For more than 100 years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has been charged with managing, protecting, and conserving our state’s wildlife resources for all Pennsylvanians. The abundant wildlife we enjoy in Pennsylvania today is a result of the agency’s progressive, science-based wildlife management program.

In addition, hunters have played a key role in conservation efforts. Hunting in Pennsylvania is a family tradition, an economic powerhouse, and helps preserve our forests for generations to come. Today, Pennsylvania has the second-largest population of hunters in the United States.
 
Further, farmers are another key part of Pennsylvania’s wonderful heritage. Agriculture is a major part of the economy and plays a key role for the wildlife that call our state home, with over 7 million acres of land devoted to agriculture in the Commonwealth.
 
To give our hunters more opportunities and to ensure our farmers have their voices heard in how our wildlife is managed, I will be introducing legislation that repeals the prohibition on Sunday hunting in state law and that requires that at least one member of the Pennsylvania Game Commission have a background in agriculture.
 
Other states that have lifted bans on Sunday hunting have seen no harm to game populations nor an uptick in safety issues. Further, allowing hunting on Sundays would likely create a positive impact on our economy. Moreover, ensuring that at least one commission member has a background in agriculture will allow for the perspectives of farmers and landowners to be considered in the Game Commission’s decision-making process. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation and help to expand hunting opportunities in our state while also ensuring that our farmers have the platform they deserve to help protect our wildlife.
 

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 0881: 34-102