Benefits of Expanded Sunday Hunting in Pennsylvania

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Benefits of Expanded Sunday Hunting in
Pennsylvania

• MARCH 2008
• Robert B. Miller, Jr.

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Chelsea Myers
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Ben Adams
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Bob Schlemmer
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PAs Hunting Heritage is Eroding

• General license sales declined 28 (1981-2006)
• Were not alone this is a national trend
• Future projections are alarming
• Young and old alike cite time as a major
  constraint
• The erosion of our hunting heritage will be felt
  by farmers, our economy and within our wildlife
  agency

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Not Enough Time

• We have an opportunity to give hunters more time
  by simply doing away with an Old Blue Law
• The ban on Sunday fishing was lifted in 1937
• Full weekend hunting would have multiple benefits

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Opponents of Sunday Hunting

• Outdoor enthusiasts might be put in harms way
• Many hunters fear losing access to private land
  due to posting
• Religious considerations

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Proponents of Sunday Hunting

• No other activities restricted on Sunday
• Sporting events
• take place on Sunday
• 39 STATES ALLOW Sunday hunting

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HOUSE BILL 779

• Representative Ed Staback
• Lackawanna County

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New Yorks Sunday Hunting Experience

• 1938 Sunday hunting BANNED in central and
  western regions
• 1993 - Sunday hunting LEGALIZED in central region
  (3-yr trial)
• 1996 - Sunday hunting LEGALIZED in western
  region (3-yr trial)
• Today - Sunday hunting continues to be a POSITIVE
  EXPERIENCE for New York

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Ohios Sunday Hunting Experience

• Prior to 1998, Sunday hunting confined to
  waterfowl, coyote and groundhog
• 1998 - Sunday hunting became LEGAL in Ohio and
  they have experienced POSITIVE OUTCOMES

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Marylands Sunday Hunting Experience

• 2003 - legislation passed to ALLOW Sunday hunting
  on private land with written permission of
  landowner
• Deer may be hunted on 1st Sunday of archery
  season and 1st Sunday of firearms season (urban
  areas not included)
• POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

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West Virginias Sunday Hunting Experience

• 2001 - Legislation was enacted to PERMIT Sunday
  hunting on private land with written permission
  of landowner
• WV did not have to increase ranks of law
  enforcement and NO OVERTIME was needed
• Several BENEFICIAL OUTCOMES have been noticed

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NRA Report

• None of these states have experienced the
  horror stories forecast by opponents of hunting.
  The states continue to have healthy wildlife
  populations. Hunters continue to behave in a
  responsible and safe manner. Church attendance
  remains unchanged. Landowner-hunter conflicts
  have not increased.
• In sum, Sunday hunting has had nothing but a
  beneficial impact on these states and the future
  of hunting in them.

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LegislativeBudget and Finance Committee

Four states bordering Pennsylvania - Maryland,
New York, Ohio, and West Virginia have recently
expanded Sunday hunting. In none of these states
does expanded Sunday hunting appear to have
caused significant difficulties.
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The Decline of Hunting

• Total annual sales of general hunting licenses
  have DECLINED 28
• This trend ISNT CONFINED TO PENNSYLVANIA
• This trend ISNT EXPECTED TO STOP
• Youth participation in hunting is DECLINING
• In Pennsylvania, recruitment rates are ALARMING

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According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• Throughout the decade of the nineties there was
  a downturn in fishing and hunting participation
  that concerned many natural resource managers and
  organizations interested in the future of these
  activities. Data from the 1991, 1996, 2001 and
  2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and
  Wildlife-Associated Recreation revealed that the
  declines in participation were attributable to
  both declining recruitment and retention.
•  The percent of 13 to 19 year-olds who had ever
  hunted fell from 16 percent in 1990 to 11 percent
  in 2005.

