PA No Sunday Hunting

[Afhunter1]

I’m a lifer in PA so far, Bedford County. I have been here before Gary and still here after. I was all for his restrictions and they def have paid big dividends. The doe pop is a slippery slope. I hunt western MD and WV as well. Killed my first deer in WV at 9. Funny thing is that when PA doe pop dropped so did MD and WV. It was somewhat the extra deer lic sales in PA but we had some really bad winters those years too. And the funny thing is I see 10:1 more and bigger deer in PA than MD and WV still and PA is giving out more doe tags than ever. What’s changed the most is hunters have gotten pickier and less greedy. Back in the day it was nothing to have a dozen deer hanging in my garage by the first Saturday of the season. Tags were never used. Now when I hunt I don’t even pick the gun up unless he’s +17” and 8 points or better. He gets tagged immediately and I usually don’t kill any does anymore.

Thanks Gary from my family!

 

[Afhunter1]

Couple more

 

[CJ19]

I’m a lifer in PA so far, Bedford County. I have been here before Gary and still here after. I was all for his restrictions and they def have paid big dividends. The doe pop is a slippery slope. I hunt western MD and WV as well. Killed my first deer in WV at 9. Funny thing is that when PA doe pop dropped so did MD and WV. It was somewhat the extra deer lic sales in PA but we had some really bad winters those years too. And the funny thing is I see 10:1 more and bigger deer in PA than MD and WV still and PA is giving out more doe tags than ever. What’s changed the most is hunters have gotten pickier and less greedy. Back in the day it was nothing to have a dozen deer hanging in my garage by the first Saturday of the season. Tags were never used. Now when I hunt I don’t even pick the gun up unless he’s +17” and 8 points or better. He gets tagged immediately and I usually don’t kill any does anymore.

Thanks Gary from my family!

The antler restrctions were one of the best things to happen to pa deer hunting. No doubt.

 

[semasko]

Landowners posting has nothing to do with antler restrictions. Hunters leasing land want deer that are even bigger, or want to hunt by themselves. They could take out antler restrictions completely right now and nothing would change because they're paying for their own choice to select whatever size buck they want.

I hear the same thing from people all the time. "There used to be herds of 80 deer" or whatever. OK well that's not a good thing. The population would have crashed and had crashed in some instances. Or its the coyotes that killed them all. They seem to think the woods should only be filled with deer and turkey and every other animal is an inconvenience that needs eradicated.

People have a perspective that the woods are supposed to be the same as when they remember it and if it changed, its the state's fault. Nature is always changing. Animals move when you aren't looking, populations fluctuate, forests mature, invasive species move in or out, etc. A few years in a row of frost in May can dramatically reduce acorn crops and affect wildlife for many years down the road. The state can only react and manage wildlife with the data at hand.

Oh and yea anyone who is against Sunday hunting might as well be an anti-hunter. If you want your camp traditions you can keep them, just make your first day Monday.

 

[Crghss]

A lot of businesses, restaurants, bars pushed for keeping no hunt Sunday’s is because hunters stay in the mountains longer.

Use to be everyone went up to camp Saturday (maybe Friday) stayed till Wednesday, or there abouts. Now people go Friday night till Monday or leave after harvesting a deer. Those 2 extra days use to put a lot money in the local economy.

I use too love deer camp, play pinochle or poker better yet a game of quoits. Drink beer, tell fishing or hunting story’s. But those days are long gone. Wonder how many true deer camps are still around, where 4-5 buddies chip in and buy an old farm. Seems most camps are family oriented last time I was up in Tioga. Which is probably a good thing.

Some folks think too many flunkies showed up in the woods when they switched opening day to Saturday.

 

[Jpsmith1]

We used to have a camp growing up. Everybody would meet up the Friday after Thanksgiving, some of the guys would scout all weekend, setup stands then hunt Monday. It was a huge tradition. We had some guys from out of state and others that only came up for opening day. With the Saturday opener people can't do that anymore. I can understand why they are complaining. Maybe they will just have to put in a little effort and scout ahead of time. I'll bet these are the same people that are complaining that PA has no deer.

My house WAS deer camp growing up.

I remember looking forward to those men coming. Bucky and Lantz and Ol Bert who was 94 years old when I was 14. Some of my fondest memories are from that week of the year.

 

[Rock-o]

From several years ago: https://www.nraila.org/campaigns/huntingconservation/facts-at-a-glance-sunday-hunting/. For PA, the origins were rooted in religion. I expect that is the case for the others as well. Also, some PA school districts get days off for hunting.

 

[Q child]

I had to look this up because I thought you were trolling or referencing a meme I hadn’t seen. That law is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.

Haha. I did the exact same thing on a thread like a year ago, and came to the exact same conclusion.

 

[jj554]

For public land hunters, one good thing about no hunting on Sundays is that it gives you a day to do in season scouting as the deer adapt to the hunting pressure.

 

[Subliminal1]

For public land hunters, one good thing about no hunting on Sundays is that it gives you a day to do in season scouting as the deer adapt to the hunting pressure.

That is a great way to look at it!

 

[Swamp Fox]

For public land hunters, one good thing about no hunting on Sundays is that it gives you a day to do in season scouting as the deer adapt to the hunting pressure.

