Expansion of Sunday hunting proves a challenge

Sunday hunting expansion is tricky, in part because there are good arguments to be made for expansion, staying with the current system and even returning to long-standing traditions of no Sunday hunting.

Bills are working their way through Capitol chambers in Harrisburg to expand Sunday hunting. On Wednesday, the State Senate passed a similar bill to one passed earlier in the House, legislation that would create a larger window for game pursuits.

The proposed legislation would give the Pennsylvania Game Commission discretion to include any Sundays it would want on the annual hunting calendar.

In 2020, the Game Commission first allowed three Sunday hunting days for the first time. Since then, those days have almost always been built around rifle deer season in late November and early December.

The bills also would create partnerships between hunters and farmers to manage the deer population and protect crops at the same time, and even make safer driving with a reduced deer herd. Because the two bills have differences, they will swap chambers for review there before potential advancement.

This push for more days felt inevitable. Sen. Elder Vogel voted against the expansion, saying “It always was in the back of my mind that that wasn’t going to be the end. As the old saying goes, you give somebody an inch, they take a mile. That’s become the case with this situation.”

Supporters of expansion say Sunday is the only day some people can hunt, based on work or family schedules.

Opponents have similar thoughts about those who love the outdoors, but don’t hunt. Families looking for safe locations to hike, bike, ride horses and ATVs and UTVs have the same schedule limitations, so adding hunters into the fields on Sundays complicates that.

There is sound reasoning on all sides. And, really, no right or wrong answers. How you feel, depends on your lane.

If you are an avid hunter, you would want the extra days. If you are a farmer constantly combatting crop damage, you would want the extra days. If you want to hike with family on a free day, you don’t.

Controlling the deer population is a legitimate concern, especially with the number of hunters declining. In 2012, the Game Commission sold almost 950,000 hunting licenses. The total was 844,000 in 2022.

Perhaps the answer lies in the word “discretion.” Using the experts at the Game Commission and oversight from lawmakers and other stakeholders determing when and possibly where extended Sunday hunting is availabe while allocating time for everyone to enjoy Penn’s Woods.

The Sunbury (Pa.) Daily Item | CNHI