Membership of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau – one of the loudest opponents to Sunday hunting in the state – recently voted in favor of the group’s lobbying arm dropping the bureau’s opposition to Sunday hunting, and social media has been going wild over that news.
“Bout time,” one hunter posted on the PA Whitetail Facebook page.
“We need Sunday hunting,” another wrote on the Hunting Pennsylvania Closed Group Facebook page.
What’s not being discussed as widely as the notion that the 60,000-member Farm Bureau has said it will drop its long-standing opposition to Sunday hunting here is that the advocacy group said it will do so only after some key legislation it favors is enacted.
“Correct, the legislation needs to be passed before, or be combined with a Sunday hunting bill, for us to be in favor of Sunday hunting,” said David Varner, the Farm Bureau’s media and marketing specialist.
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And while nothing the Farm Bureau is asking for seems outlandish, not everything seems simple, either.
So what is the Farm Bureau asking for in exchange for a favorable position on Sunday hunting?
We’ll get to that in a minute. First, let’s look at where we are with Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is one of the last states in the U.S. to generally ban hunting on Sunday.
Currently, state law states that Sunday hunting is banned, except for hunting foxes, crows and coyotes.
The key to that sentence is “state law states.”
Even though the Pennsylvania Game Commission is responsible for hunting seasons and regulations here, the right to hunt on Sundays is one aspect of hunting that is governed by the Legislature.
So even if the Game Commission wants Sunday to be like any other day of the week in terms of hunting – which its board of commissioners has said it does – it has no authority to allow it.
Technically, Sunday hunting is allowed here by state law, but hunters don’t see it that way, when all they can hunt are foxes, coyotes and crows.
They want to be able to hunt on Sundays for whatever is in season – deer, turkeys, bear, small game – whatever.
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In 2019, state lawmakers passed legislation allowing for three Sundays of hunting some of those more commonly hunted species. And in 2020, hunters for the first time in any living hunter’s lifetime got to chase those animals on a Sunday in Pennsylvania.
Last year, Sunday hunting was allowed on Nov. 12, 19 and 26. Combined, those days allowed hunters to chase deer and bears with archery gear and firearms, small game and some furbearers.
Many bills aimed at legalizing general Sunday hunting have been introduced in the Legislature through the years. So far, all have died.
One of the leading opponents to those efforts has been the Farm Bureau.
Through the years, I’ve heard many reasons for that opposition, ranging from religious beliefs to a desire to reserve one day on the farm when farmers don’t have to think about hunters to a belief that game animals deserve one day of rest to minimize hunting pressure.
Varner last week offered another.
“One of the biggest reasons in the past Farm Bureau was opposed to Sunday hunting was because trespass laws in Pennsylvania aren’t strong enough,” he said.
Under a 2020, revised trespassing law passed here, hunting on property that is posted against trespassing or where the landowner has told a hunter to stay off the land is considered defiant trespass, which can carry punishment of up to one year in prison and fines up to $2,500.
Which brings us to the Farm Bureau’s demands for dropping its opposition to Sunday hunting.
Varner said the bureau’s membership recently voted in favor of this position by a two-thirds majority.
Sen. Greg Rothman, who represents Perry County and parts of Cumberland and Dauphin counties, in December issued a memorandum of legislation he intends to introduce addressing four issues.
These four issues constitute the Farm Bureau’s demands in the Sunday hunting deal, Varner said.
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First, Rothman wants to “increase trespass while hunting penalties to further deter individuals from entering another’s private property during hunting seasons,” the memorandum states.
Second, he wants to “eliminate unnecessary red tape by allowing farmers to send game to an independent processor following harvesting for the purpose of crop damage mitigation,” the memorandum states.
Currently, farmers who shoot deer for crop damage have to wait for a Game Commission official to show up and verify the kill before it can be taken to a processor. Rothman’s proposal would still involve the Game Commission, but farmers could take deer to a processor themselves.
Third, Rothman wants a system created “by which licensed hunters can be easily connected with farmers who seek individuals to hunt their land for the purpose of crop damage mitigation,” the memorandum states.
“Through and online Agriculture Access list, farmers can connect with sportsmen, providing the farmers with a crop damage solution, and hunters with private land access.”
Finally, Rothman wants to “add a tenth seat to the Pennsylvania Game Commission Board,” the memorandum states.
“This seat will be filled by an at-large member who is selected for their knowledge and experience within the agricultural community and the habitats within.”
Essentially, he wants a farmer to have a seat at the Game Commission table.
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I find this last demand especially intriguing, as it would give the commissioners’ board an even-number makeup. So 5-5 ties in votes on critical issues could occur.
Is that something the Game Commission wants?
“We have not taken a position on the concept of a tenth commissioner,” said agency spokesman Travis Lau.
“Yes, with an even number of commissioners, there could be more tie votes. But there was an eight-commissioner board for many years, prior to a new district being created.
“And even with an odd number on the board, there’s still a possibility of a tie vote due to absence or abstention, so there’s no way to avoid that entirely.”
State Rep. Mandy Steele of Allegheny County on Jan. 30 issued a memorandum stating she intends to repeal the prohibition on Sunday hunting, and give authority over the matter to the Game Commission.
“The Game Commission began approving the three Sundays in 2020,” she said. “These decisions have remained successful to this day…Some states that have recently lifted their Sunday hunting bans have reported no adverse impact on their game populations.”
Whether or not the bill Steele eventually introduces addresses the Farm Bureau’s issues remains to be seen. So when this legislation might start down the path to adoption is still unknown.
But even if everything the Farm Bureau wants is addressed, that doesn’t mean general Sunday hunting is a lock to win approval.
There are still legislators who oppose it. State Rep. Bryan Cutler of Quarryville is one of them.
“The last time the issue of Sunday hunting came up for a vote, I voted against it because I know most residents of the 100th District do not want Sunday hunting,” Cutler said.
“Should the issue come up again, I will continue to represent the interests of my district by opposing Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania.”
So is general Sunday hunting finally on the path to reality here in Pennsylvania?
Time will tell.
