PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
From the desk of Blaine Toy
The most prominent División in Hunters is the controversy over the fall deer rifle season opener. USP has taken surveys over the last few years, which show that most hunters prefer returning to Monday. However, PGC disputes this information. The survey problem could be resolved by adding a question to the hunter license purchase: Which day do you prefer for the fall deer rifle season opener? Saturday [ ], Monday [ ], or no opinion [ ]. PGC refused to include the question on the license buying process, fearing that the hunter’s opinion would contradict the Commissioner’s wishes.
The House Game and Fisheries Committee held a hearing on February 3, 2024, to get input regarding the opener. The hearing lasted for 1 ½ hours. Executive Director Stephen Smith of PGC supported the Saturday opener, followed by Randy Santucci, PGC’s former Commissioner Jim Daily, Dan Davilla, and Jennifer Guerriero, who opposed the Saturday opener. Finally, lobbyist and Director of Government Affairs for the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen, Mike Kriner, supported the Saturday opener. For those interested in viewing this hearing, please visit https://www.youtube.com/live/wNKKZthWNH4.
Many hunters will be interested to know that the first 2025 meeting of the PGC was held on January 24, 2025, at PGC headquarters. The event was live-streamed; however, the public comments had some technical difficulties. You can view this meeting, excluding the public comments, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwQpoB0VESE&ab_channel=PAGameCommission.
Another issue of interest to many hunters is that the fiscal year ended on June 30, 2024, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission finally released its fiscal 2023 – 24 annual report in February 2025. PGC reported receiving $41,079,908.00 in revenue from hunter license sales and $200,121,237.00 in other income, totaling $241,201,145.00. It is no wonder that PGC ignores the hunter input, with only 17% of its revenue from hunting license sales. For hunters interested in reading this report, go to https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/pgc/documents/about-us/mediareportssurveys/reports-and-minutes/annual-legislative-reports/annualreport_2024-onlinefinal.pdf.
Blaine Toy