On June 23, the bipartisan, bicameral Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted its Annual Cigar Reception at the Susquehanna Ale House in Harrisburg, PA. Over 160 guests, including over 70 members of the Caucus, Executive Directors of both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, gathered for an evening of camaraderie and to discuss the policy issues affecting Pennsylvania’s 1.4 million hunters and anglers.
One of the key focal areas of the event was a renewed push for a repeal of the ban on Sunday hunting. The following day, on June 24, new legislation (HB 1374) authored by Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Farina and Caucus member Rep. Bob Godshall and co-sponsored by 35 legislators from both sides of the aisle was introduced. HB 1374 would turn regulatory authority of Sunday hunting over to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which has previously supported Sunday hunting. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is a proud member of the Sunday Hunting Coalition – a group of sportsmen’s organizations united in their efforts to eliminate all remaining restrictions on Sunday hunting – and was joined at the event by several other Coalition members including: the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the National Rifle Association, Bass Pro Shops, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Former Co-Chair of the Caucus Rep. Marc Gergely received two honors at the event for his dedication to state and national sportsmen’s issues. Incoming Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Farina presented Rep. Gergely with a legislative citation for his work in leading the Caucus for over a decade, while CSF Northeastern States Director Brent Miller presented him with a commendation for his assistance in launching the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) in 2004. NASC has since flourished into a community of over 2,000 pro-sportsmen legislators organized into 47 bipartisan state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses throughout the nation.
Rep. Farina said, “I am humbled with the attendance of our event. I am also very grateful and want to thank everyone who attended our event and especially our sponsors who helped make it a success. I am honored to take over for Rep. Marc Gergely as Co-Chair of the Caucus and look forward to representing the millions of sportsmen and women in Pennsylvania ensuring their voices are heard. I look forward to the year ahead in continuing our conservation efforts and the importance of implementing Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania. It would have a tremendous economic impact, create jobs and ensure we pass our heritage on by giving more opportunities to get our youth in the field.”
CSF would like to thank the sponsors of the event, including: Bass Pro Shops, Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation, Chief Oil and Gas LLC, Dawood Engineering Inc., Dick’s Sporting Goods, Energy4US, Field & Stream, International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association, Keystone Elk Country Alliance, Marcellus Shale Coalition, National Rifle Association, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Hunters Sharing the Harvest, Range Resources, Remington, Rocky Mountain Elk Federation, Safari Club International – Pennsylvania Region 25 Chapters, Shimano American Corporation, and Southwestern Energy.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
