On Thursday, a bill to completely eliminate Pennsylvania’s Sunday hunting restriction was approved by the state Senate.
The state House of Representatives approved the idea, House Bill 1431, on June 11. Nonetheless, the Senate changed a clause to permit the use of natural deer urine as an attractant, eliminating the need for testing to make sure it is free of Chronic Wasting Disease.
Because of that modification, the legislation must pass another House vote before it can be signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro.
With the amendment, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners would have complete control over which Sundays are designated as hunting days. For a long time, foxes, coyotes, and crows have had Sunday hunting possibilities in Pennsylvania. Additionally, in 2020, the Pennsylvania Game Commission implemented Act 107 of 2019 to permit hunting on three Sundays for specific game species.
State Representative Mandy Steele, a Democrat from Allegheny, introduced the bill, HB 1431, which was first approved by the House by a vote of 131-72. The Senate passed it with a majority of 34–16.
On the Senate floor Thursday, the plan was supported by state senator Daniel Laughlin, a Republican from Erie. Similar to HB 1431, he has introduced companion legislation, Senate Bill 67, which is currently pending full Senate consideration.
This advances the goal of lifting Pennsylvania’s antiquated Sunday hunting restrictions.In a Facebook post on Thursday, Laughlin thanked Steele and former Democratic Senator Jim Brewster for helping to provide the foundation for reaching this stage.
Since I first took office, this has been one of my main priorities, Laughlin wrote. Giving hardworking families the opportunity to hunt on Sundays—a day many people have off but haven’t been able to enjoy until recently—is about justice.
Steele has cited the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, the Game Commission, and other hunter advocacy organizations as having endorsed the plan.
As I researched this topic and realized the potential impact Sunday hunting could have on families throughout the commonwealth, I realized that not only do busy families support Sunday hunting, but our farmers are also suffering financially as a result of crop damage, Steele stated at a House Game & Fisheries Committee meeting on June 3. According to our wildlife specialists, Sunday hunting is necessary for herd management. And it is our forest ecologists who are witnessing our magnificent Pennsylvania woodlands being completely destroyed by an overabundance of cattle.
The proposed modification coincides with the Game Commission’s record-breaking 1.3 million antlerless deer hunting license sales opening this week.
Concerns about non-hunting outdoor enthusiasts sharing fields and forests and remembering to wear blaze orange are among the arguments made against the expansion of Sunday hunting.
You can contact Kurt Bresswein at [email protected].
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