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Social Considerations

• Hunting and fishing are primarily activities
  which can best be understood as a sociological
  phenomenon centered on and about the American
  family.
• -- Responsive
• Management

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Implications of Aging Population

• Nearly ALL YOUTH are initiated into hunting and
  fishing by an adult
• Hunters age 35-54 represent 45.8 of U.S. hunting
  population, the teaching class
• The next group of hunters age 25-34 is 25
  smaller than current teaching class

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Time Constraints

• To Be Succinct .

WERE FOR TIME!
SQUEEZED
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When AskedWhy They Didnt Hunt In 2001

• 44 of Probable Hunters said
• NOT ENOUGH TIME
• Those who are most likely to have children (age
  25-54) said
• NOT ENOUGH TIME
• 50 of Young Hunters said
• NOT ENOUGH TIME

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Sunday Hunting

• 38 percent of PAs hunters said theyd hunt more
  or hunt again if MORE OPPORTUNITIES existed on
  Sunday
• For individuals who could dedicate an entire
  weekend to hunting, providing them with another
  weekend day would DOUBLE THEIR TIME AFIELD
  annually

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Economics of Hunting

• Expenditures of 1.7 BILLION in 2006
• PA ranks SECOND for hunting-related spending
• PA hunters spend 16 million days in the woods,
  MORE THAN HUNTERS ANYWHERE IN U.S.
• And they spent, on average, OVER 1,700

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Economic Benefits of Sunday Hunting

• Hunters would HUNT MORE
• Hunters would SPEND MORE

• Increased hunting activity would create
• NEW JOBS and NEW TAX REVENUE

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Economic Benefits of Sunday Hunting

• Typical hunter in favor of Sunday hunting would
  dedicate 47 MORE TIME to hunting
• 12 of our resident hunters hunted in ANOTHER
  STATE in 2004. When asked why, 1/3 replied, I
  COULD HUNT ON SUNDAY
• Were 4TH IN THE NATION in terms of
• non-resident hunters

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More From theLegislative Budget and Finance
Report

• Hunters who FAVOR Sunday hunting tend to be
  younger (46) than those who oppose (51)
• About HALF of the hunters surveyed live with
  minors
• Of these, over 53 said minors WOULD HUNT MORE

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Agricultural Considerations

• Farmers have VESTED INTEREST in seeing ranks of
  hunters remain strong due to
• Crop Damage - approximately 75 million
• Crop loss per farm averages 9,000
• Forest productivity losses - 73 million

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Agricultural Considerations

• Despite these losses, PAs farmers and landowners
  have reservations about Sunday hunting
• Major concerns of farmers
• and landowners
• Privacy
• Religion
• Trespassing
• Choice to post
• Sunday Hunting
• by Permission

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Gun Hunting Safety

• Some believe Sunday hunting is unsafe
• Sunday hunting ALREADY ALREADY TAKES PLACE in
  Pennsylvania
• Sunday hunting in 39 other states HAS NOT been
  proven dangerous
• According to National Safety Council, accidental
  firearm-related injuries and fatalities are DOWN

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Safe Hunting

• Hunting is SAFE
• PA Game Commission says 2006 was safest hunting
  year in more than 90 years
• Hunting ranks 29th for injuries
• FEW other sports can match hunting for safety and
  safety education

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Conclusions

• FOLLOW the example set by other states
• Todays hunters dont have as much time
• Sundays may HELP KIDS ADULTS stay engaged
• HELP HEAL our lost connectedness to nature

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Last Child in the WoodsSaving Our Children from
Nature Deficit Disorder
baby boomers Americans born between 1946 and
1964 may constitute the last generation of
Americans to share an intimate, familial
attachment to the land and water.
--Richard Louv
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Final Thought
I would urge every parent make memories with
your kids in nature. They will scarce remember
the hours you spent with them in front of the TV.
But theyll hold onto, very deeply, the moments
you spend with them in nature and theyll hold
onto those moments for a lifetime.

-- Larry Schweiger,

President/CEO, Natl Wildlife Federation
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For more information contact

• Robert B. Miller, Jr.
• Governors Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing
  and Conservation
• 7th Floor, RCSOB
• PO Box 8767
• Harrisburg, PA 17105-8767
• 717-772-4285