New Sunday hunting push?

Sunday Hunting Fight to take new form

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The fight to legalize Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania is taking on a new form.

It’s not one everyone supports.

The grassroots group Hunters United for Sunday Hunting initially formed more than a year ago. Its goal was to convince lawmakers to remove the “blue law” prohibiting hunting on Sundays.

That would not mandate hunting on any Sundays. It would only give the Pennsylvania Game Commission the authority to decide which ones, if any, to add to the hunting calendar.

Supporters say Sunday hunting would increase opportunities for working people, families and youths otherwise tied up with work, school and sports to get outdoors.

The idea has gotten no traction, however.

State Rep. Bob Godshall of Montgomery County actually introduced House Bill 71 on Jan. 23 of 2017. It would eliminate the Sunday hunting ban. Fourteen co-sponsors signed on.

But it’s gone nowhere.

The bill has never come up for debate in committee, let alone gone before the full House of Representatives. That’s the same fate suffered by similar legislation in previous years.

So, said Harold Daub of Dauphin County, it’s time for a change.

Daub – testifying before Game Commissioners – admitted not all hunters want Sundays. And the main issue for those opposed is deer.

They fear adding Sundays to deer seasons and decreasing the herd, Daub said.

He doesn’t share that worry, he said. But he accepts it for the roadblock it is, he added.

“I would prefer that the Game Commission be given seven-day regulatory authority over all species. But it’s simply time to face reality and leave deer behind,” Daub said.

That’s where the new strategy comes in.

There is some Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania already, Daub noted. Three species — coyotes, foxes and crows — can be pursued on that day.

The Hunters United group is now suggesting that – rather than repealing the Sunday hunting ban – lawmakers instead just expand the list of species that can be hunted on that day. Specifically, it wants to add groundhogs, squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, raccoons and waterfowl.

Not everyone likes the idea.

Enough of those who attended a kickoff meeting for the new strategy complained that Daub took to Facebook this week to address their issues.

The problem, he said, is the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

That group is the largest representing farm families in the state. And it has long opposed Sunday hunting.

That remains its stance

Jeff Grove, the bureau’s director of local affairs, said the issue was debated – as it is every year — at its annual meeting in November. Sunday hunting was shot down in a discussion that lasted less than three minutes, he said.

There are likely several reasons, he said. But one stands out.

“The one thing I hear most often on Sunday hunting is that farmers just don’t want to be harassed on Sundays,” Grove said.

Daub said hunters – who have had no success countering the bureau with lawmakers – have to try something new, hence the new strategy.

“Is it perfect? No. But we need to win a battle to turn this war in our favor and away from the Farm Bureau,” he wrote.

In the meantime, one Game Commissioner wondered if the bureau’s stance accurately reflect all farmers.

Brian Hoover of Chester County attended the Farm Bureau’s annual meeting.

“So when I sat at a table with a group of farmers, the first thing they brought up to me was, when are we going to get Sunday hunting? And the table behind me was saying the same thing,” Hoover said.

He suggested there’s an “underlying movement” within the bureau accept it.

If that’s true, it might be age based, Grove said.

“I do believe, if you look at the demographics of hunters, the younger generation is much more supportive (of Sunday hunting) than the older. And I would imagine that’s possible in the agricultural industry, too,” Grove said.

There are certainly young people who favor Sunday hunting.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s youth advisory council on hunting, fishing and conservation were polled on their ideas for getting kids into the woods more often.

“More days to hunt was suggested more than any other idea,” said Jordon Edmonds of Hershey, spokesman for the group.

He told commissioners group members see Sundays as the answer to getting youths into the woods in the face of other competition for time.

Daub said hunters need to pursue whatever options it can to expand Sunday hunting.

https://adventures.everybodyshops.co...take-new-form/

So why doesn’t someone propose that there be Sunday hunting on SGL that have nothing to do with the members of the Farm Bureau because it would have zero affect on them?

Or that one could hunt on their own property on Sunday, again going around what the members of the Farm Bureau oppose?

Using over harvest is a smokescreen. When one kills a buck, they are done and the antlerless population is controlled by license allocations.

I'd be ok with Sunday hunting during the archery season

DarDys
If SGL are over harvested, the someone at the PGC needs fired. They control populations via antlerless allocations, so any over harvest is directly their doing.

The question becomes are SGLs over harvested or is that just a perception that exists among some hunters.
 
The problem with allocations allotted to areas the size of WMUs is the PGC cannot control where the tags are used. Allocations can only control general populations, not micro populations. 

The only people who will really benefit from Sunday hunting are the non-resident hunters. As far as the youth are concerned if you have to beg a kid to hunt your wasting your time.!!!!

lost sage rod sectio
The only people who will really benefit from Sunday hunting are the non-resident hunters. As far as the youth are concerned if you have to beg a kid to hunt your wasting your time.!!!!

False. I work 40 hour work week. I also have 1 hour round trip commute to work, so you can kiss goodbye hunting after work during rifle season.
 
By opening up Sunday hunting, I can double my time afield. I typically hunt 4 days of rifle. The opener, the 2 Saturdays and the final Friday I will take vacation day. My number of tags wouldn't change. I would still have my buck tag, 2F and a 2D bonus tag.
 
Open it up and be done with it.

People genuinely distrust the PGC.

When hunting areas are declining due to more private property postings I would say SGL's are over hunted or at least used more and more every year. GL # 39 is very busy with hunters every deer and turkey season as hunters get squeezed out of private areas. Nothing to see most parking areas loaded with vehicles. 39 is a big SGL too, around 10k acres. I'd hate to see it on a Sunday if only SGL's would be open....hunters would target it heavy.  I'm not against Sunday hunting, but I'd want it state wide open to all hunters..... not split up.  

