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Jan 27, 2019 Hunters United for Sunday Hunting Executive Director Harold Daub presents public testimony to Pennsylvania Game Commission Board of Commissioners asking for continued support of legislative action to repeal the prohibition on Sunday hunting in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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President Layton, Commissioners, Executive Director Burhans and Deputy Executive Director Grohol and Palmer,
Good afternoon gentlemen. My name is Harold Daub, I am the Executive Director for Hunters United for Sunday Hunting. I am here today to ask you, the Board of Commissioners to continue your support of legislative action to repeal the prohibition on Sunday hunting in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
In the past 10 months, Hunters United for Sunday Hunting has been working hard educating people on what your resolution means and what it will do for hunters, conservation and the commonwealth. There is currently more support than there has ever been for removing the Sunday hunting prohibition language in PA Title 34 Game Law and transfer full regulatory authority to the Pa. Game Commission.
Many polls and surveys have been conducted by legislators, media, and others to find out what hunters and people have to say on the subject. The result on average is 80% favor removing the prohibition on Sunday hunting.
I have presented to you an example of this. Five weeks ago we released the boards Sunday hunting endorsement. It has been read nearly 21,000 times, shared 8,800 times and contains 509 comments. As you read through it, keep in mind, these are direct comments on the PGC Board’s support for Sunday hunting. Here is a sampling of what people are saying.
“Thank you for supporting Sunday hunting. A major step in getting the States approval.”
“It’s about time PA gets with the program. Sunday hunting would be a great thing”
“I think Sundays would be nice to get the kids out hunting. I don't see what the big deal is on hunting Sundays, a lot of farmers I know with crop damage would love to see hunting on Sundays.”
“Sunday hunting would be great. As I'm getting older I enjoy mentoring our youth and adult hunters more than I enjoy spending it alone in the woods by myself. This would give me and my youth hunters more time to enjoy the outdoors as they have school and I have work sometimes six days a week. It’s hard to keep their interests if I can’t get them out. I totally support it.”
“Between work schedules and school times Sunday would be a great idea, would allow my children to get another day besides Saturday to hunt. They have been hooked in the sport since five years old hunting under the mentor program. We are all for Sunday hunting”
To further demonstrate that there is support for the boards Sunday hunting resolution. Hunters United for Sunday Hunting has over 1,400 pages worth of signatures backing it.
There are those that believe we need the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s approval for Sunday hunting; legislators included. Our observation has been that the Pa Farm Bureau has bullied legislators to a point where they believe that Pa. Farm Bureau speaks for you as Pa. Game Commission on wildlife management issues as well as all farmers in the commonwealth.
The PFB represents less-than-half of Pa. farmers. There are 58,000 farming operations in Pennsylvania. There are only 22,648 total farmers in Pa. Farm Bureau. 75% of those members support a change to the policy regarding the existing Sunday hunting prohibition.
Why is this important? It is time to stand up to the bully. The Pa. Farm Bureau is going to present you with their demands for wildlife management. The demands are not founded in any type of biology or science. If you consider them, I encourage you to follow in the words of Executive Director Bryan Burhans as he has stated: “the biggest tool that I can give the farm bureau is Sunday hunting.” Then do just that, help educate legislators and people on the PGC established process for wildlife management and how hunting on Sundays will be of benefit to everyone, including farmers.
Recently Senator Dan Laughlin and Senator James Brewster have been named to lead the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee. Representative Keith Gillespie and Representative William Kortz will lead the House Game and Fisheries Committee. I am very excited by these appointments as all four have indicated their strong support for removing the prohibition. To the best of my knowledge, we’ve never had this much support from the chairpersons of those committees.
Hunters want a change. There are 20 hunting and conservation organizations representing 1.4 million Pa. sportsmen and women involved in this effort to grant authority to the Pa. Game Commission to decide what is best for Sunday hunting.
Your continued support of legislative action to repeal the prohibition on Sunday hunting will solidify your commitment to the hunters of Pa. and the newly appointed members of Pa. Game and Fisheries Committees.
I will close with the words of Representative Keith Gillespie where he said this about Sunday hunting prohibition; “What may have been suitable 10 or 15 years ago sometimes needs brought up to speed, and I think that’s what we have going on here. I think a big part of that would be to put it in the hands of a professional agency like the game commission.”
With your help, the effort of all supporting conservation organizations, and most importantly the overwhelming support of Pennsylvania's outdoor community we can get this done during this legislative session.
Thank for your time, efforts, and dedication to conservation.
Sincerely;
Harold Daub
Executive Director, Hunters United for Sunday Hunting
I would love to see Sunday hunting. Those farmers or people who dont want Sunday hunting on their property should post and tell people that hunt on their property that it is closed to Sunday hunting. For those that say it is when the wildlife get a rest. Its not so. They still go on with the everyday life. And for those that say we can enjoy the game lands without people hunting. Well we as hunter pay for our right to hunt on the game lands. How many times have you been disrupted by people walking and riding bicycles during the week on game lands. They have many other places that they can walk and ride their bicycles that we can not hunt.
ReplyDeletelove it, right on , farmer will ban hunting on there lands,so now what idiots?
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