The effort to end the prohibition of hunting on Sundays in Pennsylvania will have its first public test this month, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. On September 15, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives' Game and Fisheries Committee will hold a public hearing in Northampton on House Bill 1760. A second public hearing is anticipated for October. The bill, introduced by Majority Committee Chairman John Evans and Minority Committee Chairman Edward Staback, would transfer the authority to regulate Sunday hunting from the Legislature to the Game Commission. The legislation is the latest effort to overturn Sunday hunting bans in the states that still prevent it.

The ban on Sunday hunting stems from "blue laws" established in colonial America and into the 1800s, to prevent trade and other activities that conflicted with observance of the biblical "day of rest."?? The other activities included opening a store for business, drinking alcoholic beverages and tilling fields. Merchants challenged these laws at the end of the 19^th century and the restrictions began to be removed. By 1970, only 25 states still had blue laws and only 13 remained by the mid-1980s.

More recently, Sunday hunting restriction began to loosen in some states in the mid-1990s. New York allowed hunting on Sundays for three weekends during the gun season in 1996, but within five years the entire state allowed Sunday hunting throughout the year (as seasons permitted) except on specially designated lands. A three-year trial period for Sunday hunting in Ohio begun in 1998 resulted in a permanent removal of the ban by 2002. In Michigan, there were restrictions on hunting on Sundays on private land in certain counties, but all Sunday hunting closures were repealed in 2003.

Sunday hunting restrictions remain in eleven states. ?Maryland allows Sunday hunting in a few counties, but restrictions remain for much of the state. ?North Carolina allows for Sunday hunting in limited instances and for specific species. ?In South Carolina, there is no big game hunting on Sundays, but small game may be hunted subject to open season regulations. ?In 2009, New Jersey opened Sunday hunting opportunities for archery hunters. ?Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia still have either a complete ban or severe restrictions on hunting on Sundays.

In January 2011, a coalition of sportsmen's organizations announced a coordinated effort to change Sunday hunting laws. ?Led by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Safari Club International, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, WMI and many others, the coalition released an economic study that indicated that, removing Sunday hunting bans in the remaining 11 states, could result in more than ?27,000 new jobs being created, generate more than $730 million in wages and contribute about $2.2 billion of additional economic activity. The coalition also reported that there is no biological reason to ban hunting on Sunday and allowing the activity could be a boon to those who work long weeks or for children who are in school and have extracurricular activities through Saturday.

Opposition to Sunday hunting comes from several directions in the states where restrictions remain. The religious community maintains the importance of the traditional Sabbath day of rest. Groups like the Humane Society of the United States and other animal protectionist organizations argue for one day that the game animals will not be pursued. Some hikers, bikers, birdwatchers and horseback riders claim that they need one day a week where they do not need to worry about their safety. And, in Pennsylvania, the Farm Bureau says its members want one day when their properties are statutorily off-limits.

Nonetheless, initiatives are moving forward. ?Although efforts to repeal Sunday hunting failed several times in these states, there appears to be greater interest and momentum for repeal. ?Earlier this summer, wildlife commissions in both Virginia and Pennsylvania voted in favor of resolutions supporting Sunday hunting. Upon approval of the resolution in Pennsylvania, the House Game and Fisheries Committee leadership introduced its legislation in anticipation of greater grassroots support due to the national sportsmen's coalition. Results in these two states in the coming months will likely determine the success in repealing the regulations in the remaining states. (jas)