Some of you might be thinking the Game Commission might move the first day back to Monday. No, that ship has sailed.

Instead, the Game Commission will review two proposals regarding opening day. Under the first proposal, the first day would remain the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the same as it has been for the past several years. The second proposal would move the first day to the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving, a week earlier than the current regulations.

While many discussions on social media and chat boards have quickly jumped the tracks to discuss the Monday opener, a few sportsmen have asked the real question, “Why?” For those who have not read the PGC Press Release, executive director Steve Smith did list several reasons for the proposed move to an earlier start. The reasons included the potential for better weather, the ability to hunt during the rut, better opportunities for students, and more time for camp hunters to travel prior to the start of hunting.

Let’s examine each of these issues and see which may hold true.

JOHN RUCOSKY/Associated Press Nate Fink of Ligonier Twp walks out of the woods during hunting season last year.

WEATHER

Although a week may not seem like much of a difference in terms of temperature, historical data says otherwise. A review of average temperatures across the Commonwealth shows a difference of approximately 13 degrees between the Saturday before Thanksgiving and the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This is a lot, especially for those sitting in a tree stand all day, as well as the elderly or younger hunters.

THE RUT

The peak of the rut is without a doubt the best time to be in the field if hunting whitetail deer. Although the rut does change slightly from year to year, most experts agree that it is tied to the photoperiod, the ratio of daylight to darkness. In Pennsylvania, this triggers a rut that runs from late October through late November, with a peak in mid-November. Moving the first day, even one week, would allow rifle hunters to catch the tail end of the rut in most years.

BETTER OPPORTUNITIES

Smith pointed out that one potential plus would be more opportunities for both college and high school students. Although each district or university sets its own calendar — which often varies from one school year to another — I reviewed some schools to see whether Smith’s claim is valid.

Here is a look at the 2025-26 school year for a handful of universities in Pennsylvania:

• Penn State (Sun., Nov. 23-29)

• University of Pittsburgh (Sun., Nov. 23-30)

• Temple (Mon., Nov. 24-30)

• Drexel University (Tue., Nov. 25- Dec. 1)

• West Chester (Wed., Nov. 26-30).

Secondary schools are a bit more complicated, however after viewing the academic calendars for over a dozen schools across the commonwealth, it appears to be a split decision. About half of the schools are closed the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving.

The other half starts their break on Tuesday or Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving. All the schools viewed have students returning on the Monday following Thanksgiving.

Based on this information, Smith was correct in that moving the first day of rifle deer season to the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving would offer students, both college and secondary, more opportunities to hunt.

GOING TO CAMP

This statement is a bit trickier to validate because it depends more on personal leave available and willingness to take time off for travel. However, one of the biggest reasons that pro-Monday hunters have given for their dislike of a Saturday opener is the difficulty of traveling to camp after Thanksgiving and before hunting begins.

If the first day is moved to the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving, these hunters could travel on Thursday or Friday without a conflict with the holiday.