PA Changing the First Day of Rifle... Thoughts?

[Deleted member 28227]

I think no hunting on Sunday is one of THE dumbest regulations ever. Sorry for the sidetrack.

I would love someone to come on and defend it... what is the argument for that rule.

 

[zpooch]

I agree with most here that it will benefit some and others it won't. At the end of the day people do not have to hunt Saturday, just use Monday as your opener. Where I hunt in north central PA the deer never even know it is opening day if you get away from the roads. Head over to the HuntingPA forum if you want to read the hysteria from this decision. I guess some people have a hard time adjusting

Up there in God's Country

 

[PA deer hunter]

I would love someone to come on and defend it... what is the argument for that rule.

Pennsylvania was founded by Quakers. The “ Blue Laws” , as outdated as they may be, are still in effect here today. No defense needed, it’s just how things are here until the legislature changes things. Limited alcohol sales, limited business practices, no Sunday hunting, there’s quite a list. The legislature has to give the Game Commission permission to allow Sunday hunting, which I believe they did. Unless I misread, the Board of Commissioners can’t vote on it til next year.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

I would love someone to come on and defend it... what is the argument for that rule.

My favorite one I heard in VA was that the deer needed a rest. To which I would always respond, give them Wednesday then. Unfortunately the ones defending the idea never understood the smart@$$ comment.

 

[JaegerRex]

Though I live in VA now, I was born and raised in PA. I'm not sure how to think of the change. When I was young it seemed like everything closed down for the first day of buck.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Just seem like there are an awful lot of people complaining about opportunity and effectively doubling the amount of days the average could person could spend hunting would be a no brainier... but I mean I guess we could just complain about the price of Wyoming licenses or Colorado preference points instead.

 

[PA deer hunter]

Old habits, customs,etc. hard to break. Sunday hunting will happen here, eventually. Saturday opener, I believe, laid the groundwork for it. The PGC has used this as a way to increase hunting license dollars, nothing more, nothing less. The legislature has shot down license increases for quite sometime ,they believe this will increase hunter participation. Time will tell.

 

[Mallardsx2]

If they legalize Sunday hunting they will have to shorten the season by a week in PA

 

[stealthy_bowman]

I would actually love to see that change in NJ as well. Traditionally, we open the Monday after PA opens, but that has become so impractical and I do believe that participation would go up if we switched to a Saturday opener too. Would certainly make it much easier to have more time to hunt with the kids too. Last year for example, they both had tests on the opening Monday and didn’t hunt because of it. Like PA, we also have the stupid no Sunday hunting law, though it’s been removed for archery, it remains for gun hunting and getting that changed has a snow balls chance in hell with the current administration that is openly anti hunting...

 

[farmerboy1381]

I do not understand the argument that a Saturday opener will get more kids in the woods. I have never heard of a child that wanted to hunt whose parents would not pull them on opening day. Most schools In our area are closed anyway, there wouldn’t be anybody there.
As for Sunday hunting, look at how much land in PA is owned by farmers that now allow hunting. Overwhelmingly these farmers are church goers. I used to pick up milk at the farms last time they were talking about Sunday hunting. I had several farmers tell me that the moment that law passes their land will be closed to hunting. My uncle owns and farms almost a thousand acres in an area where hunting land is hard to come by. That land is currently open to hunting but will be closed if it becomes legal to hunt Sunday (good for me).
Access is the number one reason people give for not hunting. Why close thousands and thousands of acres of the best.
On a personal note I do not want it. If they legalize it I will hunt. I really enjoy having one day a week where I can run game cams and scout after church with the kids instead of hunting hard.

 

[farmerboy1381]

My favorite one I heard in VA was that the deer needed a rest. To which I would always respond, give them Wednesday then. Unfortunately the ones defending the idea never understood the smart@$$ comment.

At the risk of getting really long winded I would like to add a little to my previous post. Just trying to answer your question why I might be against it. Just this winter I went to three different sportsman’s banquets at three different churches. Family events were wild game was served and everybody talked hunting. Great events for young people. Most youth groups and churches that I have ever been at hunting has been viewed as a great activity and awesome alternative to video games. When hunting starts taking people out of church will there still be the support there for young people that want to get into hunting? The way I see it allowing Sunday hunting will close land that is close to home and easy to start hunting on, and it will turn many people who now support hunting away from it. The reward better be very very high for the cost, and I quite frankly don’t see it.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

At the risk of getting really long winded I would like to add a little to my previous post. Just trying to answer your question why I might be against it. Just this winter I went to three different sportsman’s banquets at three different churches. Family events were wild game was served and everybody talked hunting. Great events for young people. Most youth groups and churches that I have ever been at hunting has been viewed as a great activity and awesome alternative to video games. When hunting starts taking people out of church will there still be the support there for young people that want to get into hunting? The way I see it allowing Sunday hunting will close land that is close to home and easy to start hunting on, and it will turn many people who now support hunting away from it. The reward better be very very high for the cost, and I quite frankly don’t see it.

