More Sunday hunting coming to Pa. if state lawmakers pass this new bill

Following the introduction of three Sunday hunting dates last year, Pennsylvanians may find more Sunday hunting opportunities available in the near future if a bill currently making its way through the state legislature is passed.

Introduced by Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), Senate Bill 607 would remove the current restrictions on Sunday hunting and give the Pennsylvania Game Commission the authority to make all decisions related to hunting on that day. Although the agency is tasked with managing the state’s 480 bird and mammal species, including game species, it does not have the authority to expand the number of days Sunday hunting is permitted in the commonwealth. Instead, any such change must be done through the state legislature updating the state’s Game and Wildlife Code, officially known as Title 34 of Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes.

Laughlin, who was instrumental in getting the original Sunday hunting bill passed in 2019, has long been in favor of Sunday hunting to provide additional opportunities for sportsmen and to help recruit young people to the sport. When he introduced SB 607, he noted that hunting license sales have been declining across the nation for the past four decades, and numerous surveys and research have shown that the No. 1 reason people quit the sport is lack of time.

“Act 107 of 2019 authorized the Game Commission to implement three Sundays for hunting,” Laughlin said. “These three days were extremely successful, and exceptionally safe.

“The Game Commission reported no hunting related shooting incidents on any of those days. Additionally, implementing the three Sundays contributed to the increase of 25,152 licenses sold in the previous year. The additional opportunities that are available to hunters is paying huge dividends.”

In 2020, the PGC offer one Sunday hunting day during the archery deer season, a second during the firearms bear season and a third on the first Sunday of the firearms deer season. For 2021, the agency has expanded the number of game species that can be pursued on the Sundays. For example, ruffed grouse, rabbits, ring-necked pheasants and woodchucks will also be fair game on the Sunday archery deer hunting day Nov. 14 and Sunday firearms bear hunting date Nov. 21.

From its perspective, the PGC obviously supports SB 607. PGC communications director Travis Lau said the agency has received a lot of positive feedback about last year’s regulated Sunday big-game opportunities.

“In the coming season, hunting on the three selected Sundays will expand to other species that are in season as well, except for turkeys and migratory game birds. So, more hunters will get to take part and experience Sunday hunting,” Lau said. “That’s important because research has shown a lack of time is a common reason that hunters stop hunting. So, providing additional days to hunt, and especially on weekends, when many don’t have to work, goes a long way to address that issue and retain more hunters.”

SB 607 was voted out of the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee last week and now heads to the full Senate for a vote at a date to be determined.