At noon today, Pennsylvania’s Governor, Josh Shapiro, signed legislation repealing the century-old Sunday hunting ban, giving PA hunters the freedom to head to the woods all seven days of the week.
The historical event took place at the Blue Ridge Sportman’s Club in Harrisburg. Joining Governor Shapiro at the podium were a number of state lawmakers who helped push the bill through, as well as the director of the state’s game commission and the state’s Secretary of Agriculture.
“For 50 years people have fought for this,” said House Rep. Mandy Steele, the bill’s lead sponsor, in a PA House video prior to the event. “This is historic legislation, this is a historic day.”
Despite not being a hunter himself, Governor Shapiro acknowledges that being able to hunt on Sundays will benefit both working Pennsylvanians and the non-resident hunters who bring money into the state’s rural areas.
And with Pennsylvania’s large population of hunters, second only to Texas, Sunday hunting allows PA hunters a better chance to properly manage the state’s deer and other wildlife.
“Families are busier than ever, social and work commitments can be demanding, and this extra time in the woods is a huge win for our hunters of all ages,” says a release from Shapiro’s office. “The bill also keeps hunters on the frontlines of wildlife conservation by providing more time for them to fill tags, which helps meet the Game Commission’s harvest quotas.”
The director for the state’s Game Commission says the new ruling will begin this fall, just in time for the kickoff of early hunting season opportunities in September.
“This marks the end of a 343-year old restriction and concludes a 50-year fight to modernize Pennsylvania’s hunting laws,” Kevin Askew, the executive director of Hunters United for Sunday Hunting, said in a press release.
“There has been nothing lost by offering hunting on both Saturdays and Sundays,” Askew said. “As with any other activity in life, if you don’t want to take part, you don’t have to, regardless of the day of the week.”