Boy I'll drink to that cause I (along with hundreds of thousands of other hunters) know what it's like to have to wait to go hunting.  Wasn't bad enough having to wait til I turned 12 to obtain a hunting license, or make a choice between school sports, I can count on my one hand my brothers and I got to hunt with our dad who worked 10-12 hour days as an electrician.  So cry me a river of that Kool-aid and stop using "what about the children" as means to push your agenda.
 
You want to hunt Sundays; buy your own land and stock it or better yet, Ohio ain't too far from the Pennsylvania boarder and their schools have sports programs.  So get with the 21 century and take advantage of the low mortgage interest rates.  Lots of states have Sunday hunting and plenty of real estate for sale.
 
For crying out loud, who in the hell in their right mind thinks it's the land owners who don't want Sunday hunting in Pa?   Millions of acres of State Game Lands can be opened but the Game Commission don't.  Please don't think I'm going to believe the BS that land will be over hunted.   
 
Look at the programs the PGC now has on the books so why not have a program, where land owners can post their land "OPEN FOR SUNDAY HUNTING".
 
It's the PGC that doesn't want Sunday hunting.  Good grief the commission doesn't have enough "GAME WARDENS" to patrol 6 days a week so where the hell do they find enough manpower to schedule 7 days a week?  OH I know, the "GAME WARDENS" should all be working 24/7, even though they may have children playing school sports and would like to hunt with dad.
 
Lastly but not leastly, how soon before some yinz demand the age be reduced for obtaining a driver's license and hey how about being able to belly up to the bar and have a beer with the kids?
 
Thank you for listening, I'm just having issues dealing with 'melting ice'.  The Doc says it's temporary and has prescribed a daily dose of sitting in a boat, beginning open water.
 
 
Gotta git, Ice is calling.   (not Immigration and Customs Enforcement either)
 
 
 
Happy Ash Wednesday  but after my rant, I suppose I shouldn't expect too many Valentines in my PM box... huh?
 
 
   Well to show what kind of guy I am........   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                              HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                          

rsquared
As I said, I'd gladly hunt on Sundays if I could but I don't think for one minute that adding an extra day a week will magically increase hunting participation in PA for those who don't already make it a priority for themselves and their kids.

I love the Mentored Program and my son started hunting when he was 9. But those I know who took advantage of that program were already committed to teaching their kids to hunt no matter what age they were allowed to start. Is there any data that suggests the Mentored program has helped to recruit and retain more PA hunters? I doubt it based on the numbers that continue to show declining participation, but maybe I'm wrong.

I don't think you are wrong in the above points as I also believe that allowing Sunday hunting will not measurable increase participation or slow the decline in hunter numbers. Increasing recruitment is not why I support it. 
 
My support is primarily based on one point, and secondarily on another. 
 
First, I believe game agencies should be regulating hunting. In this state we have a law that grants politicians the responsibility to regulate hunting 52 days of the year. The discussion of when and where to implement SH should be in front of Commissioners at public PGC meetings, not within the halls of the capital building. 
 
Second. Participation is dropping like a stone. Deer hunting down close to 50%, small game down 70%, fall turkey down 60% over the past 20 years. For hunters that still hunt, why are we willingly allowing barriers to remain which keep hunters that want to hunt from hunting on their days off during open seasons. 
 
 

Other states, and PA to a lesser extent, already do that to some extent dpms.

When I lived and hunted in both NC and KY, both states restricted which days of the week you could hunt on some state owned lands. General season firearm Deer hunting on public lands in KY was through a drawing and access was restricted to certain days. Waterfowl on some public lands in NC was limited to like 2 or 3 days a week even though seasons were open statewide.

Why in PA can you only hunt crows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Aren't the hunting opportunities for waterfowl at Pymy and Middle Creek restricted to certain days?

Granted, all those examples have to do with conservation, and not social perception so it's a little different, but the point is that PA and other states already do that.

I do understand your point though of at least giving the PGC regulatory control of that as game agencies in other states have in the examples cited above. My guess is that the hesitancy on the part of lawmakers has to do with hearing from their constituents on the matter that they do not want it.

Even in this discussion we've got two guys who hunt on their own property - BTDT and DarDys - with differing opinions on the matter. 2 of 3 landowners whose property I hunt regularly would not like it. 1 couldn't care less. Very, very small sample sizes but I would imagine that there are many landowners in PA that would be very upset about Sunday hunting.

As I said I'm certainly not opposed to SH and would participate if given the opportunity. I think from my own experiences and purely anecdotal evidence - both very small and limited - that there's potential for it to create more problems than opportunities, but hopefully I'd be wrong.

DarDys
I personally know of no landowners who would not want to hunt their property on Sunday. For those that are opposed to it, just don’t do it.

 
Same with me. None of the private property I hunt would be off limits to myself or others on Sundays if it were allowed. 
 
But I understand that there will be some landowners that won't allow it. As for the comments that landowners will shut down their land to all hunting 7 days of the week if SH were to become legal, I believe it will be a very tiny number that go to that extreme. Those that do will most likely open it back up in time when the sky doesn't fall and people accept it for what it is, which is a non issue. 

This same discussion took place, as my father relayed to me (I’m old, but not that old) concerning fishing on Sunday, something which was not permitted on Sundays because landowners would post their property if hordes of anglers (and one must admit, since this was centered around trout st the time, that there were far more trout anglers crowded around a stream than hunters concentrated in the same size area) descended up their Sunday tranquility. Obviously, that didn’t happen.

Yep. Sunday fishing used to be illegal. On that point, fishing on private property is more common  than hunting on private property, according to a study I saw, so trespass is more likely to happen with fishing than hunting. 
 

eyesandgillz
 
 
How ya been Dave???? 
 
 

Doing good Justin!  How 'bout yinz?