Sunday Hunting In Pennsylvania is One Signature Away

The long, drawn-out process to bring Sunday hunting back to Pennsylvania is finally at a point where it can be sealed with the stroke of the governor’s pen. 

House Bill 143 passed both chambers with bipartisan support, with a 131-72 initial vote in the House and a 34-16 vote in the Senate. The bill - which would effectively lift any and all bans on Sunday hunting across Pennsylvania - now sits atop the governor’s desk in Harrisburg.

In an effort to provide more hunting opportunities to the state’s working class, many believe the expansion of Sunday hunting, which currently allows for the hunting of foxes, coyotes, and crows on Sundays, would also result in additional revenue for the state’s Game Commission. While the state added three additional Sunday opportunities in 2019; including one during archery deer season, one during rifle deer season and another during bear rifle season, a full repeal of the ban has been in the works for the better part of a decade.

Serving as home to some of the country’s most rabid hunters, many believe that adding another day to each weekend would effectively double the majority of working people’s time afield. Outside of residents, the state of Pennsylvania attracts many visitors from out-of-state looking for a shot at a nice Keystone buck or bear. The problem being that many from outside of the state have admitted that these outdated “blue laws” do affect their decisions regarding committing to taking a long weekend that would contain a day in which they’d be unable to hunt.

Outside of Pennsylvania, only Maine and Massachusetts remain as states that still have complete bans on Sunday hunting. Many believe that the potential changes in Pennsylvania will lead to changes in those two states as well. 

All said, the signing of the bill doesn’t automatically signal an all out siege on Sundays. The passage of the bill simply gives the Game Commission the ability to approve specific hunting days to the existing seasons. It remains up to the Commission to decide to open things up or pander to those that remain in opposition to the repeal.

Despite being a ban based on religious principles, many who oppose the bill tend to oppose hunting in general, rather than holding fast to a holy Sabbath Day. As many in opposition have stated that they would no longer feel safe in the woods on Sundays, it remains unlikely that their reasoning will have much pull at Shapiro’s pen at this point in the game.

As of right now, all signs point to the fact that this bill will, in all likelihood, be signed into law. Here’s to hoping that the opportunities it presents will go a long way in bolstering hunter retention in the Keystone State.