web1_Courthouse.jpg

Luzerne County election director won’t participate in voting machine selection

web1_TTL040919Donkey1.jpg

Donkeys, bones and flash cards help children learn life skills

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Area residents had a lot to say about Tuesday&#8217;s Pennsylvania Game Commission decision moving deer rifle hunting season to the first Saturday after Thanksgiving.</p><p>The eight-member board of commissioners approved the move 5-3, after having given preliminary approval to the idea in January.</p><p>&#8220;Some of my customers have mixed feelings about their decision, but most of them hate it,&#8221; said Joe Lasecki Jr., owner of Nimrod Haven Sporting Goods on the Sans Souci Parkway. &#8220;I don&#8217;t like it. It affects my business.&#8221;</p><p>Hunters have had three days after Thanksgiving to prepare for the start of hunting season on Monday, but they are certainly going to be rushed with the change, according to Lasecki.</p><p>&#8220;After Thanksgiving hunters typically spend a little time with their families before they get on the road to go wherever they go to hunt,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Hunters normally go to shops like mine to prepare and get gear that they may not have. They also use that day to go to their cabins and get them ready. Now it&#8217;s going to be a giant rush job.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Hunters gained a day for rifle season,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But I lost a day to sell.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Long tradition</strong></p><p>Since 1963, the first Monday after Thanksgiving has kicked off rifle season for hunting deer. The change expands firearms seasons to 13 days, including three Saturdays as opposed to two.</p><p>With the recent decision, Lasecki believes the game commission will use it as a back door to allow hunting on Sundays, the one day hunters are forbidden to hunt on during hunting season.</p><p>Pennsylvania is one of 11 states that don&#8217;t allow hunting on Sunday.</p><p>Lasecki also believes that the decision hurts the hunters that don&#8217;t have much time to prepare.</p><p>&#8220;Those guys are typically scrambling to make sure they have all the equipment and ammunition they need for the start of the season,&#8221; he added. &#8220;They won&#8217;t have that opportunity. Also they might not have the proper gear if the weather changes like it frequently does in Pennsylvania.&#8221;</p><p>Perhaps one of the biggest issues and potential crises that may arise from the commission&#8217;s decision is that more people will head into the woods causing overcrowding, Lasecki suggested.</p><p>&#8220;I think a lot of people are going to be in the woods,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There&#8217;s a larger margin for error.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#8216;No big difference&#8217;</strong></p><p>However, Wright Township native Eric Rinehimer disagrees, saying he doesn&#8217;t believe that the Saturday will bring that many more hunters to the already crowded woods.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s going to make a big difference,&#8221; Rinehimer, 24, said. &#8220;Monday was always a big tradition. I looked forward to it, but we need to adapt with the times.&#8221;</p><p>Rinehimer also believes a Saturday opening will help bring youth hunters and people who can&#8217;t get off on opening day into the fold.</p><p>&#8220;I actually like it a little better,&#8221; Rineheimer said. &#8220;We need to get more people involved. I do all my pre-season preparation in September. You just need to make the time to prepare and everything will be OK.&#8221;</p><p>There was much talk about the move on social media, with some hunters asking whether they could pressure the commission to change its mind.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see this decision getting overturned,&#8221; Lasecki said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a done deal and out of our hands. The only way it gets repealed is if every hunter bans together and decides to not purchase a hunting license. It will only change if you hit their pockets.&#8221;</p><p>According to <a href="http://congressionalsportsmen.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">congressionalsportsmen.org</a>, Pennsylvania ranks 23 in total spending for hunting, but ranked 10 in the country with 1.42 million hunters. The site said hunters and anglers spend $1.5 billion annually and support nearly 24,800 jobs.</p><p>&#8220;We need to look to the future concerning our hunters and bringing in more youth,&#8221; Game Commissioner Brian Hoover said in a press release.</p><p>Rineheimer agreed.</p><p>&#8220;I think the decision is going to bring in more revenue with the sale of out-of-state licenses,&#8221; Rinehimer said. &#8220;You may have people that couldn&#8217;t get out on a weekday come on the weekend. It&#8217;s going to be a money maker.&#8221;</p><p>Meanwhile, hunters in deer, bear and elk firearms seasons, small game season, and those hunting coyotes during daylight hours within open deer, bear or elk firearms seasons, must continue to wear, at all times, 250 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange material on the head, chest and back combined, visible 360 degrees, according to a press release from the Game Commission.</p><p><em>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</em></p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL011816gunorder_cp_tk_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Lasecki </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL011816gunorder_cp_tk_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Lasecki </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Deer rifle season change divides hunters