I will certainly not argue with the virtues of church but I will say go hunting before and after not during church. As far as kids getting a day off good luck with that. Year round sports has pretty much relegated high school athletes to the weekend and elementary school kids to Saturday afternoon. Most schools here won't give a day off willingly. A Saturday opener allows my kids to go opening day and Sunday hunting more than doubled my kids opportunities to hunt. Other religions have services on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, would anyone think about not hunting then?

 

[TheGreek]

I was born in PA, my parents still live there and I go back every year to hunt on my uncle’s farm for deer season. I’m a fan of the season starting on Saturday. I see more weekend days to hunt as a win for the regular guy who works Monday through Friday and has limited time off. Now they just need to allow Sunday hunting.

 

[farmerboy1381]

I will certainly not argue with the virtues of church but I will say go hunting before and after not during church. As far as kids getting a day off good luck with that. Year round sports has pretty much relegated high school athletes to the weekend and elementary school kids to Saturday afternoon. Most schools here won't give a day off willingly. A Saturday opener allows my kids to go opening day and Sunday hunting more than doubled my kids opportunities to hunt. Other religions have services on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, would anyone think about not hunting then?

My point is not that hunters should accommodate church or farmers. My point is those are two groups where there are a lot of people that do not hunt. A large majority of people in those groups see many virtues in hunting and consequently offer support. If hunters do not take that into account do not complain when they no longer get that support.
Everybody is going to have a different line where increased opportunity is greater than increased opposition. But somebody asked why anybody would be against it, here is my opinion.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

My point is not that hunters should accommodate church or farmers. My point is those are two groups where there are a lot of people that do not hunt. A large majority of people in those groups see many virtues in hunting and consequently offer support. If hunters do not take that into account do not complain when they no longer get that support.
Everybody is going to have a different line where increased opportunity is greater than increased opposition. But somebody asked why anybody would be against it, here is my opinion.

Gotcha, I see what you are getting at. I didn't catch that before. That's certainly a consideration.

 

[scubohuntr]

Where I grew up, church was generally cancelled on opening weekend because the pastor was out hunting. But then I didn't grow up in a church community that was particularly rigid about never missing a service. I've never lived anywhere that didn't allow hunting on Sunday, so it doesn't really make sense to me, but hunting regulations anywhere rarely make sense when taken out of the local tradition.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

My point is not that hunters should accommodate church or farmers. My point is those are two groups where there are a lot of people that do not hunt. A large majority of people in those groups see many virtues in hunting and consequently offer support. If hunters do not take that into account do not complain when they no longer get that support.
Everybody is going to have a different line where increased opportunity is greater than increased opposition. But somebody asked why anybody would be against it, here is my opinion.

I see where you are coming from as well, that being said if the impetuous behind no hunting on Sunday is religious that is unconstitutional. Religious doctrine has no place in creating fish and game laws, period.

I think it's perfectly fine for landowners to tell people they don't want hunters on their property on Sunday, their land their access rules.

Imagine the uproar there would be if Utah decided not to allow Sunday hunting, and the reasoning was that the large, Mormon, landowners didn't want people to hunt on Sunday.

 

[Mallardsx2]

I do not understand the argument that a Saturday opener will get more kids in the woods. I have never heard of a child that wanted to hunt whose parents would not pull them on opening day. Most schools In our area are closed anyway, there wouldn’t be anybody there.
As for Sunday hunting, look at how much land in PA is owned by farmers that now allow hunting. Overwhelmingly these farmers are church goers. I used to pick up milk at the farms last time they were talking about Sunday hunting. I had several farmers tell me that the moment that law passes their land will be closed to hunting. My uncle owns and farms almost a thousand acres in an area where hunting land is hard to come by. That land is currently open to hunting but will be closed if it becomes legal to hunt Sunday (good for me).
Access is the number one reason people give for not hunting. Why close thousands and thousands of acres of the best.
On a personal note I do not want it. If they legalize it I will hunt. I really enjoy having one day a week where I can run game cams and scout after church with the kids instead of hunting hard.

On the flip side of that, most people who own private ground (Farmers includes 100% in this statement) dont let you hunt with permission anymore anyhow. I no longer feel that the "Farmers wont allow hunting on Sundays" doesn't really apply these days. But thats just my take.

 

[farmerboy1381]

On the flip side of that, most people who own private ground (Farmers includes 100% in this statement) dont let you hunt with permission anymore anyhow. I no longer feel that the "Farmers wont allow hunting on Sundays" doesn't really apply these days. But thats just my take.

Man if you have never looked into the game commissions private land co-operative programs and found all the private land that is available for hunting let me highly recommend it! There are some great properties enrolled in it. Some are more heavily hunted than public but some are true hidden gems.

 

[Trial153]

NY changed from a Monday opener to Saturday opener several years back.
I dont think it made much if any difference.