Over the years there have been a lot of changes in hunting rules and regulations in the state of Pennsylvania. Most of these changes have been since the early 2000s.

The most recent change is that we will now be able to hunt on Sundays here in the Keystone State. I believe this is going to be a huge benefit for hunters here in my home state. Like I’ve said before, most hunters only get one day per week to hunt and that’s on Saturday. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 80% of American workers work Monday through Friday. This most often leaves hunters with just one possible day to hunt per week, during a very short-lived hunting season. For some who hunt the Keystone State, their hunting time might double this coming season and for the rest of their hunting careers with the addition of Sunday hunting.

I also see a huge benefit toward youth hunters now getting another day to hunt. A lot of youth sports are on Saturdays as well as week nights. It can be hard for kids and teens to find time to hunt. Opening up Sunday hunting will now create more interest and opportunities for our future hunters.

When I look back at a lot of the big changes the Pennsylvania Game Commission has made since I was born, most of them have led to positive results. In 2002, when antler restrictions were implemented, a lot of deer hunters were concerned about the future of our buck population as well as the overall quality of their deer hunting experience. Some hunters claimed there would be a lot of accidental or illegal bucks taken and left to waste. Many hunters also felt that their chances of opportunity at bucks would decrease once the antler restrictions were enforced. Now, over two decades into it, Pennsylvania has become a sleeper state for trophy whitetail deer hunting. Nowadays, 45% of the bucks taken in the Keystone State are at least 2.5 years old. Before antler restrictions, over 80% of the bucks harvested were 1.5 years old. In our family hunting camp, we never had a buck brought into camp that scored high enough for Pope and Young records until the antler restrictions took place. In the past 10 years, most seasons we have had camp members harvest multiple bucks considered trophy caliber. This past season was no exception when one of our members, Dave Sherk, harvested a camp record buck that gross scored 170 inches. My point is, antler restrictions have undeniably increased the population of adult bucks here in Pennsylvania. The change in regulations did its job by increasing the quality of the buck population here in the Keystone State.

I’ve also been fortunate to witness a lot of the changes and regulations for youth hunters. I had to wait until I was 12 years old to hunt, now you can take a child at any age. Getting kids into hunting at the earliest age is vital to creating a solid hunting community in the future.

I’ll admit that I often don’t like change, especially when something I love like hunting can be affected by those changes. However, I’ve learned in life that in order to keep growing in a positive way, you have to be willing to make changes in whatever you do. That’s exactly what the Pennsylvania Game Commission is doing. Sure, some things will receive a negative impact from Sunday hunting. Churches might see a decrease in attendance during the hunting seasons. Hikers and lovers of nature who want the woods to themselves will now have to share that time in the woods on Sundays with other hunters.

Nonetheless, nothing will ever be perfected by any change. Some things will benefit while others not so much. In the long run, with the utmost confidence, I believe adding Sunday hunting will be one of the most positive decisions the Pennsylvania Game Commission has ever made.