Sunday Hunting in PA
General Topic
Hello Fellow Bowhunters,
This past week HISTORIC --- PA Senate Bill #147 has passed out of the Game and Fisheries committee and will hopefully get a decision by the Senate Majority Leaders to be presented to the Floor of the Senate for a vote.
PA Senate Bill #147 will simply remove the century old BLUE LAW that prohibits Sunday Hunting in the State of PA. It will also stiffen penalties for trespassing. It makes so MUCH sense that it was Introduced by a Republican Senator and CO-Sponsored by a Democrat Senator and Supported by our Democrat Gov. However, there is still resistance by our lawmakers to this potential change.
Can you believe that 1.5 Million Acres of Public State Game Land purchased with funds from Hunter License fees and Federal Funds as a result of the Pittman Robertson Act are Prohibited from being hunted on Sunday across our entire state?? Can you believe public land hunters and private landowners in PA are prohibited from hunting Big Game such as Deer, Bear, and Turkey on Sunday?? Can you believe that both Public Land Hunters and private landowners are prohibited from hunting on ANY land inPA on Sundays when Deer, Bear, Turkey, Small Game seasons are in due to this law. Can you imagine what your hunting season would look like if you were made to be a criminal for hunting on Sunday? We PA hunters want to take our children out on Sunday to hunt. We want to hunt our 1.5 million acres of Public State Game Lands on Sunday. We want to hunt our own private land on Sundays. Please Help us in PA to end this Sunday Hunting Prohibition.
If you would please consider possibly calling or contacting any of the Senator's offices available on the link above and explain your reasons why PA should remove the Prohibition on Sunday Hunting. Your fellow bowhunters of PA would greatly appreciate it. Many of these Senators who oppose do so simply because they hear more from groups like PETA and the PA Farm Bureau than from United Sportsman. We are doing our best to get the word out to our PA hunters...additional voices from out of state hunters would also be VERY HELPFUL.
Maybe you could suggest that you would be willing to consider a visit PA and purchase a Non-Resident hunting license if PA were to allow Sunday Hunting. Maybe you could explain the economic impact out of state hunters would have on Rural Communities in PA. When contacting Republican Senators maybe you could explain the Republican Party usually stand for a lesser Government and increased individual freedoms.
Any help would be greatly appreciated...I'm hoping Pat the owner of Bowsite might chime in on this as he has worked very hard to improve hunting habitat in PA on his private property.
Thanks Fellow BowHunters for any help. We really need to light up the phones and emails of our PA Senators right now.
Here is a link to the actual Bill #147 --Remove Sunday Hunting Prohibition. If your interested.
If it gets out of the senate, you guys will be needing to contact your assemblymen. I attached a link.
I’m all for Sunday hunting. But I don’t think private land ownership should be a factor at all. The game moves freely on and off of that land and it doesn’t belong to land owners. I don’t believe you are doing the fight any good by making that point. If anything it divides us.
I sure hope this passes. It’s long overdue. I wonder how the Farm Bureau plans to keep it from passing. To my knowledge they’ve been the main roadblock.
Wish us luck!
Incredible that one can’t hunt on a Sunday in PA. Used to live in Ohio, and believe that was the case there in the 70s. Good luck.
Mule Power. I'm certainly not trying to divide hunters on Sunday Hunting. In PA Sunday hunting is PROHIBITED on ALL land including Public State GAme Lands, all other Public Land such as National and State Forest and Parks AND Private land. I hunt both public and private land and I am prohibited from hunting either on Sundays in PA. I was hopefully making the point that it is a law that certainly should be changed because of the way that it prohibits BOTH the public and private land hunters in PA. I was not trying to make a point that private landowners "own" the game that habitats on their land. Please consider contacting our PA Senators and let them hear your voice if you would. I will help us get rid of the Prohibition that prevents Sunday Hunting in PA. Many Thanks.
I lived in Pa all my life , I could careless if it passes . I gave up on this state long time ago , why I have been hunting the Mid-West for the last 18 years .
It's all about me, man. smh
Good luck to you guys in getting this passed. Such a ridiculous law.
Yeh, it was tough growing up in PA with OH only 30 miles away. OH always had Sunday hunting. The biggest kick in the nads for me was that early archery season would always go out in mid-Nov, sometimes right in the middle of the rut. In OH, the archery season never stopped. Needless to say, OH got a lot of NR biz from me.
No reason it should not pass in this day and age. With declining participation, they need to increase opportunity. Here in VA, Sunday hunting passed a few years ago, but only on private land.
Thanks for your words of encouragement. If any of you would be willing to contact our PA Senators, especially the Republican ones explaining that it would maybe make the difference of a hunting trip you might consider taking then that would really be extra helpful. Thanks bowhunters.
Pope125---- please don't give up on PA. We still have well over 700,000 hunters who purchase licenses and we could use your help and support if you would contact the Senate office of the district where you used to live or really as many Senators as you could and tell them your frustrations about SUnday Hunting it would NOW be very helpful. This issue is gaining a ton of momentum and press. Especially since the NRA Great Outdoor show is in Harrisburg this week.
PAT Lefemine--- I know this is a Bowhunting web site and not a PA SUnday Hunting website...but any help or extra publicity would be great if you could. I know you hunt PA and imagine you would also like to hunt PA on SUnday. Please contact the Senator of the District where you hunt. Every call, email and letter really does matter right now.
These Senators are committed YES votes so if you want to contact them feel free to send a Thank You message....but the other Senators not listed as Yes votes or the ones who have voted NO in the Game and Fisheries Committee are the ones the REALLY need to be contacted with your support of Senate Bill #147. Thanks again bowhunters.
