Letter to: Legislators of Pennsylvania; State Representatives and State Senators. Support Senate Bill 147
This letter is to urge you to support the removal of the prohibition of Sunday hunting in PA Title 34 Game Law and allow the Pennsylvania Game Commission to decide what is best for Sunday hunting. We ask that you recognize and understand that the Pa Game Commission are the subject matter experts for the management and conservation of Pa’s wildlife. Case in point; Pa. Game Commission recognized as the best wildlife management agency in the country by the Quality Deer Management Association. https://www.qdma.com/pennsylvania-game-commission-named-qdmas-agency-year/
We encourage you to support Senate Bill 147 presented by Senator Dan Laughlin. The bill strengthens PA Title 34 Game Law and leaves all hunting management decisions to Pa. Game Commission. It addresses the offense of trespass while hunting, making the violation a primary offense with increased penalties. Enforceable by both game wardens and other law enforcement.
Streamlining of the law puts full management and conservation in the hands of the experts - Pa. Game Commission. The transfer of full regulatory control to Pa. Game Commission is the best solution for game management in Pa.
Studies have shown and sportsmen have stated the lack of time, work, and family obligations are among the most frequent reasons limiting their hunting opportunities. Recent polls from various sources indicate on average 80% overall support for removing the barrier to Sunday hunting. The Pa. Farm Bureau presented a statewide map during Pa. Game Commission public meeting April 23, 2018, that shows 64% approval for a law change. National Shooting Sports Foundation economic impact data on Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania shows an overall economic output of $972,589,148. Coupled with 18 Pa. voting districts having 85% approval and support for legal hunting; it leaves us as proponents scratching our heads and wondering what is the problem? Begs the question, why does the Pa. legislature as a whole not see that Pa. sportsmen have spoken and a change will benefit the commonwealth as a whole?
Hunters own, lease, use and control thousands of acres of land across this state. Please stop ignoring us and change this archaic blue law that restricts our liberties. Do the right thing - remove the prohibition of Sunday hunting in PA Title 34 Game Law and allow the Pennsylvania Game Commission to decide what is best for Sunday hunting?
Every conservation organization involved in this effort understands the importance of wildlife management and recognizes the agency best to do that is Pa. Game Commission, not you as lawmakers. Senator Dan Laughlin has presented a common-sense law that addresses the needs of hunters, landowners, and other stakeholders. Hunters United for Sunday Hunting, Sportsmen's Alliance, National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Rifle Association has consolidated conservation organizations representing 1.4 million sportsmen and women of Pennsylvania all supporting SB 147 and advocate you to do the same. Anything less fails the 480 species of wildlife in Pennsylvania.
Sincerely; Kevin B. Askew, Interim Executive Director Hunters United for Sunday Hunting
P.S.
Pa. Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans has stated: “the biggest tool that I can give the farm bureau is Sunday hunting.”
If you are listening and taking advice from Pa. Farm Bureau on this issue be advised 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 the state delegates support a change to the policy regarding the existing Sunday hunting prohibition.
Why would they [PFB leadership]say this and do they truly represent rank and file PFB members? Consider the statements of:
Jeffrey Grove, Governmental Relations Director, Pa. Farm Bureau on January 28, 2019, to Pa. Game Commission, “We are a farming organization. Not a hunting organization.”
Darrin Youker, Government Affairs Rep. Pa. Farm Bureau The Daily Review, May 28, 2018 “We are unique among any other organization, any other membership organization. I can’t negotiate on Sunday hunting, if I do, I’ve negotiated myself out of a job, I don’t want to do that.”
"We’ve drawn the line in the sand and just said no. And it’s a hill that we die on and maybe we lose and maybe we win but we have protected the legitimacy of our policy development process so the future of Sunday hunting obviously rests with, not just the future of it but how we feel about Sunday hunting."
For Reference
Senate Bill 147
How Many Farmers In Pa.
https://huntersforsundayhunting.blogspot.com/2019/01/how-many-farmers-does-pennsylvania-farm_26.html
What Do The Polls Say
https://huntersforsundayhunting.blogspot.com/2018/05/sunday-hunting-what-do-polls-say.html
Pa. Game Commission Support
https://huntersforsundayhunting.blogspot.com/2018/05/game-commission-board-pledges-support.html
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, Economic Impact of Hunting 2016/2017 Data
Pennsylvania Sunday Hunting Impact
Some of these remind me of something my son was doing yesterday. Does anybody remember the old tin can and string trick where you pull it tight talk into one can and you can hear somebody in the can at the other end of the string as long as you have it pulled tight? Well my son was trying that and it wasn't working I told him he needed to be tight so he only had a few feet of string so he put one can between his legs sticking out by his butt pulling the string tight and talkin I told him he was talking out his butt so that reminds me of some of these politicians. If Farmers don't want Sunday hunting all they have to do is post their property it's their property do what you want with your property but dammit stop trying to tell everybody else what to do with their property. And do away with crop damage consideration for the farmers they're wiping out deer that Hunters can't hunt during the week or on Saturday because the farmers already killed them because they don't have to abide by the same rules and regulations as a hunter. And if you do have any crop damage deals going on these Farmers better be damn well paying the same as your average Hunter we get one doe tag if we're lucky and it cost us $10 how many do these farmers get? They need to pay for each and every one of them and abide by the same rules and regulations as your regular Hunters. Hunting 24/7 and allowed to use lights is it illegal unless you're a farmer.
ReplyDeleteI hunt private property / private land only, and own my own land as well. There is no reason what so ever that I should not be allowed to hunt my own private property on any Sunday. Its posted, and no hikers, wanderers, trespassers, or anyone else allowed on my property without my permission. We are one of only 3 states remaining that can not hunt on Sundays. So everyone else is wrong? No...... PA is. Get with the times please before I move out of state to live a normal life and take my tax dollars with me.
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