PA House Bill 1431 - Repeal ban on Sunday Hunting

[SIR_34:16]

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has historically been opposed to Sunday hunting and is the primary reason it has not been repealed.

This bill actually has three parts. Repealing the ban on Sunday hunting is only the first part. To secure support from the Farm Bureau, the second part strengthens trespassing laws, and the third part requires a representative of the agriculture industry be appointed to the Game Commissioner Board.

I wholeheartedly support strengthening the trespassing laws. The existing laws here are a joke compared to the western states.

I also support repealing the ban on Sunday hunting. PA has allowed big game hunting on 3 Sundays since 2019 (one Sunday during November for archery deer season, one in the rifle bear season, and one in the rifle deer season). I have chosen not to hunt the Sundays in deer seasons, but HAVE hunted the Sunday in bear season. Repealing the ban at least gives people a choice and allows the Game Commission and not politicians to set the season structure. If you choose not to hunt on Sunday, don't.

I'm NOT on board with appointing special interest groups to the Game Commission Board of Directors. The mission of the Game Commission is to "Manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations." I feel this can sometimes be at odds with the agriculture special interest.

Repealing the ban I feel is a good thing, but the question has to be asked at what cost?

 

[Jpsmith1]

Just do not feel it is necessary. We can hunt Monday through Saturday.

So, you're not a supporter of freedom. Ok. Good to know

 

[plebe]

People also work Monday through Friday so that just leaves one day per week to hunt and most of the Northern states have very short seasons, so it definitely restricts opportunity.


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It’s just one Sunday during the statewide firearms season.

 

[plebe]

So, you're not a supporter of freedom. Ok. Good to know

You can’t legally hunt deer more days of the year than you can.

 

[Jpsmith1]

You can’t legally hunt deer more days of the year than you can.

That's kind of a given.

 

[plebe]

That's kind of a given.

Just saying there’s a set amount of days. You have the freedom to hunt them or not.

 

[roadrunner]

A law that makes it illegal to have fun on somebody else’s holy day is not a lib-tard law. It’s a conserva-tard law. I generally don’t like tard laws of either stripe. Or tards for that matter.

Go ahead and have your holy day… it’s a free country. Right up to the point where you pass laws forcing me to observe it. Then you’re impinging on my freedom of religion.

Kind of like the 5 day work week. We force those who do observe a holy day on Sunday to adapt the work style of those who exercise their freedom of religion to not observe a holy day.

Imagine the uproar of pushing for a 4 day work week so those who observe Sunday as a holy day can have two play days as well. The belly-aching of having to work more during the day for them would be horrible.

But hey, it's their choice, right? To not make everything in life about them...

 

[plebe]

Big questions I think are what will happen to Deer Day? And would they ever close the season on a Sunday?

You may have noted Rep Brian Smith’s proposal to return opening day to a Monday.

For those who don’t know, it wasn’t long ago that the PA regular firearms season historically started on the Monday following Thanksgiving, and it was treated like a holiday with things like schools and many businesses closed. For the weekend warrior it pretty much made up for the one Sunday of no deer hunting. And that Monday “Deer Day”, as it was called, had I think a substantial cultural impact in support of a hunting community. They moved the opener to Saturday in 2019, but 410 of 500 school districts continue to recognize “Deer Day”. How long that will last is unknown. It could certainly be impacted by the pending Sunday hunting legislation.

Just for comparison:

The 1998 regular firearms season opened on Monday Nov 30 and ran until Saturday December 12. That included one Sunday of no deer hunting. 12 days total. The weekend warrior took that Monday and had two Saturdays.

The 2023 regular firearms season opened on Saturday Nov. 25, with hunting authorized Sunday Nov. 26, and continued until December 9th with no hunting on Sunday December 3rd. 14 days total. So the weekend Warrior got an additional Saturday and a Sunday and as well probably took the Monday deer day too.

The move to a Saturday opener was allegedly made to increase hunting opportunity. On paper we see it does, but I suspect it really benefitted out of state hunters and license sales most of all.

So where does this go if both statutes pass. You gain one Sunday, but loose a Saturday and Sunday. Or does the season end on a Sunday then?

This is of course all focused on the relatively short firearms season which has historically been the major draw for the average hunter of PA. Archery has caught up a lot since crossbow was legalized (nearly 70% of archery deer are taken with a crossbow in the state). Though firearms license sales still lead something nearing double. (Bear in mind they are less than half what they once were).

I don’t have a strong opinion one way or another on the Sunday deal. It would make hunting PA easier for me, since I live out of state (but have hunted there for decades.) I just scout on Sundays and honestly, enjoy that too.

If PA wanted to keep hunter numbers up, they shouldn’t have focused on trophy management and hacked the herd to pieces in the early 2000s. This current legislation is far less arguable than that abomination.

Anyway, PA is a one buck state, and factoring in all seasons, there is plenty of opportunity to get one buck imo. Even if the deer get a day off every now and then.

So, however it shakes out. I think the vitriol is a bit over the top when you consider the whole of the thing.

 

[pacoalcracker]

Those crying for Sunday hunting won't hunt much, or at all on that day anyways. People just want more of everything...it's the human condition.

 

[camping1601]

Im in the middle on this but overall in support of Sunday hunting as long as it's a slow roll out. If you look at it from a deer only stand point most of the state will gain an extra 2 weeks of deer hunting and I feel this could impact the hunting if implemented to fast. I know some big groups that do drives that would absolutely kill more deer in just one more day.

