to be honest... leatherwoods I only expect the best from u....
I'll start by saying I love your content Beau, but unfortunately, this one misses the mark. The entire episode and reasons to be opposed to the Saturday opener were nothing more than an opinion echo chamber. The entire basis of their point is the need to keep tradition but start the episode by going into how they broke their camp's tradition of not allowing women, some traditions can change for the better! Jennifer's camp was established before the Monday opener existed, further proving deer hunting is the tradition, not the day of the week the season opens as another commenter said. You all stated that the initial Saturday opener didn't affect your hunt or many people's hunt in your circles. The opinion of being opposed came over time as "it didn't feel fun anymore" or "I like hanging out at camp longer." When you look at the big picture, feelings can't be the top priority when making a statewide decision. I'm glad you brought up that data can be skewed with how you're interpreting it. The PGC released a study where the overwhelming majority of hunters were not affected by the change. As you read through the data, you see the majority of opposition comes from older-aged hunters and the 21% of camp hunters in the state. It's a bit confusing the representative quoted in the interview is the man who is trying to increase government control of hunting seasons, this would be an absolute disaster for the state. It's a bit counterintuitive to fight for the removal of the Sunday ban, which is state law, and advocate for more government control but that's a different topic. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I'm not arguing that but let's not pretend the feeling of opposition to the change is based on a person's personal opinion rather than loose facts. I feel you need to have the opposing view on to present both sides now that the can of worms has been opened lol.
The Saturday opening day is a blessing. No vacation day required to hunt that day. All Sundays should also be open to hunting too. Zero reason it should be closed.
Saturday opener is here to stay. The world has changed over the past 2 decades and so has deer camp. Many more hunters harvest their buck during archery season now, which draws less people to camp. Big box stores and 1-2 day delivery have killed small businesses (rural and urban). Businesses and schools no longer shut down for a deer opener. Society wants more production and they want it faster. Hell, you have to make 105k now to be considered middle class. The Saturday open creates equity for all hunters and provides opportunity for most. I keep hearing from the Monday crowd that hunting is not about the kill, rather it’s about the tradition. If that’s the case, keep your traditions and enjoy camp and hunt when you want. For us unfortunate hunters who don’t own camps (majority of hunters 80%>) our tradition is the actual hunting experience.
I lived in PA my whole life and I I've always had Monday off for school for hunting but I'm all in favor of a Saturday opener. It gives us another day to hunt, usually one day sooner than it used to be along with everybody that has to usually work or take off work. It seems people are just mad about their traditions. You're getting an extra day to hunt. You going to be mad about Sunday hunting too? I think people need to quit complaining and be thankful for it. You can still go to your camp and start monday if you want.
I feel what is lost in this conversation, and it may sound harsh, but the PGC has no responsibility for maintaining camp tradition or local business sales. Their only responsibility is meet the conservation objective set by their biologists and staff. In the case of deer management, their current goal is to maintain or decrease the deer population. Giving more days to hunt, particularly weekend days, is an effective tool to help meet that objective.
I came into this podcast with a relatively neutral stance on the Saturday/Monday opener issue. The arguments presented actually persuaded me in the opposite direction. Their position seems to be built on strawman arguments, personal anecdotes, and entitlement. Worst of all, the argument that they "feel rushed" preparing for the season on Friday. If you're starting your preparation the day before the season, do everyone (especially the animals) a favor, stay out of the woods. Do you want your government to make time for you to clean your house too?
I am from PA but live just across the line in NY. I have a lot of respect for and have enjoyed the camp experience but getting my two young sons in the woods, hunting, and taking advantage of the Pa mentored youth seasons is the critical endeavor, which would be nearly impossible without a Saturday opener! You're totally missing the point with this one sided conversation!
This is, quite possible, the epitome of “camp privilege” - coming from someone who goes to hunting camp. Lots of personal and anecdotal reasons for the Monday. Although “numbers don’t lie”, I didn’t hear too many persuasive numbers that would indicate the 60/40 split they mentioned. I have my doubts… “I” can’t do it the way that “I” want anymore. “I” feel rushed. “I”, “we”, “our camp”, etc. Which day is better for the majority of license holders? Not just deer camp hunters? I think the answer is obvious.
I don't have much of an opinion on opening day, I'll be hunting regardless. I'm all for different points of view but there were some strange comments and anecdotal evidence in this podcast. "You can't build a great hunter on just throwing a kid into the woods and then maybe just whispering here and there you gotta do this ..". Talk about a broad generalization. Please remember that for anyone who is remotely serious about hunting or hunting camp, an entire year is available to scout, practice marksmanship, socialize with lifelong friends, mentor youth in the outdoors, etc. "The entitled hunter...this works for me, I don't give two shits if it doesn't work for you" Sounds similar to the camp hunters not caring about those without vacation time and kids that can't miss school. It goes both ways.
And many forget only 20% of PA hunters hunt from a camp. I’m a camp hunter/owner. My entire crew prefers the Saturday opener. I can respect and empathize those who don’t. But owning a camp or being a member at one has zero bearing on the other 80%. Camp traditions are important. They’re special. They aren’t a factor in what day is best for the hunting community as a whole, and can be preserved no matter what day the shortest deer season starts.
I don't have a camp . But I have experience deer camp. Those 2 waiting for the first day couldn't come fast. I would have loved the first day be on a Saturday and Sunday. Being out in the woods is where you learn not in a camp.
I didn't grow up going to a hunting camp. I grew up only going hunting on a Saturday when my dad didn't have to work and I didn't have sports or other obligations, so I only hunted small game until I was out of college. I am 56 yo.o. now and hunt as much as 20-30 days a year, mostly by myself. I don't have kids but see it would be greatly benefit a family to be able to hunt the Saturday opener. Most complaining about the Saturday opener, from my experience, comes from older hunters who complain about everything because in their opinion "it's not like it used to be". I love how there is always people with who think they know why the Game Commission does or does not do something. The Game Commission does not make you hunt the Saturday opener.
I have hunted in North Central PA all of my life and have owned a general store for a time in the area I hunt, business started declining before the Saturday opener change. This is due, in my opinion, because there are less hunters because they are aging out and a lot of the hunters in the deer camps leave by Tuesday and have been doing this for at least a decade and a half.
THANK YOU! It's the simplest fucking thing in the world. If your group wants to go do your Black Friday shopping, drive to your camp on Saturday morning, then spend the next 2 days fiddlefarting around shooting guns to drive off all the deer and then go ahead and do it. You can start hunting on Monday "the way it's always been" and no one can stop you from doing that. The tradition argument is such nonsense. Just because something has always been done a certain way, isn't a good reason to keep doing it. Traditionally, women didn't have the right to vote. Traditionally, children were used as labor before they were even 10 years old. Traditionally, African Americans weren't allowed to eat in the same restaurants white people. I guess we should have kept all of those things in place because "tradition" right? It's all the camp hunters that don't want anyone else to have a chance to hunt on Saturday because it isn't exactly the way they want things to be. They are an absurdly entitled and selfish demographic.
Saturday opener was the best thing to happen to our camp. We have more people able to come for opening weekend. Prior to the change we were coming to camp the Saturday after opening day because not enough folks could get off work and or couldn’t make two trips up when the seasons were split.
