Solobay Hunting Bill Helps Senior-License Holders

A bill that loosens restrictions on senior hunters, cleared the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee today and now heads to the floor for a vote.

The bill was state Sen. Tim Solobay's.

In response to numerous requests from hunters statewide, Senate Bill 547 lifts antler point minimums for holders of senior hunting licenses.

“Many of the seniors I’ve heard from face difficult physical challenges and I think most of my colleagues support giving them a slight advantage when it comes to getting a buck,” Solobay said. “They’ve paid their dues and passed on their tradition.”

Ten years ago, the state Game Commission enacted higher standards regarding the minimum size or number of antler points. The regulations vary for different areas of the state.  Prior to the change, hunters could kill a buck with one three-inch spike one spike or any antler with at least two points.

The new rules set the minimum at three or four points in two Western Pennsylvania regions and a three-point restriction in the rest of the state.

The regulations are intended to increase the number of larger bucks, but they have proven confusing to some who had spent decades hunting under the old rules.

Senior licenses are available to hunters at least 65 years old. Fewer than 40,000 of Pennsylvania’s 1.2 million licensed hunters are seniors.