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It’s back.
But will it become a reality?
The issue of Sunday hunting will be a focal point for the Game and Fisheries Committee during the upcoming legislative session, which begins Monday. State Rep. Ed Staback, who is the minority chairman of the committee, said the legislators will delve into the Sunday hunting issue “in a big way” and they’ll also have the support of several major sportsmen’s groups to get it passed.
Staback, D-Archbald, said groups such as the National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Sportsmen’s Alliance and Pheasants Forever are pushing for the approval of Sunday hunting in the seven states where it is prohibited. And, according to Staback, that effort will begin in Pennsylvania.
“A lot of our time in the days ahead will be devoted to the Sunday hunting issue,” he said.
Staback, who is an avid hunter, has been a staunch supporter of Sunday hunting. In 2009 he introduced House Bill 779, which would remove the prohibition on Sunday hunting and give the Pennsylvania Game Commission the authority to decide if Sunday hunting should be implemented. Right now, that’s something that the PGC board can’t do without the Legislature granting them that authority.
The bill never made it out of committee, but Staback is ready to renew the effort once again because he feels Sunday hunting will not only give hunters more opportunities to hunt, but it will save the sport itself.
“Many people work on Saturdays and don’t have the time to hunt. By giving them a full day on Sunday to enjoy the sport, a great number of hunters would get back into the sport again,” Staback said. “If there is no change, by the year 2040 hunting will be a thing of the past, based on the current rate that we are losing hunters.”
Sunday hunting also will be good for the economy, Staback said. He referred to a study that found if Sunday hunting were implemented for all species and seasons, it would generate an additional $630 million into the economy and create 5,300 hunting-related jobs. If the measure were just allowed for two Sundays during the rifle deer season, $187 million in additional revenue would be realized along with 1,600 new jobs, Staback said.
The possible financial benefit is the main reason why state Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, is a supporter of Sunday hunting.
Mullery, who was appointed to the Game and Fisheries Committee in January during his first term in office, said he has spoken to many hunters in his district who spend thousands of dollars to hunt in other states where Sunday hunting is allowed.
“That’s money that can be spent here in Pennsylvania,” Mullery said. “Sunday hunting will not only increase license sales, it will benefit businesses here as well.”
Staback expects the House to begin working on the Sunday hunting issue in the next couple months, and he added there are two possible bills to address the issue.
One possible bill would eliminate the Sunday hunting prohibition and authorize the PGC board to set seasons and bag limits with the Sunday option in mind. The board would choose the species for which Sunday hunting will be applied, Staback said.
“It gives them the green light to implement it across the board or they can limit it to certain species,” he said.
The second possibility would be for Staback to re-introduce HB 779, which he said he is ready to do. House Bill 779 simply removes the Sunday hunting prohibition and the PGC board would have to vote to legalize it.
“Sunday hunting always comes up when I talk to hunters,” Staback said. “They can’t understand why it’s been so difficult to get it approved.”
Bill ‘a long shot’ for change in deer season
A bill (HB 566) introduced last week by state Rep. Gerald Mullery to move the start of the antlered deer season from Monday to Saturday after Thanksgiving likely won’t make it out of the House Game and Fisheries Committee.
State Rep. Ed Staback, who is minority chairman of the committee, said if such a change was made it should be done by the Pennsylvania Game Commission board.
“I feel that seasons and bag limits are not something that should be decided by the political element,” Staback said. “This isn’t the first time issues like this have been taken up by a legislator, but the bills are never called up.”
Mullery last week elaborated on his bill, which he said he introduced after receiving a lot of comments from hunters supporting the change.
The change would include Wildlife Management Units that have both the split and concurrent deer seasons, he said. The rifle deer season would still end on the second Saturday in December, and the bill would add an extra day to the season.
Also, the fall turkey and small game seasons would still remain open on the same Saturday as the start of the antlered deer season.
“In speaking with my constituents they have relayed a message to me that their voice has gone unheard by the Pennsylvania Game Commission,” Mullery said. “I was elected to be the voice for my constituents.”
Mullery said his bill isn’t the first to be introduced that would change a hunting season. He said he hopes the PGC would give its support to the bill, which he said would most likely be enacted for the 2012 hunting season if it passes the House and Senate.
A petition will be placed on Mullery’s website for hunters and nonhunters to express their opinion on the bill. To visit the website, go to www.pahouse.com/mullery.