S TAT U S O F
P E N D I N G L AW S
PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE PASSES
HISTORIC SUNDAY HUNTING BILL
A
fter 337 years of a near total
ban on Sunday hunting in
the Commonwealth, the
Pennsylvania House has paved
the way for limited Sunday hunting.
The bill, which allows for hunting on
three Sundays, will now head back
to the Senate, which is expected to
agree to the House version of the
bill. If the Senate agrees, the bill will
be sent to Gov. Tom Wolf for his
signature, which will make it law.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance,
the National Shooting Sports
Foundation, the National Rifle
Association and a broad coalition
comprised of local Pennsylvania
sportsmen’s groups, have been
working with legislators in both
chambers of the Pennsylvania
legislature to remove the centuries
old ban so that the Commonwealth
can join their neighboring states
Maryland, New York, Ohio and
West Virginia that already allow
sportsmen to hunt on Sunday.
Senate Bill 147 would permit
hunting on three Sundays: one
during deer gun season, one during
deer archery season, and one
determined by the Pennsylvania
Game Commission. In addition, the
House of Representatives added
four amendments:
• Requires written permission while
hunting on private land on Sundays.
• Allows a hunter to retrieve a
dog that has crossed on to other
properties while hunting, provided
the hunter is unarmed.
• Delays the implementation of the
bill so that it will take effect for the
2020 hunting season.
• Allows other law enforcement
agencies to assist Pennsylvania
game wardens with the trespass
issues should the need arise.
“The Sportsmen’s Alliance
and its Pennsylvania members
would like to thank the leadership
and members of both parties in
the House and Senate. We urge
the Senate to schedule a quick
concurrence vote and send this
historic legislation to the governor,”
said Bruce Tague vice president
of government affairs for the
Sportsmen’s Alliance.
As expected, California
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed
legislation that ends the
bobcat season in California
until 2025 and into the
foreseeable future. The
legislation (AB 1254), which
was backed by the Humane
Society of the United States
and introduced by Assembly
Member Sydney Kamlager-
Dove (D-Los Angeles), was
opposed by the California
Department of Finance.
California’s Department
of Finance wrote that
implementation of AB 1254
12
SPORTSMEN’S MONTHLY
will put a significant amount
of financial stress on the
Fish and Game Preservation
Fund. The bill will also hinder
the Department of Fish and
Wildlife’s ability to carry out
core programs. DFW stands
to lose around $42,000 a
year for the next five years
as a result of the ban. The
Department of Finance
estimates that if needed, the
re-opening of bobcat hunting
would cost taxpayers $2.75
million in just the first year.
Californians can now expect
more unwanted interactions
with people, pets and
livestock, and taxpayers will
be responsible for the cost of
problem bobcats.
“Governor Newsom and the
California legislature continue
to do everything they can to
end all forms of hunting,” said
Luke Houghton, Sportsmen’s
Alliance associate director
of state services. “AB 1254
is a perfect example of how
the animal-rights community
disregards the scientific
management of species and
fiscal responsibility in order
to pass their own agenda.”
CALIFORNIA BANS ALL BOBCAT HUNTING, TRAPPING