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WILKES-BARRE — State Rep. Gerald Mullery on Tuesday said the positive economic impact of allowing Sunday hunting led to his vote for the legislation in the House Game and Fisheries Committee.
“Increasing the amount of time available to hunt will help grow hunter numbers in Pennsylvania, which have been in decline since the early 1980s, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission,” Mullery said.
Mullery, D-Newport Township, said a 2011 Game Commission survey identified lack of free time as one of the leading causes in the decline of hunter participation. He said the study concluded that repealing the Sunday hunting ban would mitigate the decline in hunter participation.
“Allowing Sunday hunting would effectively double the amount of time in the field for many hunters currently limited to only Saturday outings due to work and school schedules,” Mullery said. “At a time when our hunting heritage is threatened, increased opportunity is crucial to retaining, recruiting and reactivating hunters.
“Ending the ban on Sunday hunting would add 4,400 jobs and almost $100 million in wages to the Pennsylvania economy, according to a 2011 National Shooting Sports Foundation study.”
Mullery said all neighboring states, except two, have updated their statutes to allow Sunday hunting.
“Pennsylvania will continue to lose hunting license fees and travel dollars to these states until we cast off the old-fashioned laws that prohibit Sunday hunting,” Mullery said.
Senate Bill 147, which would allow hunting on three Sundays, heads to the full House for consideration.
State Grange comments
The Pennsylvania State Grange registered deep disappointment with the vote — legislation to allow three designated Sundays for hunting and issued the following statement.
“The Pennsylvania State Grange believes that the vote was short-sighted because while Sunday hunting is hailed as a panacea to end the decade-old slide in hunting licenses, proponents have never documented that claim. Problems facing hunting are deeper than simply adding Sundays.
“A cultural shift, less young people being familiar with recreational hunting, and other causes need to be explored by an independent body like the PA Legislative Budget & Finance Committee before there is a legislative rush to judgment about the solution.
“Grange membership includes many avid hunters and we support their activities while recognizing the need to look more deeply into how longer-term solutions into the decline of hunting license sales can and should be made.”