Taking Aim at Sunday Hunting!

Currently there is a prohibition on hunting on Sundays in Pennsylvania (with the exception of foxes or coyotes).  SB 147 will lift that ban.  Please let your state Representative know that you want them to oppose ANY attempt to lift that ban.  The Senate passed this bill (36-14) and it could now run anytime, so it is important that your Senator knows that you do not want Sundays opened to hunting.

Talking Points:

It is fair to share our natural resources:  Pennsylvanians deserve at least one day a week when they can enjoy the outdoors in peace and quiet. Hunters can already hunt six days per week for much of the year.

Pennsylvania wildlife watchers outnumber hunters more than 3 to 1: According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 37% of Pennsylvanians are wildlife watchers, while hunters make up only 11% of the state’s population.  Many of them, along with hikers, birders, horseback riders, bikers, photographers, and others who enjoy the outdoors, often choose to venture out only on Sundays when there are no hunters in the woods, for safety reasons.

Hunters are divided over Sunday hunting: According to a Pennsylvania Game Commission poll – only 53% of hunters support Sunday hunting.

Prohibiting Sunday Hunting is good for our state’s economy: Allowing hunting on Sundays would increase the cost of law enforcement and could discourage economically valuable non-consumptive tourist recreational activities. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife watchers in Pennsylvania contribute more than $1.4 billion dollars to the state’s economy annually. Tourist wildlife watchers in Pennsylvania exceed hunters in trip-related spending by more than 20 million dollars annually, a boost to our economy that would be compromised by allowing Sunday hunting.

Public safety concerns: Even if Sunday hunting is only allowed on private property, bullets and arrows certainly do not stop at property lines.

Private property rights: When last surveyed, Sunday hunting was extremely unpopular with landowners.  82% either strongly opposed or opposed Sunday hunting.  Furthermore, 16% would remove land from Pennsylvania Game Commission public access programs and 18% said they would completely close their land to hunting. Trespassing is frequently cited as a major concern for landowners.

For many, Sunday is a day of rest:  Traditionally, many families attend religious services on Sundays and wish to preserve a day of rest, uninterrupted by the sounds of gunshots.  There is no reason to disrupt this custom to appease a tiny minority.