Third generation camp hunter here, and the Saturday opener is still the best thing to happen to Pennsylvania hunting. We camp hunters represent roughly 20% of all PA hunters, and upholding tradition is important for sure. Though the Saturday opener doesn't force anyone to change their traditions, it merely gives more folks more opportunity to actually hunt. After all, the PAGC doesn't stand for "Pennsylvania Camping Commossion". They're responsible for promoting hunting, not camping. 😉
Our camp is busier now than ever before and has more kids than ever. And the kids all leave Monday afternoon. I just think half those kids wouldn’t come if they could only hunt half of Monday because they have to drive south Monday afternoon to get back for Tuesday school.
It blows my mind that people will wait until the day before they go hunting to shoot their rifles and zero in their scopes. If there is any kind of issue with your equipment, what are you going to do to fix it the night before?
It’s more to do a last minute check and have a good time before you go out. Plinking or putting money on who is closer to the bullseye. The climate that you’re shooting in can also affect accuracy. If you sight your gun in closer to the season the more accurate you can be in that season.
@@DanBaker-i8f I do mine 2 or 3 weeks before the opener, so if there is anything wrong with it (god forbid) then I can have time to either properly fix the issue myself or take it somewhere that a professional could correct the issue. Every time I see a pro-Monday quote about camp, it's always about "shooting in your rifle" and I'd venture that the majority of them mean they are firing their hunting rifle for the first time since they put it away 12 months ago.
Strongly disagree with most things said in this podcast, hopefully Beau can have some folks on that are pro-saturday opener now. I think it's a no brainer - if you want to grow hunter numbers and increase harvest numbers you need to offer more days to hunt, end of story. If the commission changes their mind and goes back to monday, that's it we lose those two extra days forever. That being said, if there is such a strong feeling against saturday, maybe a sunday opener would be a good compromise. I never grew up with the "deer camp" environment so I guess I just don't get it, if you're there you're there to hunt not BS and drink all weekend, you have all summer to do that, just my 2 cents.
I see your point about having more days to hunt, because that is an issue I experience myself, but I think the main argument here is quality over quantity. We will retain more sportsmen (in my opinion) with more deeply connected experiences in the woods and around other sportsmen. I agree about Sunday hunting being a great compromise!
again, I just don't understand. I honestly don't care about amount of hunting days for myself anymore, I care more about getting my kids out. How is one monday morning hunt for a kid better quality then 2 and a half days of hunting nonstop?? I view quality hunting as being in the woods, that's the only way to learn. If I were to bring my 7 year old to a "camp" atmosphere and told him just sit around and listen to adults talk and drink for two days and then we get to go hunt for 7 hours he would hate it.
The issue is so one way or the other it’s a tough one to be non bias. I’m all about the Saturday opener. But are there downsides? Yes there are. It’s just what your own personal belief is more important. Why I love the Saturday over Monday is my personal experience. As me and my friends have careers and young kids our experience is Saturday after thanksgiving gives us a chance to hunt. In fact my buddies typically couldn’t hunt Monday after Thanksgiving because of work. Now we actually get a day to hunt as a crew whereas before for years we missed the Monday opener. And it is easier for us to get our kids out on a Saturday vs Monday. I do see the cons yes it seems rushed and fast paced. I would love to see the stats presented in the podcast, but I wouldn’t take a pro or con stat too in-depth because a lot of correlations would need to be addressed for the stats to be reasonable in my opinion. I do have a fear with pa rep and senator government involvement of hunting laws because these are the people who have banned Sunday hunting. It’s a complicated issue that no matter what a large portion of people will be unhappy with.
People only care about what benefits them! But i wanted my pancake breakfast! Me, me, me. Play cards and drink beer after your Saturday hunt. If you put your stand in the woods the day before the season starts thats knobodys fault but uour own. Theres no accountability these days, everyone wants a participation trophy to feel validated. You literally get 2 days to hunt before monday even arrives. Saves you vacation time and gets more hours on stand. The change is better for most people and im on board with it because is best for most.
This has become an echo chamber of the podcasters and UA-camrs. Same with the now vs crossbow. Hunting camp is nice but it’s not realistic for most. The real purpose of deer season IS the harvest. This is peoples livelihood. There’s people whose deer harvest is how they eat for the year
The argument that the change from Monday to Saturday doesnt allow the deer to recover from bear season is laughable at best. Its 2 days! Besides everyone still has to run around the woods to set up stands and sight in their rifles because that cant be done earlier in the fall... I am generally nuetral on this issue, but have seen people get to hunt on the saturday opener that wouldn't have previously. The idea of 2 extra days for deer to recover from bear season is ridiculous
Saturday opener was a great move for us in the state that work or kids with parents that won't let them take off school for hunting. Out of all the hunters I talk to the only ones that want monday back is the older folks that hunt from camp or just like another comment I saw it's people that hate any changes from the pgc because it a change from what they are used to and like and most of them are older in age.
I wish they leave it alone. The Saturday opener makes it alot better dealing with work. I just don't understand people waiting until the day before to get ready for deer season.
Those of you who prefer the traditional Monday opener don't have to hunt until Monday if that's what you want. It saves me a day off of work that I can use in archery season.
The “government” can F-up about anything, look what they did to the gas can. I remember when I was a kid hunting, Montana rifle opened on a Sunday and I recall stopping by at least a half dozen camps to visit people on the way to our camp. Great memories so I can see the point
Move it a week after the existing Saturday opener. You’ll hear complaints but I feel in the long run everyone can win. Monday guys can still take the days off work for traditional camp and the Saturday crew can still start on Saturday. Boom let’s move on to Sunday hunting and let everyone enjoy what they love.
@@bradleysnyder555how many people have weekends off compared to week days? Oh the vast majority? Looks like it’s all about you you you and not the majority of hunters
Big doubt on the small businesses hurting. People are still going to camp at the same time lol da hell. Stop trying to TAKE AWAY hunting days. Your gonna kill the sport
I'm neither for nor against the Monday opener. I do think that a vocal majority doesn't mean they are actually the majority. Polling should be as simple as adding the question to the annual license renewal. I think these ladies make some valid points. But I think they missed the very clear argument for a Saturday opener. If I work on Monday and for whatever reason can't take it off, my first crack at a buck isn't until the first Saturday. The reason people are unwilling to skip the Saturday opener and keep traditions alive is because they want that same first-day opportunity. I believe crossbows and point restrictions hurt camps before the opener was even an issue. The archery buck kill in 2008-09 was 31,450. That’s the last season before crossbows were made legal for use by anyone in all archery deer seasons. 2022 75,770 bucks were killed in archery. I couldn't find the percentage killed with crossbows for 22, but it was 61% in 2018. Coming to the ANF to have point restrictions drove a lot of people away over the years. I say all the northern WMUs start on Monday, The southern WMUs start on Saturday.
It’s a very narrow minded opinion. I get why the people on the podcast enjoyed the Monday opener but it’s so out of touch with reality. You grew up blessed with a hunting camp that was passed down through your family. 90% of hunters don’t have that, they’re making long commutes or staying at hotels and driving into the mountain. Very minimal people have a camp to go to, but just go up earlier. Clearly you can already take off work which you’re doing. Pennsylvania is home of the blue collar worker. I know people whose time in the woods actually double because of Saturday opener. Sunday should be open also. Your opinion is that since you can go whenever you want and take off then who cares. But a lot of people work Monday-Friday or Sunday-Friday, and get one day to hunt a week. This gives them double the time in the woods. You gotta think of others and not just yourself
I love the saturday opener. The old heads around our camp disagree, and that's fine. If I tag out in archery season I don't even go to camp. I'm in it for the HUNT. I can gossip drink and eat all summer long with neighbors. The only issue of relevance I hear is the small business one. Lets be honest though most those places are way down in numbers since the peak hunter numbers in the 70s-80s.
