Sunday Hunting coming soon to Pennsylvania
By Don Rank
HARRISBURG, PA, July 9, 2025 – This morning, at a small ceremony near the state capital, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law House Bill 1431. At last the ban on Sunday hunting has been lifted in Pennsylvania – a hard-earned victory for which Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and its Pennsylvania Chapter should take pride.
History
The inability to hunt on Sundays in Pennsylvania dates to the days when Ulysses S. Grant was president. Back then, it was one of many “Blue Laws” aimed at limiting activity outside of religious ones on Sundays. Even fishing was forbidden on Sunday in Pennsylvania until the 1930’s. These Blue Laws were ingrained into the psyche of Pennsylvanians. The hunting community was not immune to this thinking. When the campaign to end the ban started, hunters split 50/50 on the desire to hunt on Sundays.
In late 2017, a new Pennsylvania Chapter board was formed and, building on the work of the very first leaders in the state, relaunched the Pennsylvania Chapter of BHA. At that time, the Chair, Nate Fronk, identified the longstanding ban on Sunday hunting as the top legislative priority. The ban was an access issue. A No Hunting sign on the whole state for half of every weekend.
The chapter drafted and released a public statement in support of Sunday Hunting in March, 2018. While there had been efforts to repeal the ban in the past, BHA was the first national organization to release such a statement in Pennsylvania. That release shone a spotlight on this new group that seemed to “come out of nowhere” as one Pennsylvania Game Commission official put it when a chapter leader spoke at a Sunday Hunting Summit held at the Commission’s Headquarters later in 2018. The Pennsylvania Game Commission has been a stalwart partner in these efforts ever since.
And so began a long slog of a campaign that would span almost eight years. Chapter Leaders spent countless hours monitoring legislation, drafting action alerts, visiting the Capitol to meet with legislators, coordinating with our partner conservation organizations, rallying members and speaking to the community at large.
Slow Progress
The first victory came in 2019 when Senator Dan Laughlin’s SB 147 passed during the last minutes of the legislative session. Three Sundays were now open to hunting. Not a total victory, but a start.
In the ensuing legislative sessions, Senator Laughlin continued to be the standard bearer for Sunday hunting in the Senate, while Representative Mandy Steele took up the cause in the House.
The Pennsylvania Chapter employed the services of policy advisor John Kline to lobby for its member's interests, including Sunday hunting. Also adding to the effort was the creation of the Pennsylvania Sportsmen & Women Policy Workgroup, a coalition of national and state hunting and fishing conservation groups. Through the working group, the voices of hunters and anglers from many organizations joined to advocate to legislators and decision makers through joint letters and face-to-face meetings and events with legislators and their staff.
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Finally, earlier this year, a bipartisan effort took shape with simultaneous Sunday hunting bills being submitted in the House by Representative Steele and in the Senate by Senator Laughlin. Visits to the Capitol by chapter leaders, calls from BHA members, and coordination with other conservation organizations also organizing their members helped galvanize support for these bills.
Since first asking our members and supporters to contact their legislators in support of Sunday hunting in April of 2019, about 3,500 messages were delivered through BHA’s Action Center on the issue from sportsmen and women to decision makers.
On June 30, 2025, Representative Steele’s HB 1431 passed the final legislative hurdle and was on its way to the Governor. The passage is a testament to the hard work of chapter leaders, BHA members and staff and our many partners. This campaign shows that the being in the arena is worth it, no matter how long it takes.
The repeal of the ban on Sunday hunting is the biggest increase to hunting access in Pennsylvania in our lifetime. And while we will revel in the ability to go afield on Sundays, future generations will be lucky enough to not even think about it.
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.
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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.
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