PA House Bill 1431 - Repeal ban on Sunday Hunting

I luv Pa. hunting threads.

Never hunted there, prolly never will. Not really interested in visiting unless I can get my GGGranmother's silverware back, and they kick in some decent German food as an apology.

I don't expect it to be authentic ( the food or the apology).

I just expect it to be Pennsylvanian.

Good luck to you boys wanting to hunt on Sundays, from the Carolinas.
 
The moving version removes the following proposals:
  • Requirement to add an ag interest to the Commission
  • Reporting/carcass presentation/processing requirements for crop damage harvests
  • CWD-testing requirements for natural deer urine lures/scents
 
The requirement to add an ag interest to the Commission is a good one to see removed. It should be a slam dunk at this point, however for those of us in PA we all know how that goes.
 
It officially passed the Senate today, but needs to go back to the house before being signed by the Governor. What I think is funny is everyone thinks it could increase their opportunity but in reality in could reduce their days. For example, Rifle season is 13 days long, starts and ends on a Saturday with one Sunday. If they determine it needs to stay at 13 days, adding in the missing Sunday means you are cutting out the starting Saturday or the last Saturday. Don't think it will happen, but it could..... :)

Considering a good chunk of the state has a three week rifle doe season in January because the hunter numbers keep dropping and enough deer aren’t being killed it would make zero sense to have the season end on a Friday because they added a Sunday.

They will add the middle Sunday and probably the last Sunday to rifle season, gives them a way to add some more time to try and get deer killed without drastically altering the season.
 
Considering a good chunk of the state has a three week rifle doe season in January because the hunter numbers keep dropping and enough deer aren’t being killed it would make zero sense to have the season end on a Friday because they added a Sunday.

They will add the middle Sunday and probably the last Sunday to rifle season, gives them a way to add some more time to try and get deer killed without drastically altering the season.
You are probably right. I don't care how it ends up laying out, because I'm one of those who will make whatever work as hunting is my number one passion. Season could only be to hunt on Tuesday's and I would make it work :).

But if it were to lay out and they keep it the same number of days it is now and we lose a Saturday to hunt, I will be laughing at those that though they would gain a day to hunt :)
 
You are probably right. I don't care how it ends up laying out, because I'm one of those who will make whatever work as hunting is my number one passion. Season could only be to hunt on Tuesday's and I would make it work :).

But if it were to lay out and they keep it the same number of days it is now and we lose a Saturday to hunt, I will be laughing at those that though they would gain a day to hunt :)

The only way that I could see them removing a Saturday would be the first one so the season starts on Sunday. And it wouldn’t be done to shorten the season it would be to compromise due to the fight between the Saturday opener vs Monday opener crowds that’s been going on since the change.

That being said hunting season is way more than just rifle deer season, I’ll be enjoying the extra days to go hunting with my bird dog for pheasants which is what I spent two of the three Sundays hunting last year.
 
Considering a good chunk of the state has a three week rifle doe season in January because the hunter numbers keep dropping and enough deer aren’t being killed it would make zero sense to have the season end on a Friday because they added a Sunday.

They will add the middle Sunday and probably the last Sunday to rifle season, gives them a way to add some more time to try and get deer killed without drastically altering the season.
In my experience there are very few people out that last weekend so I am not sure if you are really losing anything.

I am glad it appears it will pass but my gut feeling tells me that you will see very little pressure during the week. I think some guys will say screw it and use vacation else where. Kind of like you saw with the Saturday start for deer. Guys who normally took off Monday Tuesday are now hunting Saturday and a bit of Sunday and going home. So while I am happy this passed(or appears it will pass) I don’t think it’s gonna help with kill numbers or getting mroe people in the woods.

For us serious guys it helps tremendously by allowing me an extra day in the woods hunting some sort of species
 
The only way that I could see them removing a Saturday would be the first one so the season starts on Sunday. And it wouldn’t be done to shorten the season it would be to compromise due to the fight between the Saturday opener vs Monday opener crowds that’s been going on since the change.