43:03 camps in sullivan county, and lycoming county, the freaking heart of camp country, havent been as full as are they the last three years, since the 90s. Stop lying.
What numbers... u should be ashamed u guys are going about this all wrong... I been deer hunting since diapers. Do I get award?? I do better then 99% of ppl... I have 17 years of journals... weather amd days don't lie...
The numbers (link below) don't lie either. The representative quoted is nothing but a cancer to the hunting community. Since when are sportsmen in favor of more government control of hunting in the state? www.pgc.pa.gov/InformationResources/MediaReportsSurveys/Documents/Deer%20Hunter%20Attitudes%20Regarding%20Opening%20Day.pdf
I grew up hunting from camp. Started going up in the off season at about 6 years old. Was raised shooting and fishing and camping… many years in the scouts. Started going along on hunting trips at 11, followed next year as my first trip as a hunter. Great times, great memories of my grandfather, uncle and cousins. Most of them, and the guys that were camp fixtures are long gone. Yes, there are plenty of stories I could tell about the hijinks and tales told around camp leading up to opening day, BUT what I valued most was the 1:1 whispered wisdoms and shared time under a hemlock or sitting a slab pile with my grandfather, uncle or cousin. What I wouldn’t give to have had more time that the change to Saturday would’ve provided. Camp is ours now, and after contracting through the attrition of time faster than my generation had offspring, we’re growing again. Since the change we’ve had more SNJ residents make it up to camp, nephews in school, and a marine on leave that always has to report back on Monday. I get that change is uncomfortable. I get that many don’t like to change routines or patterns, but it can be done with equal and even greater enjoyment as a result. For example, my entire crew made the decision back when things changed away from concurrent seasons to make our opener the first Saturday to economize vacation time. We didn’t have kids old enough to hunt (and no mentor program existed). We kept it going through the first two years of Saturday openers until the seasons went concurrent again. Through it all, we had the same fellowship, made plenty of memories, and never lost the thrill of the hunt, but we can’t deny the benefit that the combination of both Saturday opening and concurrent seasons has brought to us.
42:14 get a bow, open camp the first weekend of October when archery opens. Grow up and get over it. Now you dont have to rush when you try and do EVERYTHING right before rifle opens.
Move it a week away from the existing Saturday opener. Thanksgiving is the issue. The Monday crew can take off as many days as they want before the start and the Saturday crew can still start on Saturday.
Saturday opener, Monday opener... it doesn't matter to me. But, I just want Sunday Hunting to be implemented all year. At least start with all archery season and go from there.
Beau, I respect you for giving these ladies a platform and hearing their side. Granted, it is a very narrow minded view to expect all hunters in the state to adhere to "traditions" of others that they have no involvement in. I have hunted from a hunting camp every year since i was 12 (now 30) and I love my experiences there. But the idea that this change "killed" hunting camps is just flat out false. Our camp went from 2 guys for rifle opener on monday to having 6-7 for rifle opener on saturday. And the death of the hunting camp tradition started long before 2019 so, moot point there. And since we are talking about how this change affected us personally, i will share my POV. Until 2019, my work schedule did not allow me to ever be in the woods on that monday because of our customers (pharmaceutical industry) shut down that week and that is when we come in to do work. Thanks to the change in opening day, I was able to hunt the opener for the first time in 10 years and bagged my first buck with a rifle. I think you should reach out to some of the folks that sit on the other side of this issue and hear their side as well because the argument against the saturday opener is honestly weak at best compared to the arguments in favor of the saturday opener. In our current climate of declining hunter numbers, we should be doing everything we can to open up as much opportunity for people while still adhering to our biological restrictions and quotas. PS: the "data" they referenced is flat out wrong. The PGC survey was 60/40 in FAVOR of the saturday opener. They provided no credible data during this podcast in favor of changing back to monday. also, it was hard for me to watch a guy like you, who spends all year preparing and scouting for deer season, give credence to someone saying they are rushed to prepare for the season in one day...We all know that you know, any good hunter is going to have their cameras up, stands hung, and rifle sighted in LONG before opening day. So that point they made is also moot and kind of felt hypocritical for you to hear that and not refute it. overall, I love your podcast and content, and while i didnt agree with the premise of this discussion, i respect you for listening to their side. Now give the opposition a chance to make their case and i am sure you will see the folly in their pro-monday movement.
My biggest question for everyone that is against the Saturday opener becuase of the rush, tradition and so on, what is making you go? No one says that you can’t start on Monday. I am for Saturday openers and Sundays. I have been to a lot of camps, and more than most are about getting together and not hunting. I am still in it for the chase. If it’s hunting season, I am hunting.
@@patrickcoleman4348 if you’re a respectful hunter and know your area well and who hunts the same location faithfully every year, I’d say yes. I understand it is public land but I make sure I am the first one to a particular spot every year. Leaving it open, ensures someone else moves in.
@dh20056 so you now understand why it’s important to everyone that the opener is on a Saturday. If you can’t take Monday off, your first opportunity to hunt isn’t until the following Saturday.
@@bobtomer9035 I personally think if hunting is important, you can find time to do it and not insist it be Saturday simply because people don’t want to burn a vacation day to hunt. I split my time off between family vacations and hunting season.Many of the pro Saturday folks I know, hunt half a day then go home for the rest of the season. To each their own and all the more reason I’ll punch tags in archery season to avoid gun season pressure and can just enjoy watching deer
Camp hunter. Stories, camaraderie, cards, traditional meals. We have still continued them at our camp with the Saturday opener. Change can be difficult. No doubt. However, real traditional camps have died decades ago. Sports, single parent homes, work, technology have decreased participation. It was not the Saturday opener that changed anything. Every opportunity is a blessing. Remember a very small portion of hunters are camp hunters. We are the minority and it’s shrinking at no fault of the PGC.
The Saturday opener is awesome. It gets my kids and I in the woods hunting 3.5 days instead of 1.5. If you don't want to hunt on Saturday you don't have to. Why take away more opportunity? I usually love you content, but this is off the mark.
47:34 wardens are not tasked, ever, in Pa, on making decisions wildlife biologists get doctorates in order to make. So his opinion is no better than yours. Which is to say, shit. Which is still better than ohio dan’s (randy’s friend) opinion. Which, since he is an out of state hunter who doesnt pay taxes here, is worth less than the scum that collects at the bottom of grain silo thats not cleaned for years.
I am fortunate enough to have a hunting camp in West Virginia where they do open on a Monday and I get to have an amazing camp experience every year. Craziest thing is we are able to do that when we travel to our camp SUNDAY night. In my experience with my age group (20-30) we are able to hunt our home state now because of the Saturday opener instead of running to Maryland for that weekend. And for Sundays I missed the entirety of bow season because I was working 60+ hour weeks. I’m sure when you have the ability to take tons of time off and have a camp the Monday opener is nice but neglecting the working class doesn’t seem right. Like someone else said if schools were closed that Monday and the kids could all go all week it would be a great idea. But I’m my area most people either work or have school and the opportunity this presented us has been amazing
I enjoyed the weekend before the opener ( Monday) with relatives/ friends and getting out before the opener to “ get your stand ready”. The prep and camp is half the fun! Seems so rushed now, holiday straight to first day…
As a Maryland hunter who is right on the border of Pa, I have seen a positive impact of Pa moving the rifle season start to Saturday after Thanksgiving. Maryland public land us to get slammed with Pa hunters on Maryland's Saturday opener. So much so that the quality of Maryland public land on the border suffered tremendously. I was so happy when Pa moved the opener, it has positively effected the border states of Pennsylvania.