Yes Votes Alloway, Richard L. (R) District 33 Street, Sharif (D) District 3 Boscola, Lisa M. (D) District 18 Langerholc, Wayne (R) District 35 Brewster, James R. (D) District 45 Laughlin, Daniel (R) District 49 Yaw, Gene (R) District 23 White, Donald C. (R) District 41--Retiring end of Feb. Yudichak, John T. (D) District 14 Scarnati, Joseph B. (R) District 25
NO Votes---BUT THEY CAN CERTAINLY BE SWAYED!! Stefano, Patrick J. (R) District 32 Vogel, Elder A. (R) District 47 Mensch, Bob (R) District 24 Dinniman, Andrew E. (D) District 19
Hope the same tenacity is extended when a state is faced with the loss of opportunity as it is with gain of such...
WV passed Sunday hunting on private land 2 years ago and on public land last year. In spite of all the doom and gloom, fears of thunderbolts from heaven, fears of bullets flying thru church every Sunday morning , it went off without a hitch. I always thought it odd that in WV people could go to bars, strip clubs, and casinos but couldn’t bowhunt on a cool crisp Sunday evening. Thankfully, we can now. Good luck PA!
I can’t understand the logic behind a private land only hunting law. I swear if they passed that in a state where I hunt I’d become an outlaw because I’d be hunting public on Sundays. That’s outright discrimination!
Every time I see the title of this thread I pinch myself. Will I really live to see Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania? Wow!
Mule power while I agree there is no logic, I might think the reason, though unjustified, is because the "multi-use" argument (hikers, bikers, birdwatchers, mushroom hunters) want a day in the woods alone without hunters. So when the Sunday hunting Prohibitions in other states were allowed maybe they agreed to private land only to compromise or appease the "multi-use" folks and make it easier to pass? YOU WILL LIVE TO SEE THE DAY WE HAVE SUNDAY HUNTING IN PA. There are hundreds of SUPER dedicate people trying to make this happen. as the saying goes...gotta strike when the iron is HOT. So please help us and contact PA Senators even if you don't live in PA and tell them your thoughts on the subject. We need all the help we can get.
it took several attempts in va before it was finally overturned (on private land only) such a pointless law & to the church going folks opposed to Sunday hunting I say-said so it's perfectly ok to ride in a boat drink beer & kill fish on Sunday however in your mind there's something morally wrong with hunting on Sun ? please explain !! good luck to you guys TIMEX
Thanks Dan that makes sense. You are a well spoken advocate. But I’d still hunt Sundays on public if they passed it on private only. Wink I don’t see it as unethical. I see the current Sunday restrictions as unethical though!
;-)
I think the fact that the gun opener is about to be moved from Monday to Sunday is a sign that there is some back room knowledge that the No Sunday hunting law is about to be yanked. I don’t think the PGC would have made that change without a high likelihood that Sunday hunting is on its way.
stekewood...let's hope you are correct, however, the PA GAme Commision has their hands tied on Allowing Sunday hunting and I see the Saturday opener as their only recourse to create more gun hunting opportunities and thus sell more hunting licenses which I think is a totally valid reason. I know the PA Game Commision has publicly stated they support Sunday HUnting. I think this measure was their way of putting their support for SUnday Hunting into action. They made Saturday the opener for Black Bear gun season a few years back with Sunday still prohibited. Like I said their hands are tied with the Legislated prohibition. I have no insider info but I do know we have NEVER been closer to eliminating this Sunday Hunting Prohibition and we are hoping to keep the momentum going ALL The WAY to the Gov. Desk. Gotta strike while the IRON IS HOT. Please call or e-mail our PA Senators. We need your voice added to our cause in PA. Thanks.
Mule Power...you know what else is completely illogical to the Private Land only Sunday hunting compromise? Article 34--"PA Hunting Laws" . Exempts coyotes, Fox and Crow from the Sunday HUnting Prohibition. And there is no closed season on Coyotes in PA 365/7 Days a week you can hunt Coyotes on SUnday....You can Hunt Fox on Sunday ,when in Season and you can hunt crow on Sunday. So many people opposed to Sunday Hunting from the "Multi_use" argument say things so ridiculous like. "It would be nice to have one day a week where we don't have to worry about being shot by hunters." What they don't realize is that Coyote, Fox and Crow Hunters are already hunting Sunday and they don't even realize it...the same would be true if the Prohibition was removed on ALL other PA Game. Hunters represent ZERO threat to "Muli-Use" folks as a matter of fact they are 1000s of time more likely to be helped by a hunter if they fall and twist an ankle or break a leg than they would ever be put in harm's way by a hunter. Sometime we must occupy this LOGIC-FREE zone, but we must do our best to appeal to the logic of non-hunters and in many cases hunters as well. Don't even get me started in on the "Deer need a day of rest. argument.
Pat, I have hunted 5C-5D the last 40 years . Im not sure if you know much about this part of the state ? The PGC has done nothing but run the herd numbers into the ground , try coming down and finding a piece of land to hunt . My farm in 5C this past summer lost over 40+ deer to EHD , and still for 2019 the doe allocation tags were not lowered . All about money . Like I said , I could careless about hunting in this state , and giving them may money . I hope for everyone your Sunday hunting gets passed , overdue .
Many people don’t realize that the Pa Game Commission supports the move toward Sunday hunting. It boggles my mind and just plain irritates me the the organization responsibile for wildlife management is overridden by politics and special interest groups. It’s pretty evident what makes the world go round and it’s not science. Politics ruins everything!
I grew up in SW Penna and usually make two trips each year back there to hunt, one in the spring for turkey and one in November for bow/turkey. These are my favorite hunting trips each year, spending time with brothers and other family. Having Sunday to spend hunting would be great! I contacted the senators identified as no votes.
Montnatom....thanks for your support. Please feel free to contact as many as you have time for.
