New Sunday Hunting Bill Announced - Senate Bill 67

 

   CONTACT: Hunters United for Sunday Hunting

    TELEPHONE: 717-350-6741

    EMAIL: huntersforsundayhunting@gmail.com

    WEBSITE: facebook.com/HuntersUnitedForSundayHunting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/DISTRIBUTION

Hunters United for Sunday Hunting proudly announces the mission to bring full regulatory authority to the Pennsylvania Game Commission to decide seasons and bag limits all days of the week including Sunday is alive and well.  Senate Bill 67 has been drafted, prepared, and placed in the legislative process to be introduced in the upcoming 2023-2024 session.   

Senate Bill 67 corrects and removes the prohibition of hunting on Sundays.  It will bring the law in line with that of agriculture.  Act 26 2007 along with various other laws such as Title 34 and Title 58 authorizes agriculturalists to harvest animals on all days of the week including Sunday.   Hunter-conservationists should not be discriminated against and be afforded the same opportunity by law to harvest animals on Sunday. The legislative standard is to be Sunday-inclusive.  Hunting on Sunday deserves to have the same principle and standard applied.

Senator Dan Laughlin, Pa. 49th District, Senate Majority Policy Committee has introduced Senate Bill 67.  This bill mirrors the language of the previous bill that reads:    

• This legislation would completely remove the prohibition on Sundays available for hunting and trapping.  Currently, the law dictates which Sundays are open to hunting, and in certain cases, which species. This legislation would change that and would leave all wildlife management decisions to the Game Commission.  By completely removing the prohibition on Sunday hunting, it will give the needed latitude to the Game Commission to increase hunting and trapping opportunities. 

When asked why he was re-introducing the Sunday hunting bill Senator Laughlin replied, “We have six days that we can hunt, there is no reason that it shouldn't and can’t be seven days.”  He also added that “2023 is the year of 53 Sundays, let’s mark that by getting the Sunday hunting prohibition lifted.”

Hunters United for Sunday Hunting along with the conservation cohort looks forward to working with the Pa. Legislature in getting Senate Bill 67 through the legislative process and into law in a timely manner.  We would like nothing more than for everyone to come to the table in good faith; politicians, Pa. Game Commission, conservation organizations, and the Pa. Farm Bureau, to negotiate a reasonable end to this archaic blue law that discriminates only against those who hunt. 

Senate Bill 67 will be available electronically once it becomes active in the database of the state.  The anticipated timeframe is by end of January 2023.  It will not show up in any google or other search engines until that time. 

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For more information about this topic, please contact Hunters United for Sunday Hunting 

Executive Director Kevin Askew at 717-350-6741 or email at huntersforsundayhunting@gmail.com 

View our Blog - https://huntersforsundayhunting.blogspot.com/

LETTER TO SENATOR MARIO SCAVELLO - SB318 FALCONRY & SUNDAY HUNTING BLUE LAW REPEAL COSPONSOR

Hunters United for Sunday Hunting

huntersforsundayhunting@gmail.com

717-350-6741

Senator Mario Scavello

Senate District 40 serving Monroe (part) and Northampton (part) counties

Senate Box 203040

Harrisburg, PA 17120-3040

Room: 20 East Wing

POC: Christine Zubeck 717-787-6123 or czubeck@pasen.gov  / 570-620-4326 mscavello@pasen.gov

Mr. Scavello;  

I am writing this letter in regards to Senate Bill 318, Allowing Falconry on Sundays that you have introduced this legislative session.  My name is Kevin Askew, the executive director of Hunters United for Sunday Hunting. 

As one can conclude from your co-sponsor memo. You recognize the effort underway to streamline, bring a change and update PA Title 34 Game Law regarding the hunting on Sunday prohibition and the need and the ability for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to be able to set seasons and bag limits for all participating sportsmen regardless of how they choose to hunt.  Be that with a rifle, bow, or in this case falconry.  

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 the PGC’s resource first model and the North American Model of Wildlife Management.

Falconry is part of this.  Your legislation is astute in that it recognizes that falconers are currently in violation of the law if they choose to fly their birds on Sunday. Why should falconers have to risk being in violation of the law to feed or exercise their birds on any given Sunday? 

“[SB318]This legislation is being offered because these birds of prey are wild and need to fly and eat daily.  A falconer who wishes to take his or her bird of prey out in the wild, even for daily flight and not to hunt, would still be in violation of the Sunday hunting prohibition.”

Understandably, you have introduced similar or the same legislation in previous years.  The law is flawed and needs to be corrected.  Revisiting this issue every year is not the proper way to advance this legislation.  Changing/updating the law will save much-needed legislative time, effort, and money.  Exempting by law species and/or days is not the best way for our wildlife resources to be managed. 

There are 25 conservation organizations that support removing the Sunday hunting prohibition blue law and full regulatory authority to be given to the PGC.  

The immediate request is that you consider the above and understand what updating the law and removing the Sunday hunting prohibition will not only do for falconry but for hunting and conservation as a whole. Since you are both working towards the same goal.  Please consider joining with Senator Dan Laughlin and being a co-sponsor on his current legislation to Repeal Sunday Hunting Prohibition in Pennsylvania.  

I would also like to schedule a meeting to discuss this and answer any questions you may have.  Please let me know your availability. I can be reached at the contact info above.

Sincerely;

Kevin Askew

Executive Director, Hunters United for Sunday Hunting