That's good, and it makes sense for PA's opener to coincide with a neighboring state like that. However the Deer Camp Monday opener crowd is going to hate this a lot. They're a very small but vocal minority of hunters who are extremely selfish and don't care if a change benefits people besides themselves.
I completely understand why you would feel that way living in Maryland. Ohio has been the opposite. Their opener is on Monday, so people will hunt PA for two days and then jump over there. Tough to know what it is going to make everyone happy. I appreciate the comment!
If youre going to have a conversation like this, you need to have proper representation of the other side of the debate. Otherwise its not worth continuing to listen to. My camp is in north central PA. Unlike the saturday crowd its open 36-40weeks a year, and openned in march or april each year. Unlike apparently most of the fudds who open their camp thanksgiving weekend. I couldnt disagree more vehemently with the against saturday openner group unless i went to war against them.
45:03 you dont have children youve never raised a hunter. The most youve done is mentor part of the year. Stop acting like you know what to do. You want a kid to be interested and hooked on hunting? Take them squirrel hunting, take them pheasant hunting, take them spring gobbler hunting. Take them archery hunting. Then after all that, you bring them to join the orange army in rifle season. Which is shit hunting to anyone whos been in the woods in PA openning weekend of rifle.
Ive debated this hundreds of rimes and it comes down to camp huntrts vs non- camp hunters. This could easily be added as a question when every hunter buys a license. Personally im 100% for the Saturday. I hunt out of a camp where there is a Saturday opener and have had no issues. I do feel that pushing the whole season back one week would be the best solution. Get it away from Thanksgiving and more chance for snow. I just dont see Monday as an option anymore. Schools and work places that use to give a Monday off will likely not change.
Great topic to discuss Beau. I personally don't have a dog in this fight. I definitely see valid points on both sides of the argument. I am 100% in agreement with your thought process, that a Sunday opener, could most likely appease both sides.
36:56 got my bear in archery season now so can’t disagree more. More and more bear each year are harvested long before traditional bear rifle drives start the weekend before rifle. This has been true for 4 years.
38:02 and rifle hunters continue to start deer drives earlier and earlier in rifle season. The survey was a professional survey that met all statistical standards. Unlike every survey run by anti-saturday flatlanders
Ur videos are to long ur trying to hard my friend... lol ur no different then steve sherp.. we will meet one day boys lol haha 🤣 the hunting community is very small...
I agree with what you guys said I would like to go back to Monday opener and have the next two Sundays to hunt. I grew up with Monday opener and did not want the change. Darren
This is my favorite Podcast to date. This is a strong topic we need to take to our state here in Vermont. Seems Fish and Wildlife do what they want here and not what us sportsman and women want.
Saturday opener is big rush ...causing problems at home with relatives visiting over Thanksgiving .. Business hurting,fundraisers hurting,tradition at camps hurting ,kids rush to woods Saturday no fun over weekend like in past ... Out of state hunters rushed to get to camp and many can't make it ...
@@brettsko the problem is, the ones who are so against a Saturday opener don't want a common sense solution like that. They just want things to be their way.
The Saturday opener has appealed to some hunters but the overall impacts are negative. It has made what once was a great weekend and turned it into a mad rush. One day between the most traveled family holiday and the biggest opening day in pa hunting. That day is Black Friday to boot. Businesses lost two of three days of patronage from hunters in the small towns. The many hunting traditions that had time to happen are gone. Hunting license sales stayed in decline. If you don’t have much family you don’t get it. There was no reason to change from Monday hunters surveyed prior to stay with Monday 65% Answer this question: if this was a welcomed and good move would it be this controversial 5 years in?
It’s still controversial because of 20 blow hards that won’t accept change. It’s already a dead subject that they can’t let go. Saturday is here to stay. If Monday was so great, you’d see these bills move. Instead you have a leader behind closed doors trying to twist politicians arms to get the dust blown off these pieces of legislation.
Becca & Jennifer thank you for sharing your perspective on the camp culture and the return of the Monday deer opener. Beau Martonik thank you sir for giving them the opportunity to explain and share their hunting experiences. 😊
Saturday opener is a bad experiment. Most of the people in favor of it don't have any care or investment into deer camp. They did not have the awesome experience us Monday openers did. In that, I have empathy for them. I also empathize that a Saturday opener may make hunting easier on the people who seemingly can't take one day off from work. They however do no empathize with me who wants to see my family on thanksgiving and not rush out the door. The hunters I know make it out multiple trips/weekends/after work in archery and rifle. The idea a Saturday opener makes it more equitable or accessible is ridiculous. Since changing it to Saturday, every one is out of the woods before noon. I get a deer or need to run to the truck, every one who was around me on public land is gone. If I drive back to camp at night, its a ghost town. It could be a Wednesday afternoon on the backroads. Everyone hunts out of their backyard because no one wants to drive two three hours to the deep woods. Giving the guys who hunt for two hours on Saturday is definitely going to have lasting effect on the hunting tradition. Less hunters. You think your kids will fall in love with hunting by following dad into the backyard at 5am when they could be playing Madden/Call of Duty. No. They're going to think you're a crazy old timer. The camp builds the next generation of hunters. This is so shortsighted by the people who think progress is not having to leave your house for anything.
Hey everyone! I appreciate all of the comments, and as mentioned in the video and description - varying opinions are welcomed, but be respectful. This shouldn't be a finger pointing blaming of "the other side", rather speaking on why you feel a certain way. We are all sportsmen and women. I'm genuinely curious as to what everyone else thinks. I can only speak for myself, those that I surround myself with, and feedback that gets sent into the show. Thank you all!
It appears many are commenting without listening!
I listened. I hope you plan to give a platform to some of the none camp hunters also….you know the majority of people in PA
@noneofurbiz9069 they don't care about.. the average hunter... I mean look at the blonde a better shirt would of been better... sat was better for the kids.. but they don't care about that either... who cares about camps... I'm losing faith in u guys to be honest... leatherwoods I only expect the best from u....
The majority of us don’t have camps. Saturday opening day gives us more opportunities. It’s a no brainer!
I'll start by saying I love your content Beau, but unfortunately, this one misses the mark. The entire episode and reasons to be opposed to the Saturday opener were nothing more than an opinion echo chamber. The entire basis of their point is the need to keep tradition but start the episode by going into how they broke their camp's tradition of not allowing women, some traditions can change for the better! Jennifer's camp was established before the Monday opener existed, further proving deer hunting is the tradition, not the day of the week the season opens as another commenter said. You all stated that the initial Saturday opener didn't affect your hunt or many people's hunt in your circles. The opinion of being opposed came over time as "it didn't feel fun anymore" or "I like hanging out at camp longer." When you look at the big picture, feelings can't be the top priority when making a statewide decision. I'm glad you brought up that data can be skewed with how you're interpreting it. The PGC released a study where the overwhelming majority of hunters were not affected by the change. As you read through the data, you see the majority of opposition comes from older-aged hunters and the 21% of camp hunters in the state. It's a bit confusing the representative quoted in the interview is the man who is trying to increase government control of hunting seasons, this would be an absolute disaster for the state. It's a bit counterintuitive to fight for the removal of the Sunday ban, which is state law, and advocate for more government control but that's a different topic. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I'm not arguing that but let's not pretend the feeling of opposition to the change is based on a person's personal opinion rather than loose facts. I feel you need to have the opposing view on to present both sides now that the can of worms has been opened lol.
The Saturday opening day is a blessing. No vacation day required to hunt that day. All Sundays should also be open to hunting too. Zero reason it should be closed.
100%. Why complain about getting more days to get into the woods? Pa rifle is only 2 weeks. Here in NC I get like 4 months of rifle season for deer
The tradition is hunting, not “camp.” We need to begin realizing this again.
~Deer camp owner
Saturday opener is here to stay. The world has changed over the past 2 decades and so has deer camp. Many more hunters harvest their buck during archery season now, which draws less people to camp. Big box stores and 1-2 day delivery have killed small businesses (rural and urban). Businesses and schools no longer shut down for a deer opener. Society wants more production and they want it faster. Hell, you have to make 105k now to be considered middle class. The Saturday open creates equity for all hunters and provides opportunity for most. I keep hearing from the Monday crowd that hunting is not about the kill, rather it’s about the tradition. If that’s the case, keep your traditions and enjoy camp and hunt when you want. For us unfortunate hunters who don’t own camps (majority of hunters 80%>) our tradition is the actual hunting experience.
I lived in PA my whole life and I I've always had Monday off for school for hunting but I'm all in favor of a Saturday opener. It gives us another day to hunt, usually one day sooner than it used to be along with everybody that has to usually work or take off work. It seems people are just mad about their traditions. You're getting an extra day to hunt. You going to be mad about Sunday hunting too? I think people need to quit complaining and be thankful for it. You can still go to your camp and start monday if you want.
I feel what is lost in this conversation, and it may sound harsh, but the PGC has no responsibility for maintaining camp tradition or local business sales. Their only responsibility is meet the conservation objective set by their biologists and staff. In the case of deer management, their current goal is to maintain or decrease the deer population. Giving more days to hunt, particularly weekend days, is an effective tool to help meet that objective.
I came into this podcast with a relatively neutral stance on the Saturday/Monday opener issue. The arguments presented actually persuaded me in the opposite direction. Their position seems to be built on strawman arguments, personal anecdotes, and entitlement.
Worst of all, the argument that they "feel rushed" preparing for the season on Friday. If you're starting your preparation the day before the season, do everyone (especially the animals) a favor, stay out of the woods. Do you want your government to make time for you to clean your house too?
The only ppl complaining are camp hunters which only make up about 4% of hunters
sounds like another group trying to change things to benefit them. America!
My family has a hunting camp and we don’t care
Just open up the gates on Sunday hunting and they can start it on any day they want! 🦌🤘
I am from PA but live just across the line in NY. I have a lot of respect for and have enjoyed the camp experience but getting my two young sons in the woods, hunting, and taking advantage of the Pa mentored youth seasons is the critical endeavor, which would be nearly impossible without a Saturday opener! You're totally missing the point with this one sided conversation!
Only in PA will hunters complain about more opportunity....
More days in the field. Add sunday hunting for all seasons. We shouldnt be arguing for less time afield.
Wait till monday if you want to
Adapt, improvise, and overcome. Why go backwards.
This is, quite possible, the epitome of “camp privilege” - coming from someone who goes to hunting camp.
Lots of personal and anecdotal reasons for the Monday. Although “numbers don’t lie”, I didn’t hear too many persuasive numbers that would indicate the 60/40 split they mentioned. I have my doubts…
“I” can’t do it the way that “I” want anymore. “I” feel rushed. “I”, “we”, “our camp”, etc.
Which day is better for the majority of license holders? Not just deer camp hunters? I think the answer is obvious.
I don't have much of an opinion on opening day, I'll be hunting regardless. I'm all for different points of view but there were some strange comments and anecdotal evidence in this podcast.
"You can't build a great hunter on just throwing a kid into the woods and then maybe just whispering here and there you gotta do this ..".
Talk about a broad generalization. Please remember that for anyone who is remotely serious about hunting or hunting camp, an entire year is available to scout, practice marksmanship, socialize with lifelong friends, mentor youth in the outdoors, etc.
"The entitled hunter...this works for me, I don't give two shits if it doesn't work for you"
Sounds similar to the camp hunters not caring about those without vacation time and kids that can't miss school. It goes both ways.
People are stuck on traditions. Nothing wrong with that. But pa can't be behind the times.
And many forget only 20% of PA hunters hunt from a camp. I’m a camp hunter/owner. My entire crew prefers the Saturday opener. I can respect and empathize those who don’t. But owning a camp or being a member at one has zero bearing on the other 80%. Camp traditions are important. They’re special. They aren’t a factor in what day is best for the hunting community as a whole, and can be preserved no matter what day the shortest deer season starts.
I don't have a camp . But I have experience deer camp. Those 2 waiting for the first day couldn't come fast. I would have loved the first day be on a Saturday and Sunday. Being out in the woods is where you learn not in a camp.
When you buy your license you got to answer a question if you want monday or Saturday opener then they would have the answer. And end this.
I didn't grow up going to a hunting camp. I grew up only going hunting on a Saturday when my dad didn't have to work and I didn't have sports or other obligations, so I only hunted small game until I was out of college. I am 56 yo.o. now and hunt as much as 20-30 days a year, mostly by myself. I don't have kids but see it would be greatly benefit a family to be able to hunt the Saturday opener. Most complaining about the Saturday opener, from my experience, comes from older hunters who complain about everything because in their opinion "it's not like it used to be". I love how there is always people with who think they know why the Game Commission does or does not do something. The Game Commission does not make you hunt the Saturday opener.
I have hunted in North Central PA all of my life and have owned a general store for a time in the area I hunt, business started declining before the Saturday opener change. This is due, in my opinion, because there are less hunters because they are aging out and a lot of the hunters in the deer camps leave by Tuesday and have been doing this for at least a decade and a half.
THANK YOU! It's the simplest fucking thing in the world. If your group wants to go do your Black Friday shopping, drive to your camp on Saturday morning, then spend the next 2 days fiddlefarting around shooting guns to drive off all the deer and then go ahead and do it. You can start hunting on Monday "the way it's always been" and no one can stop you from doing that. The tradition argument is such nonsense. Just because something has always been done a certain way, isn't a good reason to keep doing it. Traditionally, women didn't have the right to vote. Traditionally, children were used as labor before they were even 10 years old. Traditionally, African Americans weren't allowed to eat in the same restaurants white people. I guess we should have kept all of those things in place because "tradition" right?
It's all the camp hunters that don't want anyone else to have a chance to hunt on Saturday because it isn't exactly the way they want things to be. They are an absurdly entitled and selfish demographic.
As a Maryland public land hunter, I am in favor of opening day on Saturday. The same day as our opening day.
Saturday opener was the best thing to happen to our camp. We have more people able to come for opening weekend. Prior to the change we were coming to camp the Saturday after opening day because not enough folks could get off work and or couldn’t make two trips up when the seasons were split.
Third generation camp hunter here, and the Saturday opener is still the best thing to happen to Pennsylvania hunting. We camp hunters represent roughly 20% of all PA hunters, and upholding tradition is important for sure. Though the Saturday opener doesn't force anyone to change their traditions, it merely gives more folks more opportunity to actually hunt. After all, the PAGC doesn't stand for "Pennsylvania Camping Commossion". They're responsible for promoting hunting, not camping. 😉
Our camp is busier now than ever before and has more kids than ever. And the kids all leave Monday afternoon. I just think half those kids wouldn’t come if they could only hunt half of Monday because they have to drive south Monday afternoon to get back for Tuesday school.