That being said hunting season is way more than just rifle deer season, I’ll be enjoying the extra days to go hunting with my bird dog for pheasants which is what I spent two of the three Sundays hunting last year.
Yup, I agree. I take advantage of the Bear Sunday Hunting day myself. I'm out as much as I possibly can, but I feel like more than half of PA is only rifle hunting. In my area, Archery season is dead. Maybe 1 or 2 cars in parking spots when I drive by. During Rifle, its like a main highway on the forest roads.
 
In my experience there are very few people out that last weekend so I am not sure if you are really losing anything.

I am glad it appears it will pass but my gut feeling tells me that you will see very little pressure during the week. I think some guys will say screw it and use vacation else where. Kind of like you saw with the Saturday start for deer. Guys who normally took off Monday Tuesday are now hunting Saturday and a bit of Sunday and going home. So while I am happy this passed(or appears it will pass) I don’t think it’s gonna help with kill numbers or getting mroe people in the woods.

For us serious guys it helps tremendously by allowing me an extra day in the woods hunting some sort of species
100% agree. After Sunday morning it's like a ghost town. I enjoy the peace and quiet after that opening weekend, haha.
 
It officially passed the Senate today, but needs to go back to the house before being signed by the Governor. What I think is funny is everyone thinks it could increase their opportunity but in reality in could reduce their days. For example, Rifle season is 13 days long, starts and ends on a Saturday with one Sunday. If they determine it needs to stay at 13 days, adding in the missing Sunday means you are cutting out the starting Saturday or the last Saturday. Don't think it will happen, but it could..... :)
It would be really interesting if they had harvest numbers by day of the week - I'd assume harvest would be higher on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday than Monday-Thursday. I don't believe they've removed days for the Sundays they've already added though? Could be wrong
 
Yup, I agree. I take advantage of the Bear Sunday Hunting day myself. I'm out as much as I possibly can, but I feel like more than half of PA is only rifle hunting. In my area, Archery season is dead. Maybe 1 or 2 cars in parking spots when I drive by. During Rifle, its like a main highway on the forest roads.
I have a camp in a prominent area of 2g by prominent I mean it’s a place you have definitely heard of. The seasons there are a ghost town archery or rifle it doesn’t matter. There is a lot of land there though. I started hunting in 02 at the age of 12 and the pressure has steadily fallen from then till today. It makes me sad but idk or I don’t have the answers on how to get people in the woods. I suspect my generation is the last generation to see what hunting once was. The younger kids don’t care and the old are either in to bad of shape or don’t care anymore. Can’t say I blame the old but it’s sad to say the least
 
I have a camp in a prominent area of 2g by prominent I mean it’s a place you have definitely heard of. The seasons there are a ghost town archery or rifle it doesn’t matter. There is a lot of land there though. I started hunting in 02 at the age of 12 and the pressure has steadily fallen from then till today. It makes me sad but idk or I don’t have the answers on how to get people in the woods. I suspect my generation is the last generation to see what hunting once was. The younger kids don’t care and the old are either in to bad of shape or don’t care anymore. Can’t say I blame the old but it’s sad to say the least

This kids and hunting thing must depend on where you are in the state. In more rural areas, most of the boys hunt, and more girls hunt now then back when I was in school. They might not all hunt during archery season, but out my wrestling team only 1 or 2 out of about 30 do not hunt. Most of those that do go are absolutely crazy about it. Like pulling the old, "coach my shoulder hurts, and cannot practice today" deal, but then I find out they went goose hunting.
 
