CSF Northeastern States Manager to Testify Before Pennsylvania House Committee on Sunday Hunting

October 24, 2011 (HARRISBURG, Pa.) –  Brent Miller, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) Northeastern States Manager, will testify before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Game and Fisheries Committee on Thursday, concerning legislation that would allow the inclusion of Sundays as part of regular hunting seasons.

House Bill 1760, sponsored by Rep. John Evans, Chairman of the Committee, would allow the Pennsylvania Game Commission to include Sundays as part of the already established hunting seasons. Presently, only coyotes, crows, and foxes are permitted to be hunted on Sundays.  

Miller – who works closely with members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (part of the 39 state caucuses of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses) – and members of the Sunday Hunting Coalition have been working to educate lawmakers on the benefits of allowing Sunday hunting and working to pass this legislation.

Along with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, members of the Sunday Hunting Coalition include: National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, United States Sportsmen’s Alliance, Bass Pro Shops, Boone and Crocket Club, Cabela’s, Delta Waterfowl, Mule Deer Foundation, Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, Quality Deer Management Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the Wildlife Management Institute.

Brent brings extensive knowledge of the Sunday hunting issue from previous research he has conducted, and will offer legislators specific reasons for the Game Commission to allow hunting on Sunday’s, including economic, social, and wildlife management benefits.

A study released last week by the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee found that allowing Sunday hunting would provide significant economic benefits, including generating up to $804 million in economic activity and supporting nearly 7,500 jobs.  However, according to Miller, the economic benefits are just one of the many positives that are likely to result from the passage of Sunday hunting.

“Lifting the ban would also fundamentally increase private property owners’ rights by allowing them the freedom to choose how to manage their land and resources, and will improve the ability of the Pennsylvania Game Commission to adaptively manage the Commonwealth’s wildlife” said Miller.  “Additionally, it will increase opportunities for youth and working class citizens to enjoy hunting and to pass down the sportsmen’s tradition to the next generation which will lead to more participation and greater hunter numbers in years to come.”

According to data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the hunting population of Pennsylvania has decreased by nearly 30% over the past three decades. Hunting license sales and excise taxes on sporting goods collected through the Pittman-Robertson Act are the primary revenue source for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Therefore, successful efforts to recruit and retain hunters will inevitably increase funding for the Commission so that they can more effectively manage the Commonwealth’s wildlife resources and their habitat.

H.B 1760 would allow the Game Commission to decide how many and which Sundays hunters would be authorized to hunt for various game. The bill does not require that any individual allow Sunday hunting on his or her property if they choose not to, nor does it require the Commission to allow hunting on any particular Sunday.

“Some people believe this legislation would allow hunting on every Sunday throughout the year, but that’s just not the case,” said Rep. Evans. “This legislation is merely about giving the Game Commission the option of allowing additional Sundays to be included in the present seasons and bag limits. In the long run, repealing the ban on Sunday hunting will increase landowner freedoms, and provide for additional economic and social benefits for Pennsylvania land owners who wish to enjoy hunting their property with friends and family.”

Thursday’s hearing at the State Capitol in Harrisburg will be the third and final hearing of the Pennsylvania House, while two earlier hearings were held on June 9th and September 15th in Somerset and Northampton Counties. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in the Majority Caucus Room, Room 140, in the Main Capitol.