It blows my mind that people will wait until the day before they go hunting to shoot their rifles and zero in their scopes. If there is any kind of issue with your equipment, what are you going to do to fix it the night before?
It’s more to do a last minute check and have a good time before you go out. Plinking or putting money on who is closer to the bullseye. The climate that you’re shooting in can also affect accuracy. If you sight your gun in closer to the season the more accurate you can be in that season.
@@DanBaker-i8f I do mine 2 or 3 weeks before the opener, so if there is anything wrong with it (god forbid) then I can have time to either properly fix the issue myself or take it somewhere that a professional could correct the issue. Every time I see a pro-Monday quote about camp, it's always about "shooting in your rifle" and I'd venture that the majority of them mean they are firing their hunting rifle for the first time since they put it away 12 months ago.
Strongly disagree with most things said in this podcast, hopefully Beau can have some folks on that are pro-saturday opener now. I think it's a no brainer - if you want to grow hunter numbers and increase harvest numbers you need to offer more days to hunt, end of story. If the commission changes their mind and goes back to monday, that's it we lose those two extra days forever. That being said, if there is such a strong feeling against saturday, maybe a sunday opener would be a good compromise. I never grew up with the "deer camp" environment so I guess I just don't get it, if you're there you're there to hunt not BS and drink all weekend, you have all summer to do that, just my 2 cents.
I see your point about having more days to hunt, because that is an issue I experience myself, but I think the main argument here is quality over quantity. We will retain more sportsmen (in my opinion) with more deeply connected experiences in the woods and around other sportsmen. I agree about Sunday hunting being a great compromise!
again, I just don't understand. I honestly don't care about amount of hunting days for myself anymore, I care more about getting my kids out. How is one monday morning hunt for a kid better quality then 2 and a half days of hunting nonstop?? I view quality hunting as being in the woods, that's the only way to learn. If I were to bring my 7 year old to a "camp" atmosphere and told him just sit around and listen to adults talk and drink for two days and then we get to go hunt for 7 hours he would hate it.
The issue is so one way or the other it’s a tough one to be non bias. I’m all about the Saturday opener. But are there downsides? Yes there are. It’s just what your own personal belief is more important. Why I love the Saturday over Monday is my personal experience. As me and my friends have careers and young kids our experience is Saturday after thanksgiving gives us a chance to hunt. In fact my buddies typically couldn’t hunt Monday after Thanksgiving because of work. Now we actually get a day to hunt as a crew whereas before for years we missed the Monday opener. And it is easier for us to get our kids out on a Saturday vs Monday.
I do see the cons yes it seems rushed and fast paced.
I would love to see the stats presented in the podcast, but I wouldn’t take a pro or con stat too in-depth because a lot of correlations would need to be addressed for the stats to be reasonable in my opinion.
I do have a fear with pa rep and senator government involvement of hunting laws because these are the people who have banned Sunday hunting.
It’s a complicated issue that no matter what a large portion of people will be unhappy with.
Booo hooo you dont have enough time to spend at your camp! Stay in camp if you wanna stay in camp.
People only care about what benefits them! But i wanted my pancake breakfast! Me, me, me. Play cards and drink beer after your Saturday hunt. If you put your stand in the woods the day before the season starts thats knobodys fault but uour own. Theres no accountability these days, everyone wants a participation trophy to feel validated. You literally get 2 days to hunt before monday even arrives. Saves you vacation time and gets more hours on stand. The change is better for most people and im on board with it because is best for most.
This has become an echo chamber of the podcasters and UA-camrs. Same with the now vs crossbow.
Hunting camp is nice but it’s not realistic for most. The real purpose of deer season IS the harvest. This is peoples livelihood. There’s people whose deer harvest is how they eat for the year
The argument that the change from Monday to Saturday doesnt allow the deer to recover from bear season is laughable at best. Its 2 days! Besides everyone still has to run around the woods to set up stands and sight in their rifles because that cant be done earlier in the fall... I am generally nuetral on this issue, but have seen people get to hunt on the saturday opener that wouldn't have previously. The idea of 2 extra days for deer to recover from bear season is ridiculous
Saturday opener was a great move for us in the state that work or kids with parents that won't let them take off school for hunting. Out of all the hunters I talk to the only ones that want monday back is the older folks that hunt from camp or just like another comment I saw it's people that hate any changes from the pgc because it a change from what they are used to and like and most of them are older in age.
I wish they leave it alone. The Saturday opener makes it alot better dealing with work. I just don't understand people waiting until the day before to get ready for deer season.
Those of you who prefer the traditional Monday opener don't have to hunt until Monday if that's what you want. It saves me a day off of work that I can use in archery season.
The “government” can F-up about anything, look what they did to the gas can. I remember when I was a kid hunting, Montana rifle opened on a Sunday and I recall stopping by at least a half dozen camps to visit people on the way to our camp. Great memories so I can see the point
Saturday opener is awesome. Saves a couple vacation days that I can use in bowseason.
That's the ol ME ME ME mentality
The same could be said of those wanting Monday back because it suits their style better. Aren’t all wants personal?
Move it a week after the existing Saturday opener. You’ll hear complaints but I feel in the long run everyone can win. Monday guys can still take the days off work for traditional camp and the Saturday crew can still start on Saturday. Boom let’s move on to Sunday hunting and let everyone enjoy what they love.
@@bradleysnyder555it’s literally not. The Saturday opener helps a ton of people
@@bradleysnyder555how many people have weekends off compared to week days? Oh the vast majority? Looks like it’s all about you you you and not the majority of hunters
Disagree with so much from this episode.
Big doubt on the small businesses hurting. People are still going to camp at the same time lol da hell. Stop trying to TAKE AWAY hunting days. Your gonna kill the sport
I'm neither for nor against the Monday opener. I do think that a vocal majority doesn't mean they are actually the majority. Polling should be as simple as adding the question to the annual license renewal. I think these ladies make some valid points. But I think they missed the very clear argument for a Saturday opener. If I work on Monday and for whatever reason can't take it off, my first crack at a buck isn't until the first Saturday. The reason people are unwilling to skip the Saturday opener and keep traditions alive is because they want that same first-day opportunity. I believe crossbows and point restrictions hurt camps before the opener was even an issue. The archery buck kill in 2008-09 was 31,450. That’s the last season before crossbows were made legal for use by anyone in all archery deer seasons. 2022 75,770 bucks were killed in archery. I couldn't find the percentage killed with crossbows for 22, but it was 61% in 2018. Coming to the ANF to have point restrictions drove a lot of people away over the years. I say all the northern WMUs start on Monday, The southern WMUs start on Saturday.
It’s a very narrow minded opinion. I get why the people on the podcast enjoyed the Monday opener but it’s so out of touch with reality.
You grew up blessed with a hunting camp that was passed down through your family. 90% of hunters don’t have that, they’re making long commutes or staying at hotels and driving into the mountain. Very minimal people have a camp to go to, but just go up earlier.
Clearly you can already take off work which you’re doing. Pennsylvania is home of the blue collar worker. I know people whose time in the woods actually double because of Saturday opener. Sunday should be open also.
