THERE WAS NO DEAL LIMITING SUNDAY HUNTING TO JUST 3 SUNDAYS

..... THIS IS AN IMPORTANT READ AND MESSAGE TO GET TO ALL POLITICIANS .....

MANY BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A "DEAL" TO HAVE 3 SUNDAYS AND NOTHING ELSE.

The following correspondence was printed in Pennsylvania Outdoor News.  This should help clear the air and address some of the concerns and rumors that are going about.  This issue is very important to sportsmen/women across the state.  There is no need for any of us to start the legislative process for SB607 with incorrect and inadequate information or preconceived notions.

Commentary Published July 2, 2021; Kevin Askew, Executive Director, Hunters United for Sunday Hunting  
Read the full article here: 

THERE WAS NO DEAL LIMITING SUNDAY HUNTING TO JUST 3 SUNDAYS. 

Published May 21, 2021; Deborah Weisburg, Southwest Correspondent.
Read the full article here: MORE SUNDAY HUNTING COMING? 

Published July 2, 2021, PA Outdoor News Staff Report
Read the full article here:  SENATE PANEL OKS SUNDAY HUNTING BILL

WHATS GOING ON WITH SENATE BILL 147? I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING.

“What’s going on with Senate Bill 147?” I have been asked this question quite frequently since the September 10, 2019, Sunday hunting public hearing held in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Game and Fisheries Committee.
  
Currently, our national partners from the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation have asked if they can handle the continued negotiations. This is an agreeable request since these organizations have the resources, knowledge, and experts that understand all the legislative work that takes place.
  
As of this writing, Senate Bill 147 sits in the Pa House Game and Fisheries Committee. The current negotiations regarding whether the request for written permission from the Pa Farm Bureau will be added or not. The PFB is requesting SB147 be amended to include written permission on the Sundays stipulated in the bill. No other days are being considered to include written permission.
  
So essentially the PFB wants lawmakers to write a law for what we already have. Under our current posting regulations, a landowner can require or not require written permission to hunt on their property. If the landowner is comfortable with verbal permission, that is completely up to the property owner.
   
So the question becomes why do we need a law to do what we already can do legally at landowner discretion.

The NRA and NSSF are working through this. Neither has agreed or disagreed with the proposal. The negotiating team is working with lawmakers to understand why they think writing a law to do what can already be done makes sense or not make sense.
  
Now to the big question. Are we going to have the opportunity to hunt this hunting season? I wish I had a solid and straight answer but I don’t. I can assure you that HUSH, NRA, NSSF, and all the of the conservations organizations involved in the Pa Sunday hunting fight are doing all we can to get hunting opportunity as quickly as possible. We know and understand what the extra time afield means to everyone.
  
We are up against politicians and their willingness to act quickly for all the right reasons. As it stands the Pa House Game and Fisheries Committee must vote, SB147 then goes to the entire Pa House for a vote, then back to the Senate for a concurrence vote, and then to the governor's desk for signature. All indications are Governor Wolf will sign the bill into law.
  
The overarching and more pressing issue is: the longer the legislators choose not to take action. The longer SB147 is held up in the process. The timeline gets extended. 

This is why it is extremely important to continue calling and emailing legislators on SB147.

I get it, everyone has been doing that for the past 18 months. Please hear and read my words.  It is because of you, supporters of Sunday hunting opportunity that SB147 is where it is and the ‘needle moved’ further than it has ever been in the past 20 years. I am asking that you continue that momentum, keep those phones ringing and the legislator's email boxes full with SB147 and Sunday hunting messages. Continue making the hunter-conservationists voice heard. 

We are close, please stay in the fight. 

Sincerely;

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

SB147 - HOW DID WE GET HERE? NEGOTIATION?

As of Aug 1, 2019 - Senate Bill 147 

Senate Bill 147 still has a few more hurdles to go through before it becomes law.  The best-case scenario is that SB147 gets through the Pa. House in September and onto the governor's desk for signature opening up the possibility for Sunday hunting opportunity this fall.  The other scenario is it gets held up in the legislative process and does not reach the governor's desk until late November or December effectively eliminating any Sunday opportunity for the 2019-2020 hunting season. Hunting on three Sundays each calendar year, as follows: - One day of Sunday hunting shall be instituted by the commission during the deer rifle season. - One day of Sunday hunting shall be instituted by the commission during the Statewide deer archery season. - One day of Sunday hunting as determined by the commission shall be instituted by the commission. **The anchoring by law of the two Sunday’s is not based on any science.  Legislators insisted and refused to vote if these Sundays where not specified.**

How did we get here? Timeline: Senate Bill 147

February  1, 2019 -  introduced by Senators Laughlin, Brewster, Street and Yaw

February 27, 2019 - passed out of Pennsylvania Senate Game and Fisheries Committee with a favorable vote of 8 YES and 3 NO.

June 27, 2019 - passed out of Pennsylvania Senate with a favorable vote of 36 YES and 14 NO.

June 27, 2019 - sent to Pennsylvania House Game and Fisheries Committee for voting.  

September 10, 2019 - Pennsylvania House Game and Fisheries Committee public hearing, 1pm room 60 east wing, Pa. state capitol building.  

Negotiation for SB 147 Sundays.  Who was in the room?  What happened?

**No Pa. based sportsmen or conservation organization present during negotiation.  Pa. Game Commission was not consulted or present.** Pa. Senators:

• original proposal was 14 Sundays of hunting opportunity to be determined by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.  
• negotiated to 3 days. Legislators insisted and refused to vote if Sundays and seasons where not specified.
  

Pa. Farm Bureau:

• asked and received stiffer trespass law.  Trespass while hunting is a primary offense enforceable by Game Commission wardens, local and state law enforcement.  
• sources indicate intentionally withheld ‘written permission’ in order to hold up and stall the vote in Pa. House. 
• Bullying tactic?  You decide? 

National Rifle Association:

• Notified legislators that SB 147 is and will be a NRA graded vote. 
• Legislators upset, worried about self-preservation.  View grading as being caught between sportsmen and farmers. 
• Their misdirected anger is towards sportsmen/women, not PFB who put them in this position. 
• Worked to get the 3 Sundays to be Pa. Game Commission choice, not dictated by legislation. 
• Counter Pa. Farm Bureau as SB147 moves forward.  PFB wants more, Pa. hunters get more.

Reference: 

Senate Bill 147 https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?Year=2019&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=147

Senate Game & Fisheries Committee vote https://legiscan.com/PA/rollcall/SB147/id/792847

Pa. Senate vote https://legiscan.com/PA/rollcall/SB147/id/887856

Pa. House Game & Fisheries Committee https://legiscan.com/PA/bill/SB147/2019

Public Hearing https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/cteeInfo/Index.cfm?CteeBody=H&Code=18

LETTER TO PA. LEGISLATORS - SUPPORT SENATE BILL 147

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

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2019&sessInd=0&billBody=S&billTyp=B&billNbr=0147&pn=0195

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

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y6KpgyxBaZZGvj0Py53vddlZAiu1Vh8f/view?usp=sharing

ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT SUNDAY HUNTING

Pennsylvania BHA Statement on Sunday Hunting March 8, 2018

PA QDMA on Sunday Hunting March 9, 2018

PA Game Commission April 24, 2018

Delta Waterfowl May 2, 2018

Safari Club International May 7, 2018 

National Rifle Association - NRA June 2018

The United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania

National Shooting Sports Foundation - Sunday Hunting Coalition

Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation