Pennsylvania Hunters Sue to Remove Sunday Hunting Ban
OutdoorHub Reporters 07.19.13
The sportsmen’s organization Hunters United for Sunday Hunting (HUSH) has filed suit against the Pennsylvania Game Commission in the latest battle over Sunday hunting rights.
According to pennlive.com, the lawsuit calls for the state’s Sunday hunting ban to be removed because it violates constitutional rights. Eleven states in the nation still have laws against Sunday hunting, most of which are leftover “blue laws” or religious mandates that prevented certain businesses and activities from being conducted on Sundays. HUSH supporters argue that in addition to being outdated, the ban also infringes on hunting rights and religious freedom.
Many of these blue law bans date back to the early 1800s and have since been abolished. The hunting ban has stayed on the books in Pennsylvania despite the fact that many avid hunters work Monday through Friday, therefore reducing their hunting opportunities to only Saturday. HUSH is not alone in its fight against the ban, similar organizations in North Carolina, Massachusetts, West Virginia, and other states are also attempting to strike down the bans in their own states. For many hunters, the ban is unnecessary and cuts down the amount of time they can spend in the field each season.
The ban does have supporters, primarily landowners, farmers, and other residents who do not feel at ease with hunters nearby. Some hikers say they feel safer and more comfortable in the woods because they know Sunday is off-limits to hunters. Two years ago, a bill that would have overturned the ban in Pennsylvania was shot down due to opposition from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and state residents who feared that the bill would lead to trespassing. The opposition did not include the Game Commission, whose spokesperson Travis Lau said that agency was open to authorizing Sunday hunts and had in fact created a resolution in 2010 to urge the legislature to void the ban.
Currently, hunters in Pennsylvania are limited to taking nuisance animals like feral swine, crows, coyotes, and foxes on Sundays. A study released in 2011 found that the state would stand to gain over $804 million in economic activity with the repeal of the Sunday ban. This is one of the main points of contention for pro-Sunday hunting groups, who argue that ban states are losing out on sizable economic opportunities. HUSH is hopeful that the lawsuit will result in an order from a federal court to prevent Pennsylvania from enforcing the ban.
