The Sportsman's Corner

Not long ago, I wrote that the passage of a bill allowing Sunday hunting was unlikely. I am now eating crow about that column. On Oct. 30, SB 147 was passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives without debate by a 144-54 vote. It took a couple compromises to reverse the fortune of the bill that had seemed unlikely to pass. One of these is that hunters will have to secure written permission from landowners to hunt on private properties on Sundays. The fines for violating the provision will run from $250 to $500. The bill will allow hunting on three Sundays: one during archery deer season, one during rifle deer season, and another to be determined. The bill was then sent back to the Senate for a concurrence vote scheduled for Nov. 18. If passed, the bill will be sent to the governor for his signature.

I have long been an opponent of Sunday hunting because numerous landowners have told me they will post their properties against hunting if Sunday hunting is allowed – not just on Sundays but on all other days as well. So, instead of SB 147's expanding hunting opportunities, the bill may ultimately decrease opportunities by decreasing the number of private properties where sportsmen may hunt. I was grateful that our local representative, Jim Gregory, wisely voted against passage of the bill.

Over the past few years, sportsmen have been bombarded with information concerning Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Recently, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has developed a new response plan proposal to deal with CWD. The PGC has said that it is seeking public input regarding this proposal.

One of the highlights of the proposal is that hunters are to be given the first chance to harvest more deer when CWD is first detected in new areas. Hunters in these areas will be asked to submit samples so that the extent of the CWD infection can be estimated. In CWD-established locations, such as our area, the management goal is to maintain CWD prevalence below five percent.

Some of the proposed methods to combat CWD include increasing the numbers of antlerless tags available, expanding the lengths of hunting seasons, removing antler-point restrictions, and targeted removals if management objectives are not met through hunter harvest.

Sportsmen have been asked to comment on this proposal after reviewing it on the PGC website at http://www.pgc.pa.gov. The hunter can complete the survey online at http://bit.ly/PGC-CWD. (I was unable to submit my survey online; so I printed the form, completed it, and mailed it.)