Shapiro signs law repealing Pa.’s ban on Sunday hunting. Here’s what you need to know.

The law takes effect on September 7, 2025, but it’s unclear how many Sundays will be added.

Flanked by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and outdoor enthusiasts at Blue Ridge Sportsman Club in Dauphin County, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a new law repealing Pennsylvania’s longtime ban on Sunday hunting.

“It lifts the outdated ban on Sunday hunting and instead gives the Game Commission the freedom to set hunting seasons that makes sense for today’s sportsmen,” Shapiro said on Wednesday. “It is a smart change that puts the decision making about Pennsylvania’s hunting seasons squarely in the hands of the experts of the Game Commission and those who know our game populations best.”

House Bill 1431 was authored by state Rep. Mandy Steele (D-Allegheny). She led the effort in the House, while state Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) introduced identical legislation in the Senate and helped get the bill through the legislature.

The measure passed both chambers with bipartisan support.

Prior to 2019, hunting on Sundays had mostly been illegal under the state’s Blue Laws, stemming from the Quaker roots of the commonwealth that barred certain activities on the sabbath. Hunting crows, foxes and coyotes has been legal on Sundays prior to 2019.

Pennsylvania joins 39 other states with no limitations on hunting on Sundays and allows hunters to take deer, bear, turkey or other game, as long as it’s on an in-season Sunday.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law in 2019 to allow hunting on three Sundays each year: one during archery season, one during rifle season, and one Sunday selected by the Game Commission.

Shapiro noted during the signing of the new law on Wednesday that he’s not a hunter. However, he said he believes those who don’t participate in hunting should support the law.

“It’s great for Pennsylvania’s economy,” Shapiro said. “Our rural communities are now going to attract more hunters from other parts of the commonwealth and out-of-state hunters who can now, not just show up for a day, but devote a full weekend to hunting here in Pennsylvania.”

According to the governor’s office, hunting contributes over $1.6 billion annually to Pennsylvania’s economy, while supporting more than 15,000 jobs and generating millions in state and local tax revenue.

Pennsylvania has 850,000 licensed hunters, which is the second most in the nation behind only Texas. The sale of hunting licenses generated more than $59 million in revenue for the Game Commission last year.

State Game Commission (PGC) Executive Director Steve Smith said repealing the ban is a huge step towards making hunting more accessible for younger people and those who work on weekdays.

As Rep. Steele promoted the bill throughout the legislative process, she described not being able to hunt on Sundays as a “major hurdle” for busy families and working people. And she told personal anecdotes of how, through hunting with her children, they gained a connection with the land around them.

Shapiro also referenced hunting as a way to have younger people spend more time outdoors in the state.

“Opening up more Sundays for hunting creates more opportunities for families to get kids away from the iPhones and instead outside in the wilderness, in the woods, to help them build the skills and experience they need to be lifelong hunters as well,” Shapiro said.

While Steele’s bill was backed by groups like the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists, Hunter Nation, and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, it also had support from agriculture organizations, like the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

The organizations’ leaders have said they believe expanding hunting on Sundays can help reduce crop damage by better managing deer population.

State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding also celebrated that aspect of the law on Wednesday. He said today was a story of “more and less.”

“More days to hunt, more opportunities to bag a deer, more hunters, more effective deer management, more relief from crop damage, more food on the table and in the food bank,” Redding said. “And it’s less crop damage, less habitat destruction, and less hunger.”

Redding and others also said the new law strengthens protections against trespassing on private property.

“We’re about to grow our economy, protect our wildlife and the rights of landowners, and at the same time, creating more real freedom here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. “This is a major win for Pennsylvania and it is long overdue.”

Some outdoors and environmental organizations concerns remain

While Wednesday was a celebration for some hunting, agriculture, and outdoor organizations, multiple groups who opposed the bill throughout the legislative process said their stance hasn’t changed.

“Our members remain rightfully concerned that this bill will keep non-hunters out of the woods. Hikers, birders, and others might choose to stay home because they have concerns about safety,” Jen Quinn, legislative and political director for the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club, told the Capital-Star. “Additionally, we are doubtful that expanding hunting to Sundays will effectively manage the deer herd or reduce their numbers enough to have positive benefits to the agricultural community or our forest ecosystems.”

Keystone Trails Association Executive Director Brook Lenker, noted a lot of hiking occurs on the weekends.

“We remain concerned that more Sundays open to hunting diminishes the quality of the hiking experience on those days and pose increased safety risks to hikers and other trail users,” Lenker told the Capital-Star.

Jenny Reimenschneider, a 64-year old who lives in Eagleville, Montgomery County, said she doesn’t believe the legislation addresses concerns about trespassing, will not properly manage the deer herd, and doesn’t take into consideration the impact on the majority of the state who are not hunters.

“They’re getting more and more leeway, and they are not the majority of the population by any means,” Reimenschneider told the Capital-Star. “And to me, that’s discriminatory against the rest of the population, like me and millions of other people that want to go and just enjoy a hike in the places that we all pay for.”

When does the law take effect? And which Sundays will be open?

The law takes effect on September 7, which is 60 days after the legislation is signed into law. Smith noted that is “right on the brink” of hunting seasons.

However, it remains unclear which Sundays the Game Commission will add for hunting.

“That gives us a little bit of time, not a lot, but a little bit of time, to figure out a path forward,” Smith said. “So, internally, we are reviewing it to see what our options are.”

He noted that they are working with their Board of Commissioners, legal counsel, biologists, and law enforcement to make that decision. The governor’s office said the results will be guided by biological data and hunter feedback.

“All I can tell them, as of today, is to stay tuned and buy your hunting license,” Smith said.