The Freedom Area School District is full of hunters and other outdoorsmen. The start of the hunting season is a fairly significant day for the community, and the end of it is just as significant. Some people consider the beginning of hunting season a holiday, and take days of school off just to go out and hunt. It’s a great time that people can spend outside, and can also spend with their family and friends.

Hunting seasons are exactly what they sound like, they are seasons. Fall is the main time hunting seasons come about. Deer season is the most significant season in PA. Archery season started Oct. 2 and ended on Nov. 13. There are other seasons as well, like squirrel, rabbit, coyote, turkey, and even elk in Northern PA. These seasons help hunters control the population, by ensuring that hunters dont kill ALL the deer, and so that there is enough time in order to keep the population of these critters under control. Any hunting done outside of these seasons is considered poaching.

The PA Game Commission is the organization that enforces these rules and laws inside of Pennsylvania. This organization was founded in 1895, and has been going strong ever since. PA even has something called ¨game lands¨, which are a lot like state parks except it’s just land you can hunt on. Some counties have certain gun laws as well. For example: In Allegheny County, you can only hunt with a shotgun or bow due to the many houses in that area, long range rifles have a higher chance of hitting a building or person.

¨ Hunting isn’t just a hobby, it’s a way of life.¨ said Noah Carney. Many hunters feel that hunting is a very important aspect of life, and is a very important part of the year.