HUNTERS UNITED FOR SUNDAY HUNTING COMMENT TO PA GAME COMMISSION, JAN 23, 2021

 

Senate Bill 147 signed and made legal by the November 27, 2019, PA Act. 107

Statement to PA Game Commissioners, January 23, 2021

Executive Director Burhans, Deputy Executive Directors Grohol and Palmer, Commissioners, and Staff:

Be advised that the mission to bring full regulatory authority to the PA Game Commission is alive and well.  As the executive director of Hunters United for Sunday Hunting thanks for the opportunity to submit this letter as part of the PA Game Commission January 2021 public meeting.  Many of my comments are not going to be new but are still valid and pertinent to the current Sunday hunting situation that you as commissioners are managing. 

As commissioners, you are faced with the challenging decision of how to best manage the three Sundays of hunting opportunity for the upcoming 2020-2021 hunting and trapping season.  Please take comfort in the fact that we know you are working to do the best you can under the guidelines placed upon you by our legislators.  

As you well know. The fight to bring hunting on Sunday has never been about a particular species or season. It is not about deer, it is not about specific seasons, it is not about this firearm or the other. It is about the increased opportunity based on your agency's resource-first model and the North American Model of Wildlife Management.

It is encouraging that initial reports indicate that you as commissioners and an agency are looking to be as inclusive as possible for huntable species in the upcoming season.  This will allow hunters the opportunity to maximize their time afield for both small and big game animals.  As previously mentioned in last January’s statement, if there is a biological reason certain species can’t support additional hunting, we simply ask that we be educated on that scientific reason so we as hunter-conservationists understand. The conservation and hunting community supports the wildlife management decisions made by this agency. 

In closing as one of the leading organizations for Sunday hunting, Hunters United for Sunday Hunting asks that you maximize these three Sundays by allowing as much hunting opportunity as is biologically permitted. 

I also ask that you welcome Hunter Nation and Hunt The Vote for joining the conference of nearly 25 organizations that are working on the removal of the prohibition of Sunday hunting in PA Title 34 Game Law and transfer full regulatory control to your agency to allow and decide what is best for Sunday hunting.

Thanks for your time;

Sincerely; 

Kevin B. Askew

Executive Director, Hunters United for Sunday Hunting

SUNDAY HUNTING: WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2021

Message from Hunters United for Sunday Hunting, Executive Director Kevin B. Askew

It has been some time since I have released a statement.  First let me say I hope everyone who chose to take part in the three days of Sunday hunting brought about by Senate Bill 147 and made legal by the November 27, 2019, PA Act. 107 enjoyed their time afield.   Second, I would like to welcome Hunter Nation and Hunt The Vote for joining the consortium that is working on the removal of the prohibition of Sunday hunting in PA Title 34 Game Law and transfer full regulatory control to the Pennsylvania Game Commission to allow and decide what is best for Sunday hunting.

Since November 15, 2020, we have received many stories of appreciation, memories made, reports of what the additional time meant to many individuals, families, and camps from hunting on the three Sundays.  The main question I have received is, ‘what is happening are we getting more Sundays to hunt?’   The answer is that we are ramping up once again in our mission to bring full regulatory authority to the PGC.

As we had correctly predicted in our advocacy and messaging for this initial change, hunter and non-hunter safety were not compromised by this additional opportunity.  There are no reports of law enforcement issues due to having Sunday hunting options.  Our expectation is the data will show there was no impact on game species we were permitted to hunt on Sunday. 

The most beneficial lesson, outcome, or experience of the three hunting Sundays during the 2019-2020 season is that now there should be no reason to be scared of the unknown. Why?  The legislators chose [not the PGC] the three Sundays.  The legislators allowed hunting on the two highest impact Sundays [rifle deer and rifle bear] and restricted two of the three Sundays for the highest impact species - deer.

Now that we have the experience of hunting on those high-impact Sundays, a move to full regulatory authority being given to the PGC should be a more seamless process during the 2021-2022 legislative session, which begins in January.

If wondering what you can and should be doing right now.  My recommendation would be to work within the PGC process and respectfully ask the commissioners to be inclusive of small game and other huntable species on the three Sundays that we have for 2021.  The Board of Game Commissioners quarterly meeting is on January 23 and is virtual.  I encourage everyone to send comments to pgccomments@pa.gov   Please remember, the PGC is supportive of Sunday hunting and truly does want to bring more hunting opportunities to hunters.  But they do need to hear from us.

Happy New Year.

Hunters United for Sunday Hunting

Executive Director

Kevin B. Askew

P.S - it’s OK to mention to the PGC that you want them to ask the legislators to remove the prohibition on Sunday hunting in Pa.