Sunday hunting restrictions should be kept in place Commentary Carl T. Shaffer

FARMERS ACROSS the commonwealth and other Pennsylvanians have been sending a clear message to members of the state General Assembly: “Don’t expand Sunday hunting.”

Most farmers feel strongly about it, because we want a day of peace and quiet on Sunday, when we may work less and enjoy more time with our families and friends around the farm. Posting “No Sunday Hunting” on our lands won’t prevent the intrusions. Hunters frequently wander from one property onto another, and while responsible hunters respect private property, landowners know that trespass and poor enforcement are serious problems that would become even worse.

Farmers also hunt, and they provide sportsmen access to vast amounts of land. While we feed the wildlife, hunters help us to control the devastation of crops and the loss of farm income. It has been a good balance of mutual interests. It’s also noteworthy that many hunters do not want the law changed for a variety of reasons.

But this is not only about farmers and hunters. More than 12 million other Pennsylvanians, including those living in cities and the suburbs, should be involved with the discussion and decision. Many people take to the outdoors of the commonwealth to hike, bike, ride horses or just for a family outing. Right now, they aren’t startled or troubled by gunfire on Sundays and they don’t feel a need to wear blaze orange outfits worn by hunters. If the law changes, so will the nature of Sundays in Pennsylvania.

Legislation before the General Assembly in Harrisburg would not only repeal restrictions on Sunday hunting, but also turn future decision-making about it over to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The commission’s job is to properly manage wildlife populations, not to deal with potential conflicts between segments of our human population.

Some advocates of Sunday hunting argue that it is not fair for them to be prevented from hunting on their own land, implying that somehow everyone has the right to do whatever they wish, whenever they want, on their properties. The argument ignores the fact that many restrictions or limitations are common on private property and are established for the greater public interest. Many of us likely believe that some of those restrictions are unwarranted or excessive. Most farmers just don’t happen to feel that limits on Sunday hunting are among them, especially since our land borders the properties of others.

Proponents of a change in the law claim Pennsylvania’s economy will get a boost if it expands Sunday hunting, citing a study commissioned by a committee of the General Assembly. The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and others, however, believe the statistics are greatly exaggerated and fail to take into account other considerations. For example, how much revenue and how many jobs will be lost if fewer Pennsylvanians and out-of-state visitors participate in recreational activities (other than hunting) on Sundays? And, the study apparently assumes that resident hunters won’t be contributing to the state’s economy if they are not hunting on Sundays.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania hunters already spend more “days afield” than those of any other state. Among those are 103 days to hunt deer, including 18 Saturdays. Meanwhile, the Game Commission already has the authority to respond to hunters’ requests for more deer hunting opportunities by adding two more days to the rifle deer season and by allowing hunting on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving, or further extending hunting seasons.

The bottom line is that the current law restricting Sunday hunting provides a reasonable balance for farmers, hunters and the millions of other people who enjoy the outdoors of Pennsylvania.

Carl T. Shaffer is president of the Camp Hill-based Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and he operates a farm in Columbia County.

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