The Pennsylvania Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is a nonprofit group that seeks to ensure preservation of Pennsylvania’s outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and service on behalf of wild public lands and waters. One of our main tenets is to maintain and enhance public access and opportunity for hunters and anglers.
We advocate for the expansion of Sunday Hunting in Pennsylvania for the following reasons:
- Sunday Hunting would provide increased opportunities for junior hunters and working age adult hunters to become engaged in hunting and conservation. Additional opportunities will lead to better recruitment and retention of hunters throughout the state. In addition, Sunday hunting would result in additional economic benefits to the outdoor industry along with the rural communities and businesses that support it.
- Children's schedules today are more rigid than in the past. Sunday hunting would double the amount of time that junior hunters can spend in the field without interfering with school and team sports, many of which have Saturday activities. Likewise, the work and social demands of many adult hunters limit their time and Sunday may be the only time available to hunt.
- Lack of time plays a major role in why many Pennsylvanians leave hunting. Over the past several years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has identified a downward trend in hunting license sales over the last decade. The PGC has identified hunter recruitment and retention has as an important factor in improving support for our hunting and trapping heritage in the Keystone State. In a survey of lapsed hunters conducted for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, lack of time and work obligations were among the most frequently stated reasons for the decision to stop hunting. This was especially true in junior hunters and adult hunters under the age of 35. These are the groups that need to be recruited to maintain and grow Pennsylvania’s hunting population. Permitting Sunday hunting would work to alleviate the diminishing number of young hunters.
- Increased hunting opportunities also would lead to increased profits for the rural communities and businesses throughout the commonwealth. A National Shooting Sports Foundation study found that Sunday hunting could create over 8,000 new jobs and pump $764 million into the state’s economy. This includes not only traditional outdoor industries but other businesses such as restaurants, gas stations and hotels.
For these reasons the Pennsylvania Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers supports Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania.
About Pennsylvania BHA
The Pennsylvania Chapter of BHA represents a diverse and enthusiastic group of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen who seek to protect and improve wild places in the Keystone State and beyond.