Bipartisan push — and backing from farmers — ended Sunday hunting ban

The law, which will allow the Game Commission to set Sunday hunting dates, takes effect in early September.

By MARLEY PARISH
Spotlight PA State College

BELLEFONTE — After years of debate, Pennsylvania’s near-total ban on Sunday hunting is off the books thanks to a bipartisan push, an unlikely political advocate, and a key policy shift from the state’s farm lobby.

The new law, signed last week by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, gives the Pennsylvania Game Commission the authority to decide which Sundays to include when setting hunting season dates. It also includes penalties for hunters who trespass on private property.

Supporters of the repeal credit its success to years of advocacy, along with new backing among farmers seeking relief from crop damage. However, some outdoor groups, citing safety concerns, are disappointed and hope the state agency will be vigilant about letting the public know which Sundays allow hunting.

The ban, which dated back at least 200 years, made exceptions for hunting crows, coyotes, and foxes during open seasons. In 2019, lawmakers approved an update that permitted hunting on three Sundays each year, a move that eased some concerns, said Kevin Askew, executive director of Hunters United for Sunday Hunting.

“Those three Sundays allowed the politicians to see — well, wait — the sky didn’t fall. There’s no doom and gloom here,” he told Spotlight PA. “Maybe there is something to having more Sundays.”

More momentum came when the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau reversed its longstanding opposition, helping clear the way to end one of the state’s remaining blue laws, which are rooted in the tradition of keeping one day for rest and religious observance.

State Rep. Mandy Steele, a Democrat from a swing district in Allegheny County, wasn’t an obvious champion of the cause. But she brought a fresh approach and worked to understand the longstanding roadblocks, Askew said.

“She actually wanted to solve the problem.”

Steele, who took up hunting in adulthood with her kids, said years of work by advocates and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — including state Sen. Dan Laughlin (R., Erie) — helped lay the groundwork for the change that balances the needs and desires of hunters and farmers.

Hunters were eager for more time in the woods, and farmers wanted one day when they didn’t have to worry about trespassers or hunters knocking on their doors early in the morning asking for permission to shoot.

Her role, she said, was to help those groups find common ground.

“We really just needed someone to unite everyone,” Steele said.

For years, hunting groups lobbied against the Sunday restriction. They called the ban discriminatory because other outdoor activities — such as hiking, biking, and horse riding — are permitted seven days a week.

Farmers, however, had long been skeptical. They worried about trespassing and other disruptions on their property. But when crop damage resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, the farm bureau reversed its position in 2023.

Mitchell Kurek, the farm bureau’s state and local affairs specialist, told Spotlight PA that Sunday hunting isn’t the “end-all be-all” solution, but it’s still an important step.

Vince Phillips, a former lobbyist for the Pennsylvania State Grange — an agricultural and rural advocacy organization that consistently opposed efforts to expand Sunday hunting — said that shift was crucial.

It “outmuscled” those against the change, he told Spotlight PA.

During the bill signing, Shapiro called the repeal a “smart change” to an outdated law that better reflects the needs of today’s hunters and said it could stoke an economic boon by creating more opportunities for hunters to spend time — and money — in rural areas.

Still, not everyone is excited about the repeal.

Hiking and horse riding organizations long argued that one hunting- free day per week lets people enjoy nature safely and without the sound of gunshots. Those concerns haven’t gone away, Brook Lenker, executive director of Keystone Trails Association, told Spotlight PA in an email.

“We are disappointed that the governor signed the Sunday hunting bill and hope that the PA Game Commission will assure there is broad public awareness about Sundays when hunting is occurring,” he said.

The law takes effect in early September. Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith said during a news conference last week that the board is considering its options and will communicate with hunters ahead of the upcoming hunting year.

“All I can tell them as of today is to stay tuned and buy your hunting license,” he said.

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