Your opinion is that since you can go whenever you want and take off then who cares. But a lot of people work Monday-Friday or Sunday-Friday, and get one day to hunt a week. This gives them double the time in the woods. You gotta think of others and not just yourself
I love the saturday opener. The old heads around our camp disagree, and that's fine. If I tag out in archery season I don't even go to camp. I'm in it for the HUNT. I can gossip drink and eat all summer long with neighbors. The only issue of relevance I hear is the small business one. Lets be honest though most those places are way down in numbers since the peak hunter numbers in the 70s-80s.
43:03 camps in sullivan county, and lycoming county, the freaking heart of camp country, havent been as full as are they the last three years, since the 90s. Stop lying.
You can dissagree but "Numbers don't lie". Great podcast!
What numbers... u should be ashamed u guys are going about this all wrong... I been deer hunting since diapers. Do I get award?? I do better then 99% of ppl... I have 17 years of journals... weather amd days don't lie...
Neither does my garage walls...
The numbers (link below) don't lie either. The representative quoted is nothing but a cancer to the hunting community. Since when are sportsmen in favor of more government control of hunting in the state? www.pgc.pa.gov/InformationResources/MediaReportsSurveys/Documents/Deer%20Hunter%20Attitudes%20Regarding%20Opening%20Day.pdf
What numbers?
For the life of me I can't figure out why people don't want more days to hunt.
Read what I posted is why ...
I grew up hunting from camp. Started going up in the off season at about 6 years old. Was raised shooting and fishing and camping… many years in the scouts. Started going along on hunting trips at 11, followed next year as my first trip as a hunter. Great times, great memories of my grandfather, uncle and cousins. Most of them, and the guys that were camp fixtures are long gone. Yes, there are plenty of stories I could tell about the hijinks and tales told around camp leading up to opening day, BUT what I valued most was the 1:1 whispered wisdoms and shared time under a hemlock or sitting a slab pile with my grandfather, uncle or cousin. What I wouldn’t give to have had more time that the change to Saturday would’ve provided.
Camp is ours now, and after contracting through the attrition of time faster than my generation had offspring, we’re growing again. Since the change we’ve had more SNJ residents make it up to camp, nephews in school, and a marine on leave that always has to report back on Monday.
I get that change is uncomfortable.
I get that many don’t like to change routines or patterns, but it can be done with equal and even greater enjoyment as a result. For example, my entire crew made the decision back when things changed away from concurrent seasons to make our opener the first Saturday to economize vacation time. We didn’t have kids old enough to hunt (and no mentor program existed). We kept it going through the first two years of Saturday openers until the seasons went concurrent again. Through it all, we had the same fellowship, made plenty of memories, and never lost the thrill of the hunt, but we can’t deny the benefit that the combination of both Saturday opening and concurrent seasons has brought to us.
42:14 get a bow, open camp the first weekend of October when archery opens. Grow up and get over it. Now you dont have to rush when you try and do EVERYTHING right before rifle opens.
lots of assumptions made here
Move it a week away from the existing Saturday opener. Thanksgiving is the issue. The Monday crew can take off as many days as they want before the start and the Saturday crew can still start on Saturday.
Saturday opener, Monday opener... it doesn't matter to me. But, I just want Sunday Hunting to be implemented all year. At least start with all archery season and go from there.
Beau, I respect you for giving these ladies a platform and hearing their side. Granted, it is a very narrow minded view to expect all hunters in the state to adhere to "traditions" of others that they have no involvement in. I have hunted from a hunting camp every year since i was 12 (now 30) and I love my experiences there. But the idea that this change "killed" hunting camps is just flat out false. Our camp went from 2 guys for rifle opener on monday to having 6-7 for rifle opener on saturday. And the death of the hunting camp tradition started long before 2019 so, moot point there. And since we are talking about how this change affected us personally, i will share my POV. Until 2019, my work schedule did not allow me to ever be in the woods on that monday because of our customers (pharmaceutical industry) shut down that week and that is when we come in to do work. Thanks to the change in opening day, I was able to hunt the opener for the first time in 10 years and bagged my first buck with a rifle.
I think you should reach out to some of the folks that sit on the other side of this issue and hear their side as well because the argument against the saturday opener is honestly weak at best compared to the arguments in favor of the saturday opener. In our current climate of declining hunter numbers, we should be doing everything we can to open up as much opportunity for people while still adhering to our biological restrictions and quotas.
PS: the "data" they referenced is flat out wrong. The PGC survey was 60/40 in FAVOR of the saturday opener. They provided no credible data during this podcast in favor of changing back to monday.
also, it was hard for me to watch a guy like you, who spends all year preparing and scouting for deer season, give credence to someone saying they are rushed to prepare for the season in one day...We all know that you know, any good hunter is going to have their cameras up, stands hung, and rifle sighted in LONG before opening day. So that point they made is also moot and kind of felt hypocritical for you to hear that and not refute it.
overall, I love your podcast and content, and while i didnt agree with the premise of this discussion, i respect you for listening to their side. Now give the opposition a chance to make their case and i am sure you will see the folly in their pro-monday movement.
My biggest question for everyone that is against the Saturday opener becuase of the rush, tradition and so on, what is making you go? No one says that you can’t start on Monday. I am for Saturday openers and Sundays. I have been to a lot of camps, and more than most are about getting together and not hunting. I am still in it for the chase. If it’s hunting season, I am hunting.
Leaving your spot open on the first day almost guarantees you’ll lose it when hunting public land.
If it’s public land is it ever truly “your” spot?
@@patrickcoleman4348 if you’re a respectful hunter and know your area well and who hunts the same location faithfully every year, I’d say yes. I understand it is public land but I make sure I am the first one to a particular spot every year. Leaving it open, ensures someone else moves in.
@dh20056 so you now understand why it’s important to everyone that the opener is on a Saturday. If you can’t take Monday off, your first opportunity to hunt isn’t until the following Saturday.
@@bobtomer9035 I personally think if hunting is important, you can find time to do it and not insist it be Saturday simply because people don’t want to burn a vacation day to hunt. I split my time off between family vacations and hunting season.Many of the pro Saturday folks I know, hunt half a day then go home for the rest of the season. To each their own and all the more reason I’ll punch tags in archery season to avoid gun season pressure and can just enjoy watching deer
Covid destroyed those small businesses. Not changing the opening day of rifle season. Which is what they were implying.
Camp hunter. Stories, camaraderie, cards, traditional meals. We have still continued them at our camp with the Saturday opener. Change can be difficult. No doubt. However, real traditional camps have died decades ago. Sports, single parent homes, work, technology have decreased participation. It was not the Saturday opener that changed anything. Every opportunity is a blessing. Remember a very small portion of hunters are camp hunters. We are the minority and it’s shrinking at no fault of the PGC.
Judging by some of the comments it appears many people are not listening to the podcast. Just being told to come here and dissagree.
What if we listened and still disagree? Then what? Are we allowed to comment then?
...or people just don't agree.
I'm honestly sad u are saying this leatherwoods... I'm losing faith...
The Saturday opener is awesome. It gets my kids and I in the woods hunting 3.5 days instead of 1.5. If you don't want to hunt on Saturday you don't have to. Why take away more opportunity? I usually love you content, but this is off the mark.
My favorite day of the yr!!!!
The numbers don't lie???? Why don't you look at the comments. Most are definitely for the Saturday opener!!!! Stop trying to spin it your way.
47:34 wardens are not tasked, ever, in Pa, on making decisions wildlife biologists get doctorates in order to make. So his opinion is no better than yours. Which is to say, shit. Which is still better than ohio dan’s (randy’s friend) opinion. Which, since he is an out of state hunter who doesnt pay taxes here, is worth less than the scum that collects at the bottom of grain silo thats not cleaned for years.
