Pennsylvania is one step closer to Sunday hunting. The question is, which Sundays?
The state Senate voted June 26 to authorize the Game Commission to schedule three Sunday hunts. The vote followed weeks of horse trading in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which whittled Senate Bill 147 from 14 Sundays — 10 in the fall and four in the spring — to one each during archery and rifle deer seasons and another Sunday to be selected by the Game Commission.
The vote was 36-14 according to Sen. Jim Brewster, D-Allegheny/Westmoreland, one of the bill’s prime sponsors.
“This is an incredibly important piece of legislation for sportsmen and women in Pennsylvania,” Mr. Brewster said in a released statement. “Opening up selected Sundays for hunting will spur interest in the sport, increase the number of hunters, retain in-state hunters and attract men and women from other states.”
Sen. Dan Laughlin of Erie, the bill’s prime Republican cosponsor, said the bill takes a major step toward “increasing recreational opportunities for the thousands of Pennsylvania sportsmen and women who enjoy hunting.”
The bill now goes to the state House of Representatives for consideration.
Unlike previous Sunday hunting campaigns, the current effort has not focused on hunting safety. The main issues are hunter recruitment and retention, and trespass penalties.
Like other states and the federal government, Pennsylvania uses hunters and the revenue they generate as the primary wildlife management tools. With hunting license sales down to around 800,000 per year and continuing to fall, lawmakers say other more expensive methods to manage wildlife and habitat may be needed.
Senate Bill 147 would amend the Pennsylvania Game Code to include the new offense of hunting trespass, a primary offense with substantially increased penalties enforceable by game wardens. The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau remains the largest organization opposed to SB 147. Mr. Brewster said its representative was invited to help craft the current bill’s language, and the bureau would agree to limited Sunday hunting if trespassing by hunters was curtailed.
Learn to fly fish
Part of the allure of fly fishing is the lack of apparatus between angler and fish. With virtually no weight at the hook, fly fishing is all about controlling the weight of the heavy fly line.
Orvis Pittsburgh at the Galleria of Mt. Lebanon offers a free introductory fly fishing class from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays. Get details at 412-343-1612 or retail-pittsburghstr632@orvis.com.
International Angler in Robinson also offers classes teaching necessary skills including rigging and casting. The class starts at 5:30 p.m. July 3. License and trout stamp required, waders preferred, $40 registration. Information: 412-788-8088 or ia2@internationalangler.com.
Post-Gazette Outdoors Poll
LAST WEEK: The general public should be more aware of chronic wasting disease.
Yes 86 %
No 14 %
351 responses
This poll is an unscientific tally of web postings generated by Civic Science.
First Published: June 27, 2019, 7:10 p.m.
