(CLEARFIELD BOROUGH, CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Game Commission announced it’s moving the start of deer season.
Instead of the Monday after Thanksgiving, it’s now the Saturday immediately after.
Deer hunting season brings big business to Bob’s Army and Navy in Clearfield.
So when the Game Commission voted to move the start date to the Saturday after Thanksgiving
Co-owner Bob Grimminger says the change is going to hurt business.
“We’re going to lose Saturday’s and Sunday’s business, and it’s a big amount of business that we’re going to lose,” said Grimminger.
He says he’s afraid the shop will lose customers who used to travel into Clearfield County to hunt and that they’ll shop at home instead.
“They’ll be shopping back there, now that’s going to lose tourism in our area,” said Grimminger.
Ken Danver is a customer at Bob’s Army and Navy…and has been a hunter for many years.
“I’ve been a deer hunter since I’ve been 12 years old,” said Danver. “Haven’t missed the first day of deer season at all in the past 50+ years.”
He says he doesn’t think changing the start date will make that much of a difference.
“They say that it’ll give more people the opportunity to hunt…I don’t necessarily believe that,” said Danver. “If you want to hunt, I think you’ll find a way to be able to hunt.”
As for Bob’s Army and Navy, Grimminger says they’ll have to make their own changes to not lose out on sales.
“This year, we’ll probably have to have even longer hours on Thanksgiving just to get the people out,” said Grimminger.