I am fortunate enough to have a hunting camp in West Virginia where they do open on a Monday and I get to have an amazing camp experience every year. Craziest thing is we are able to do that when we travel to our camp SUNDAY night. In my experience with my age group (20-30) we are able to hunt our home state now because of the Saturday opener instead of running to Maryland for that weekend. And for Sundays I missed the entirety of bow season because I was working 60+ hour weeks. I’m sure when you have the ability to take tons of time off and have a camp the Monday opener is nice but neglecting the working class doesn’t seem right. Like someone else said if schools were closed that Monday and the kids could all go all week it would be a great idea. But I’m my area most people either work or have school and the opportunity this presented us has been amazing
So happy to have two wonderful women supporting and speaking out for the hunters of PA! More conversations like this need to be had. Great podcast!
I enjoyed the weekend before the opener ( Monday) with relatives/ friends and getting out before the opener to “ get your stand ready”. The prep and camp is half the fun! Seems so rushed now, holiday straight to first day…
As a Maryland hunter who is right on the border of Pa, I have seen a positive impact of Pa moving the rifle season start to Saturday after Thanksgiving. Maryland public land us to get slammed with Pa hunters on Maryland's Saturday opener. So much so that the quality of Maryland public land on the border suffered tremendously. I was so happy when Pa moved the opener, it has positively effected the border states of Pennsylvania.
That's good, and it makes sense for PA's opener to coincide with a neighboring state like that. However the Deer Camp Monday opener crowd is going to hate this a lot. They're a very small but vocal minority of hunters who are extremely selfish and don't care if a change benefits people besides themselves.
I completely understand why you would feel that way living in Maryland. Ohio has been the opposite. Their opener is on Monday, so people will hunt PA for two days and then jump over there. Tough to know what it is going to make everyone happy. I appreciate the comment!
If youre going to have a conversation like this, you need to have proper representation of the other side of the debate. Otherwise its not worth continuing to listen to.
My camp is in north central PA. Unlike the saturday crowd its open 36-40weeks a year, and openned in march or april each year. Unlike apparently most of the fudds who open their camp thanksgiving weekend. I couldnt disagree more vehemently with the against saturday openner group unless i went to war against them.
45:03 you dont have children youve never raised a hunter. The most youve done is mentor part of the year. Stop acting like you know what to do.
You want a kid to be interested and hooked on hunting? Take them squirrel hunting, take them pheasant hunting, take them spring gobbler hunting. Take them archery hunting. Then after all that, you bring them to join the orange army in rifle season. Which is shit hunting to anyone whos been in the woods in PA openning weekend of rifle.
Ive debated this hundreds of rimes and it comes down to camp huntrts vs non- camp hunters. This could easily be added as a question when every hunter buys a license.
Personally im 100% for the Saturday. I hunt out of a camp where there is a Saturday opener and have had no issues. I do feel that pushing the whole season back one week would be the best solution. Get it away from Thanksgiving and more chance for snow. I just dont see Monday as an option anymore. Schools and work places that use to give a Monday off will likely not change.
Great topic to discuss Beau. I personally don't have a dog in this fight. I definitely see valid points on both sides of the argument. I am 100% in agreement with your thought process, that a Sunday opener, could most likely appease both sides.
36:56 got my bear in archery season now so can’t disagree more. More and more bear each year are harvested long before traditional bear rifle drives start the weekend before rifle. This has been true for 4 years.
38:02 and rifle hunters continue to start deer drives earlier and earlier in rifle season.
The survey was a professional survey that met all statistical standards. Unlike every survey run by anti-saturday flatlanders
Ur videos are to long ur trying to hard my friend... lol ur no different then steve sherp.. we will meet one day boys lol haha 🤣 the hunting community is very small...
If you can take off for a Monday opening day, you can take off the Friday before the season starts. You gotta want it bad enough to make it work.
I agree with what you guys said I would like to go back to Monday opener and have the next two Sundays to hunt. I grew up with Monday opener and did not want the change. Darren
Are they real?
Awesome job! Definitely ready for PA to get back to a Monday opener!
This is my favorite Podcast to date. This is a strong topic we need to take to our state here in Vermont. Seems Fish and Wildlife do what they want here and not what us sportsman and women want.
Two very impressive young ladies with tremendous poise and extremely well spoken!
Saturday opener is big rush ...causing problems at home with relatives visiting over Thanksgiving ..
Business hurting,fundraisers hurting,tradition at camps hurting ,kids rush to woods Saturday no fun over weekend like in past ...
Out of state hunters rushed to get to camp and many can't make it ...
My camp picked up 3 out of state hunters and saw more students make the trip because of the change.
Sounds like a bunch of whataboutism.
Out of state hunter here. Have absolutely no issue getting in and not feeling rushed.
Then start hunting on Monday. The Saturday opener is an option for hunters, it is not a requirement.
@@brettsko the problem is, the ones who are so against a Saturday opener don't want a common sense solution like that. They just want things to be their way.
The Saturday opener has appealed to some hunters but the overall impacts are negative. It has made what once was a great weekend and turned it into a mad rush. One day between the most traveled family holiday and the biggest opening day in pa hunting. That day is Black Friday to boot. Businesses lost two of three days of patronage from hunters in the small towns. The many hunting traditions that had time to happen are gone. Hunting license sales stayed in decline. If you don’t have much family you don’t get it. There was no reason to change from Monday hunters surveyed prior to stay with Monday 65% Answer this question: if this was a welcomed and good move would it be this controversial 5 years in?
It’s still controversial because of 20 blow hards that won’t accept change. It’s already a dead subject that they can’t let go. Saturday is here to stay. If Monday was so great, you’d see these bills move. Instead you have a leader behind closed doors trying to twist politicians arms to get the dust blown off these pieces of legislation.
Becca & Jennifer thank you for sharing your perspective on the camp culture and the return of the Monday deer opener. Beau Martonik thank you sir for giving them the opportunity to explain and share their hunting experiences. 😊
To clarify this logo is dated. My comment is not representative of USP. Although I know they support reinstating Monday.
Ok Randy
I enjoy listening to the ladies talk about hunting and deer camp ,good stuff there.
Great to here freah voices and new perspectives
Restore the Monday opener! Bring back the once great tradition!
Saturday opener is a bad experiment. Most of the people in favor of it don't have any care or investment into deer camp. They did not have the awesome experience us Monday openers did. In that, I have empathy for them. I also empathize that a Saturday opener may make hunting easier on the people who seemingly can't take one day off from work. They however do no empathize with me who wants to see my family on thanksgiving and not rush out the door. The hunters I know make it out multiple trips/weekends/after work in archery and rifle. The idea a Saturday opener makes it more equitable or accessible is ridiculous. Since changing it to Saturday, every one is out of the woods before noon. I get a deer or need to run to the truck, every one who was around me on public land is gone. If I drive back to camp at night, its a ghost town. It could be a Wednesday afternoon on the backroads. Everyone hunts out of their backyard because no one wants to drive two three hours to the deep woods. Giving the guys who hunt for two hours on Saturday is definitely going to have lasting effect on the hunting tradition. Less hunters. You think your kids will fall in love with hunting by following dad into the backyard at 5am when they could be playing Madden/Call of Duty. No. They're going to think you're a crazy old timer. The camp builds the next generation of hunters. This is so shortsighted by the people who think progress is not having to leave your house for anything.