So it's like running season with dogs, where you're still "hunting" and pushing the animals around (You know you are ...) but you mostly have the woods to yourself. ---

Sounds like fun.

Seems like you could do that on, say, Tuesday or Wednesday, though, and let the guys who only get the weekend off hunt the one or two days they get the time for.

There is no legitimate justification for a Sunday hunting prohibition in most locales.

 

[jj554]

So it's like running season with dogs, where you're still "hunting" and pushing the animals around (You know you are ...) but you mostly have the woods to yourself. ---

Sounds like fun.

Seems like you could do that on, say, Tuesday or Wednesday, though, and let the guys who only get the weekend off hunt the one or two days they get the time for.

There is no legitimate justification for a Sunday hunting prohibition in most locales.

I'm not sure what you mean in the first sentence. Where I hunt, the public land during gun season is so packed with hunters that whatever scouting you had done to pattern deer is mostly useless after opening day. Having a day of no hunting means you can try to pattern them again. I'm not going to scout when the woods are full of hunters, especially in gun season. I can see why it would be a problem if you only have weekends to hunt though.

 

[Swamp Fox]

I think you can *try" to locate them after an onslaught of pressure, but you are still pressuring, and you are not the only goober thinking that way. This is really work that should have been done in Dec/Jan/Feb.

My point is that in-season scouting is still pressure, and from personal experience one day a week off for scouting during prime time will do you *no good* assuming public ground. All it does is take hunting time away from guys who need it.

I can't help you if you have 10 guys hunting 300 acres "private." LOL

 

[jj554]

I

I think you can *try" to locate them after an onslaught of pressure, but you are still pressuring, and you are not the only goober thinking that way. This is really work that should have been done in Dec/Jan/Feb.

My point is that in-season scouting is still pressure, and from personal experience one day a week off for scouting during prime time will do you *no good* assuming public ground. All it does is take hunting time away from guys who need it.

I can't help you if you have 10 guys hunting 300 acres "private." LOLi think

I think you can *try" to locate them after an onslaught of pressure, but you are still pressuring, and you are not the only goober thinking that way. This is really work that should have been done in Dec/Jan/Feb.

My point is that in-season scouting is still pressure, and from personal experience one day a week off for scouting during prime time will do you *no good* assuming public ground. All it does is take hunting time away from guys who need it.

I can't help you if you have 10 guys hunting 300 acres "private." LOL

Yes if every gun hunter thought that way it would be no different than the hunting pressure but where I've hunted, guys don't spend much time scouting. I scout year round in local gamelands and only see human activity before the rut and immediately before gun season. In your experience, do the deer on the land you hunt respond to heavy pressure the same way every year?

 

[bigmike23]

I hunt deer in 3D PA bare minimum 30 sits a season. Both archery and rifle. Archery is 100 % public. Rifle is all private. Right now, is the best time there ever has been to tag trophy deer. This last season I had two deer, one was minimum 21 wide 10 pt. The other was a unicorn once in 100 pa lifetimes 25 in heavy 11 pt. Both on public cams. The quality of the bucks out there is staggering if you look for them.
I hunt a private 1000-acre deer camp. This cabin dates back to 1935 when my great grandfather and others started it. Its tradition to get a group photo of everyone who was successful and stand next to their deer.
So, it's cool to see the bucks over the years. I think the biggest I saw was a monster 85incher in the 70s before the antler restrictions.
As for Sunday hunting, its asinine beyond all measure.
The Sat opener should stay. Colleges, schools, and employees don't see the first day as a holiday anymore. I'm lucky to get the first couple days off always, but others aren't as fortunate.
I have no input on the doe data as I'm not informed enough to know what's right. I don't hunt doe so I wouldn't know.

 

[Swamp Fox]

@J554----

Yes, they do, but I'm not in P.ennsylvania. Have only hunted public and private land (mostly public) for 50+ years and have discussed this point with my Pa. frenemies for at least 25.

If anything, I think there is some benefit to in-season scouting done right for bowhunting, but for your gun season fuhgeddiboutit.

I would advise setting your post-opener ambushes based on last-season's scouting and don't push already-alert bucks in-season. Assuming similar conditions, they will return to their safety routines year after year,

 

[Laelkhunter]

I dunno if it's true or not but I did some work up in Northern PA (pretty nice up there) and they local company guys were telling me this came about because women wanted the men to be home and not spend all their free time hunting.

I guess that's why we took up fishing on a Sunday?? Where there's a will, there's a way to get some quiet time away from the Warden.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I Did not read all the responses. What ever inspired such a stupid law, was it a religious thing, or just a way to give animals a day of reprieve????

 

[ResearchinStuff]

formerly a religous law from i think 1612 or so, this state was started by quakers, who were pretty darn strict about their religion.

It's kept around now by the farm lobby of all things, the farmers have convinced the legislators that sunday hunting is going to be a trespassing problem, so rather than paint the property lines purple and call the cops they've decided to tell any legislator who supports sunday hunting that they're going to lose reelection.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

formerly a religous law from i think 1612 or so, this state was started by quakers, who were pretty darn strict about their religion.

It's kept around now by the farm lobby of all things, the farmers have convinced the legislators that sunday hunting is going to be a trespassing problem, so rather than paint the property lines purple and call the cops they've decided to tell any legislator who supports sunday hunting that they're going to lose reelection.

YUP.