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Goal shared by all: More youth hunting

Wednesday October 19, 2011 | 02:47 PM

Tom Venesky tvenesky@timesleader.com

State Rep. Ed Staback and Mountain Top resident Tommy Hollock have the same goal in mind.
They both want to keep young hunters in the sport and attract more youth at the same time.

But when it comes to achieving that goal, Staback and Hollock both have different ideas.

Those ideas were discussed in detail during Thursday’s Sportsmen’s Forum hosted by state Rep. Gerald Mullery. The event was held at Hanover Area High School and allowed the public to ask PGC officials and legislators about anything related to the outdoors.

It was a great idea by Mullery and I hope he holds more forums in the future. A multitude of topics were covered and interesting debate ensued, such as that regarding ways to attract more youth to the sport of hunting.

Staback, who has long been a supporter of Sunday hunting, believes adding another day to hunt on the weekends will give young hunters more opportunity to spend time afield. It’s a day that they don’t have to take off from school.

A bill that would give the PGC the authority to implement Sunday hunting currently sits in the House Game and Fisheries Committee. Staback is the minority chair of the committee while Mullery serves as the secretary. Before the committee acts to move the bill onto the House floor, Staback said, they are waiting to see if there is enough support. That could happen next month.

Adding Sunday to the hunting season adds opportunity, Staback said, and that will make it easier for parents to take their children hunting.

Jay Delaney, who serves as the PGC commissioner for the Northeast Region, said he believes the youth hunting seasons established by the agency are working to get more kids afield. He cited the special pheasant season for junior hunters and the hunts hosted by sportsmen’s clubs solely for kids as examples.

Hollock attended the forum with his family and, with his son, Sam, sitting nearby, listened intently while Staback and Delaney spoke.

Need more deer

With a love for hunting that runs generations deep in his family, Hollock had to weigh in.
He agreed with the importance of attracting youth to hunting, but he wasn’t sold on the idea that Sunday hunting is the way to do it.

And while the youth pheasant season is nice, it’s not enough, Hollock added.
The solution, he said, is to increase the deer population.

When it comes to hunting in Pennsylvania, deer hunting is easily the most popular choice. And when it comes to attracting more kids to the sport, the focus should be on deer, Hollock said.
“I’m not talking about necessarily shooting a deer, but at least get the numbers to a point where they are seeing deer while they’re out in the woods or on stand,” Hollock said. “That’s what needs to be done if you want to keep youth in the sport.”

Without choosing a side in the debate, at least not right now, I can relate to what Hollock said. Looking back on my first deer season as a 12-year-old, I remember spending a cold morning on the first day of buck season hearing shots in the distance and seeing deer run by.

I didn’t see a buck that first year, but I saw enough deer throughout the day that my interest and enthusiasm never waned. The fact that I stood a good chance at just seeing deer was enough to keep me coming back season after season.

Staback’s Sunday hunting, Delaney’s youth seasons and Hollock’s call to increase deer numbers are all interesting arguments when it comes to the issue of attracting new hunters to the sport.
While the concepts may be different, the resulting goal is the same.

That’s what matters most when it comes to the future of hunting.