 

[vermeire]

Im in the middle on this but overall in support of Sunday hunting as long as it's a slow roll out. If you look at it from a deer only stand point most of the state will gain an extra 2 weeks of deer hunting and I feel this could impact the hunting if implemented to fast. I know some big groups that do drives that would absolutely kill more deer in just one more day.

Where are you getting "an extra 2 weeks of deer hunting"? Rifle is going to add one day and archery will be shortened to compensation for the added Sundays. Gobbler will be reduced as well, especially considering the lack of birds in a lot of the state. Adding Sundays may actually result in fewer total days available. But it's going to be a day of the week that more people are able to hunt.

I've always felt that if you didn't want to hunt on a Sunday then don't. Same as the Saturday/Monday opener debate; if you want to honor your traditions and not start hunting until Monday that's fine with the rest of us

 

[camping1601]

Where are you getting "an extra 2 weeks of deer hunting"? Rifle is going to add one day and archery will be shortened to compensation for the added Sundays. Gobbler will be reduced as well, especially considering the lack of birds in a lot of the state. Adding Sundays may actually result in fewer total days available. But it's going to be a day of the week that more people are able to hunt.

I've always felt that if you didn't want to hunt on a Sunday then don't. Same as the Saturday/Monday opener debate; if you want to honor your traditions and not start hunting until Monday that's fine with the rest of us

If was from the stand point of if we just made all Sunday hunting legal like most want.

 

[fishdart]

I'd sure like to have another weekend day to hunt more than deer....small game, pheasant and grouse, turkeys, etc.

The biggest impacts to season dates and lengths would actually be to waterfowl seasons due to the federal frameworks.

Also, this legislation is to give over the decision making on what Sundays will be open to hunting to the Game Commission and they will then determine those Sundays instead of the state legislature.

 

[06 SB]

I grew up in PA with no Sunday hunting/Monday opener and actually prefer it would go back. It has nothing to do with my religious beliefs. On Friday after Thanksgiving, all of us would go to hunting camp to scout, check our guns, play cards and catch up on everyone's lives. Now we all show up Friday night, get set up, go to bed and start hunting the next morning. There is very little chance to spend any significant quality time.

Growing up on a farm, beginning with small game season, there would be constant knocks on the door asking if they could hunt. We had a lot of pheasants and rabbits and there was always shooting around the place on Saturdays. We never had a problem with slobs or crop damage. BUT, It was nice to have a break from that on Sundays.

I know, I am a Fudd...

 

[camping1601]

I grew up in PA with no Sunday hunting/Monday opener and actually prefer it would go back. It has nothing to do with my religious beliefs. On Friday after Thanksgiving, all of us would go to hunting camp to scout, check our guns, play cards and catch up on everyone's lives. Now we all show up Friday night, get set up, go to bed and start hunting the next morning. There is very little chance to spend any significant quality time.

Growing up on a farm, beginning with small game season, there would be constant knocks on the door asking if they could hunt. We had a lot of pheasants and rabbits and there was always shooting around the place on Saturdays. We never had a problem with slobs or crop damage. BUT, It was nice to have a break from that on Sundays.

I know, I am a Fudd...

I miss this myself. Plus the fire hall cooks and such the weekend before.

 

[plebe]

Also, this legislation is to give over the decision making on what Sundays will be open to hunting to the Game Commission and they will then determine those Sundays instead of the state legislature.

This framework seems a tad murky. After an overturning of the long-standing prohibition of Sunday hunting, would the Game Commission really exclude Sundays within the scope of a season? I don’t think so.

 

[KenLee]

Don’t care what ya “ feel” that’s one of the main reasons I moved years ago. Terrible law imo.

Moving to the South opened my eyes to how backwards the north east is. Libtard central. I never go back, but feel bad for family and friends that are stuck there.

Couldn't hunt Sunday on private in Upstate South Carolina until about 20 yrs ago.
Only 2 yrs ago did about half the public lands in SC open for Sunday hunting.

 

[canyonhunter47]

Sunday hunting ban seems misguided to me. As they say ‘Better to be in the woods thinkin about God than sittin in church thinking about huntin’

I could see how doubling the available time for hunting on the weekend would trigger some changes in seasons though

 

[HookUp]

As a public land guy I wish hunting was closed on Sundays to give a management rest day. People hunt sun up to sun down on our pub land and it never gets a pressure break.

 

[plebe]

Sunday hunting ban seems misguided to me. As they say ‘Better to be in the woods thinkin about God than sittin in church thinking about huntin’

I could see how doubling the available time for hunting on the weekend would trigger some changes in seasons though

It’s not like it is illegal to go into the woods. You can scout and you can hunt crows, foxes, and coyotes. (Plus they’ve already authorized three Sundays of deer hunting).

It seems like the biggest pushback focuses on the historically religious foundation of the rule. But nobody is cancelling Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Like @HookUp said, a day of reprieve for the hunted isn’t such a bad thing.

If it’s about hunter numbers and opportunity, I think there’s discussion to be had.

There were 1.3million deer hunters in PA in the 1980s. I think I saw it reported along the lines of mid-600,000s these days.

BUT, despite the lower hunter numbers last year was the 4th highest deer harvest on record. So if it’s about opportunity and wildlife management, it seems to be ample right now as is.