Why It Matters: The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been actively working to advance legislation to permit expanded Sunday hunting opportunities in Connecticut. After ten years since the original bill to allow archery hunting for deer on Sundays passed, and on a bipartisan vote, a negotiated bill to expand Sunday hunting opportunities further has now left the Joint Committee on Environment, House Bill 7231. If passed, this bill would permit hunting during all seasons, including the use of firearms if permitted for that season, on private property of ten acres or more. CSF is optimistic on the chances of this bill getting a floor vote before the end of session this year.
Highlights:
- Hunting during all regulated seasons, including the use of firearms as permitted for that season, on private property of ten or more acres would be allowed.
- Bowhunting deer on private property and some WMAs on Sundays would continue to be permitted as per current regulations.
- This legislation passed the Joint Committee on Environment by a bipartisan vote of 30 to 3 and one absence.
After ten years, the Connecticut legislature is awaiting an imminent floor vote on an expansion of Sunday hunting. As negotiations continue to better the wording of this legislation, House Bill 7231, as currently amended, would allow hunting to be permitted on private property using firearms or archery equipment on ten acres of land or more as allowed by the respective season.
In 2015, then Governor Dan Malloy, a member of the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC), signed into law the ability for bow hunting deer on Sundays to occur on private property and some WMAs with written consent from the property owner. The hunting opportunities on Sundays over the past decade have provided private property owners and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) increased resources to manage wildlife resources in the state. This year’s legislation is a further positive step which will significantly expand Sunday hunting opportunities and result in still greater conservation benefits.
Opponents of permitting Sunday hunting in Connecticut are resorting to numerous disingenuous and outright untrue statements about hunters and the intent of this negotiated legislation. One legislator said during testimony that allowing hunting on Sundays on private property would infringe on the public’s ability to hike on that property. Trespassing in Connecticut is against the law, and knowingly trespassing on private land is a misdemeanor offense – for both hunting and hiking. Just like the Sunday allowances for bowhunting of deer from 2015, hunters need to get written permission from private property owners to be on their land to hunt.
Other opponents are attempting to conflate Sunday hunting opportunities with efforts to open a bear hunting season. Animal advocacy groups have made completely false claims contrary to existing science from numerous other states, and the DEEP, about the intent of Sunday hunting. One such statement was, “Expanding hunting under the pretense of wildlife control is misleading, especially since hunting doesn’t effectively reduce conflicts with bears.” False statements like this are attempts to deny the scientifically proven form of wildlife management practice like hunting. These groups use this as a blatant attempt to coerce individuals to use the polarized issue of a Connecticut bear hunt with allowing access for hunters to hunt on private land.
The bipartisan nature of this legislation to expand Sunday hunting, both co-sponsored across party lines as well as being passed out of committee with a massively favorable and bipartisan vote, exemplifies the work of the Connecticut Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus to be able to educate fellow legislators.
CSF continues to monitor this legislation and will be having conversations with legislators in both chambers to make sure a floor vote is taken to expand Sunday hunting this year. With a nearly unanimous vote to come out of committee and motivated legislators from both political parties, supporters are feeling optimistic to advance this long worked on issue, knowing that a more comprehensive legislative fix for all Sunday hunting opportunities will be discussed in future sessions.