I have a camp in a prominent area of 2g by prominent I mean it’s a place you have definitely heard of. The seasons there are a ghost town archery or rifle it doesn’t matter. There is a lot of land there though. I started hunting in 02 at the age of 12 and the pressure has steadily fallen from then till today. It makes me sad but idk or I don’t have the answers on how to get people in the woods. I suspect my generation is the last generation to see what hunting once was. The younger kids don’t care and the old are either in to bad of shape or don’t care anymore. Can’t say I blame the old but it’s sad to say the least
I agree and it's just where we are heading as a society. I commend anyone trying to keep folks interested and more people involved in the outdoors, but it is simply a dwindling trend. Unless everyone has a come to Jesus moment and goes back to a more natural way of things. It really is sad a society, especially when we are hunter and gathers by design.
 
But if it were to lay out and they keep it the same number of days it is now and we lose a Saturday to hunt, I will be laughing at those that though they would gain a day to hunt
No way they’re taking away a Saturday of rifle season.

PGC will use the Sundays as they fit into their game management plan. It’s not about how many people will hunt on any given Sunday. It’s about opening up opportunity to do so if you’d like. Their agenda for quite a while now has included adding opportunities wherever they could. Sundays allow them to more easily continue that mission.
 
No way they’re taking away a Saturday of rifle season.

PGC will use the Sundays as they fit into their game management plan. It’s not about how many people will hunt on any given Sunday. It’s about opening up opportunity to do so if you’d like. Their agenda for quite a while now has included adding opportunities wherever they could. Sundays allow them to more easily continue that mission.
I agree and I know it wont since I'm pretty involved with the PGC commissioners. I used to do risk management for a living and always look at both sides. Like I said it won't happen, but its also something that could be on the table. If the biologist determines the herd can only take 13 days they could take a day away. Also, if do to opportunity there is an over harvest tags will be reduced. Both options reduce opportunity in the grand scheme of things. Reduction of tags is the most likely as they have always gone up and down. They won't take days away because in general hunting participation will always decline no matter what you try to do.
 
In my experience there are very few people out that last weekend so I am not sure if you are really losing anything.

I am glad it appears it will pass but my gut feeling tells me that you will see very little pressure during the week. I think some guys will say screw it and use vacation else where. Kind of like you saw with the Saturday start for deer. Guys who normally took off Monday Tuesday are now hunting Saturday and a bit of Sunday and going home. So while I am happy this passed(or appears it will pass) I don’t think it’s gonna help with kill numbers or getting mroe people in the woods.

For us serious guys it helps tremendously by allowing me an extra day in the woods hunting some sort of species

The last weekend of rifle is pretty much the hardest weekend of the year to find deer in our area, they have been hammered for two weeks and are either holed up where nobody hunts or are tucked into the nastiest cover they can find.

Before the Saturday opener we used to stay up until Wednesday night but now we head back Tuesday afternoon. By then we have typically shot a bunch of deer and done a bunch of drives and spent hour butchering so the guys are ready to button it up and head home.

Yup, I agree. I take advantage of the Bear Sunday Hunting day myself. I'm out as much as I possibly can, but I feel like more than half of PA is only rifle hunting. In my area, Archery season is dead. Maybe 1 or 2 cars in parking spots when I drive by. During Rifle, it’s like a main highway on the forest roads.

We hunted bear season in the past but don’t have a ton of bears in our area of 4A. I shot our camps first bear in 2019 on the first Saturday opener since they opened the extended bear season that year. It weighted 475 pounds and after the effort it took to get it out of the woods none of our small 4 person group seemed particularly interested in doing it again without the extended 14 person crew we have during rifle deer season. Since most of those guys hunt bear elsewhere I’ve taken up bird hunting that weekend instead.

I used to hunt archery but have pretty much dropped that in favor of the early muzzleloader season and pheasant hunting the rest of the time between muzzleloader and rifle. Might give dove hunting a try this year as well to tie me over till muzzleloader.
 
For most I would venture to say that hunting is more recreational than it is “work” which infringes on keeping the sabbath holy. Never understood why it was banned on Sunday anywhere other than the thinking being they didn’t want people having fun on that day
I grew up thinking same about no Sunday alcohol sales.
 
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