After the Pennsylvania Game Commission added 10 new Sundays to this year’s hunting season on Monday, local sportsmen say they’re gearing up for more time in the woods come September.

The commission voted to instruct its executive director to open up 10 Sundays for hunting starting Sept. 14 and ending Dec. 7.

That’s in addition to the three Sundays that had been set aside for hunting before the vote, meaning hunters can legally stalk prey for 13 consecutive Sundays.

The vote came after Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill this month that lifts the state’s age-old ban on Sunday hunting.

Dan Pringle, 66, of Penn Hills said the decision leaves more flexibility for hunters and their families.

A lifelong hunter, Pringle said he has been in favor of adding Sundays to the calendar since he was a kid. That’s because his father worked six days per week in a steel mill, which left little time for the two to enjoy the sport, Pringle said.

He said he’s not necessarily in favor of hunters using the additional days to increase their harvests, but he said he’s glad the option exists in case of poor weather or scheduling conflicts.

“The fact that it does allow me to use a Sunday if I need to or I want to get out, I think it’s a good thing,” Pringle said.

Plus, Pringle said the added time means he won’t have to jump at the first buck he sees, leaving him more time to enjoy the scenery.

The Penn Hills resident said he doesn’t plan to head out every Sunday, but the schedule change will give him a couple of hours in the woods before Steelers games.

Glenn Palmer, 38, of West Deer said he thinks the decision to repeal the Sunday hunting ban was overdue, but he was glad to see the 10 days added.

“I think that any opportunity to have more time in the woods is a net positive,” Palmer said.

A weekday worker, he said he sometimes would take off Thursdays and Fridays to have some extra days on the hunt. Even with the additional Sundays, Palmer said, that practice likely won’t change. Now he can have four sequential days in the woods.

Though the additional Sundays expand the season in the fall and winter, the commission opted not to open up new Sundays for spring gobbler hunting because of population concerns.

Regardless of what future turkey seasons look like, Palmer is glad the decision to set Sundays is now in the hands of the game commission instead of an archaic statute.

“I don’t think you necessarily have to have every Sunday open for every species, but I like that it’s no longer in the legislature’s control,” he said.

Nick Betts, 36, of Plum said the new Sundays will help free up more family time.

In seasons past, Betts and his son have been forced to pick between sports and time spent in the woods on Saturdays.

But with the new Sundays in his back pocket, Betts said, he can spend more time at soccer practice on Saturday.

Director of Operations at Trophyline, a Pittsburgh-based hunting equipment manufacturer, Betts has long yearned for Sunday hunting — so much so that he has traveled to neighboring states to stalk prey.

“Especially when it’s a perfect day to be out there in the woods, and you’ve got to sit inside, it really kind of ate at me over the years,” he said.

With two days now open for hunting on the weekend, Betts said he hopes the state will see more tourism and interest in hunting in its forested areas.

He said the game commission made a wise choice by adjusting the schedule so quickly after the ban on Sunday hunting was repealed and hopes the data gathered from this year can be used by the commissioners for further expansions in the coming seasons.

“Hopefully, it can allow many other hunters to find success — including myself — maybe a little bit earlier before it gets nice and cold,” Betts said.

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