As we recently announced on our blog, some exciting legislative developments are allowing us to continue to offer you the best boar hunting experience around. PA Senate Bill 644 established wild boar hunting as legal for hunters within the state. Now, one group is trying to reduce traditional barriers to Sunday hunting that have existed for almost 150 years.
A ban on Sunday hunting has been a law within Pennsylvania since 1873. Earlier this month, the citizens group Hunters United for Sunday Hunting filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Game Commission, claiming the ban is unconstitutional. The group, based in Lancaster County, argues that religious freedom and equal protection clauses in the Constitution should cause the ban, which the group says serves no secular purpose, to be rescinded.
Certainly, hunting is a familiar activity across Pennsylvania, but some groups are still trying to protect this ban. The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau officially opposes ending the ban, and this is likely to influence some legislators on the issue. Others believe that leaving Sunday as a non-hunting day offers hikers, bikers and other outdoor enthusiasts one single day every week where they can enjoy the outdoors without fearing for their safety.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is responsible for following up claims of Sunday hunting, but it has not been a major issue in recent years. In the past three years, the commission only handed out 17 citations for breaking this ban. These are usually reported by property owners who suspect hunting activity by others on their land. Although the basic citation carries at most a $200 fine, other factors can greatly increase this penalty. For instance, if a deer is killed by a hunter breaking the Sunday ban, they might be charged with fines totaling $3,000 and a maximum of 90 days in jail.
We want all of our clients to be hunting on the right side of the law, but we certainly support hunters who want to enjoy their pastime. If you’re not sure when it’s legal to hunt your game of choice, give Tioga Boar Hunting a call or come down to our ranch and enjoy some hunting while staying out of jail.
Source: http://www.eveningsun.com/news/ci_23733465/lawsuit-seeks-sunday-hunting-pa
*Sunday image courtesy of dirk ercken