Why It Matters: Sunday hunting bans are one of the last remaining examples of the puritanical and antiquated laws that were initially designed to encourage church attendance. At the time when blue law restrictions were first put in place, other activities that were illegal on a Sunday included opening a store for business, drinking alcoholic beverages, and tilling your fields. Access is a major limiting factor hindering participation in hunting, and restrictions on Sunday hunting provide a temporal-access barrier to youth and others that work or attend school throughout the week and are often involved in extra-curricular activities on Saturdays. The removal of the antiquated prohibition on Sunday hunting is just a signature away from becoming a reality; a win for all sportsmen and women.
Highlights:
- Pennsylvania is one of nine states (CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NJ, PA, SC, and VA) that still have some type of Sunday hunting restrictions (2 states prohibit Sunday hunting altogether).
- HB 1431 (introduced by Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Rep. Mandy Steele) seeks to remove the longstanding prohibition on Sunday hunting.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has strongly advocated for the removal of the remaining prohibitions on Sunday hunting, including providing testimony in support of HB 1431.
- CSF also sent out an Action Alert, encouraging the residents of Pennsylvania to contact their legislators and ask them to vote YES on HB 1431.
- HB 1431 was voted out of the Senate (34/16) on Thursday, June 26th and voted out of the House of Representatives (142/61) on Monday, June 30th, moving the legislation out of the General Assembly and to Gov. Shapiro for his signature.
In Pennsylvania, there are currently only three days where Sunday hunting of game species (currently deer and bear) can occur. However, Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Member, State Representative Mandy Steele is looking to increase opportunities for the sportsmen and women of the Commonwealth by introducing HB 1431, legislation that will ultimately remove the remaining longstanding restrictions on Sunday hunting within the state. As a sign of our strong support for this legislation, CSF recently provided testimony in support of HB 1431.
In its original form, HB 1431 dealt with topics outside of Sunday hunting (such as strengthening violations for trespassing and Board of Game Commissioners membership, etc.) but during the June 24th Senate Game and Fisheries Committee meeting, HB 1431 was amended to remove most provisions that did not specifically deal with the removal of Sunday hunting prohibitions. These amendments allowed HB 1431 to more closely deal with the removal of the current legislative barrier for hunters to be able to hunt 7 days a week within the boundaries of regulated hunting seasons. HB 1431 received a concurrence vote from the House of Representatives (its original chamber) on Monday, June 30th, and is now headed to Governor Josh Shapiro for his signature of enactment.
In the letter of support, CSF noted that “Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Budget receives no General Fund monies and is solely comprised of sportsmen and women generated dollars. In 2024 alone, the sale of hunting licenses contributed $41.9M in Pennsylvania, which in turn provided an additional $34.5M through the Pittman-Robertson Act, totaling around $76.4M in conservation dollars for the state.” The passage of such legislation is likely to assist in the increase of hunter participation, thus increasing conservation funding in the Keystone State. Additionally, CSF pointed to the major hindering factor that Sunday hunting prohibitions continue to create for youth and families that may be unable to hunt on Saturdays due to other extracurricular activities or work obligations.
The Pennsylvania State Legislature has previously acknowledged and acted upon the requests by hunters for Sunday hunting opportunities. For example, in 2019, the Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus spearheaded the passage of S 147 which was signed into law by former Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Governor Tom Wolf. The current statute authorizes one day of deer hunting on Sundays during the archery season, one day of deer hunting during the firearm season, and one day left to the discretion of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) for species and season determined by them, which, through subsequent rulemaking, was selected to be bear hunting during the bear firearms season. Additionally, other select species dubbed as nuisance species such as foxes, crows, and coyotes may be hunted on Sundays in accordance with regulations adopted by the PGC. CSF and the rest of the hunting-conservation community strongly supports the expansion of Sunday hunting opportunities in Pennsylvania to increase access and opportunity for sportsmen and women.
The enactment of HB 1431 will grant the PGC full regulatory authority to set season dates and bag limits within the Commonwealth, including implementing Sunday hunting for many species of game animals. The PGC is in full support of the removal of the antiquated blue law barrier, and enactment of such legislation. You can listen to the Executive Director of the PGC Steve Smith give listeners a breakdown of this important legislation during Episode 43 of The Sportsmen’s Voice Podcast.
CSF looks forward to working with the Governor’s Office to urge the signing of this important legislation that removes the centuries of Sunday hunting prohibitions in the Commonwealth. Additionally, once enacted, CSF also looks forward to working with the PGC towards full implementation of Sunday hunting opportunities for the sportsmen and women of the Commonwealth.
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