HARRISBURG, PA - The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will be able to conduct official business at its next meeting.
Commissioners Stanley I. Knick Jr., of Dupont, and Michael F. Mitrick, of York, were reappointed to the District 7 and District 6 seats on the board, respectively, bringing the board to a quorum of commissioners.
The board, which is required by law to hold a meeting in January, met Jan. 28 and 29 in Harrisburg, hearing reports from Game Commission staff and accepting public comment. The board, however, was unable to take up its prepared agenda because a quorum of six commissioners is needed to conduct official business, and only five commissioners were seated at the time.
With Knick and Mitrick reappointed, there are seven commissioners presently on the board. The District 8 seat remains vacant, as does the new District 9 seat, which was created and approved by the General Assembly and Governor since the last commissioners meeting.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for April 8 and 9 in Harrisburg, at which time the board will pick up the agenda items set aside in January. However, rather than voting preliminarily on the proposed 2022-23 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits – a move that could interrupt timely updates to the regulations digest hunters and trappers receive with their licenses – the board will opt to reactivate the framework from last year’s seasons and bag limits, as permitted by law.
That means the statewide firearms deer season will start the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the statewide regular bear season will begin the Saturday before that, and so on.
A complete list of final 2022-23 seasons and bag limits will be released in the coming weeks.
The preliminary list of 2022-23 seasons and bag limits that was to be considered by the board in January almost is a mirror image of the list from 2021-22. Only a few minor changes – none of them driven by a biological need – were recommended. That means hunters and trappers will end up with essentially the same list through reactivating last year’s seasons as they would have through a vote to approve the proposed list.
The Game Commission still will be adjusting allocations for antlerless deer licenses and elk licenses based on updated harvest and population data. The Board of Commissioners will approve the allocations in April.
Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans welcomed back Knick and Mitrick, each of whom he said brought an important perspective and well-founded ideas while serving admirably during their first terms.
“Returning to a quorum allows our board to resume business, which is important,” Burhans said. “But the fact two experienced, quality individuals are being brought back to continue serving our hunters and trappers is even more of a benefit.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau - 717-705-6541
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