The Governor's Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation wants to hear from residents, especially sportsmen's clubs and recreation organizations, about how to improve the hunting experience in Pennsylvania.

"More than any other reason, people hunt because it gives them the opportunity to get together for outdoor recreation with family and friends," said Council Member Linda Steiner. "Hunting is a social phenomena passed on from generation to generation. And while the desire to put food on the table may have been more of a motivating factor in the past, it has been surpassed by the desire to spend quality time with a daughter or son, aunt or uncle."

Concerned about the steady decline in hunting participation, Steiner said the council views the problem as an opportunity for policymakers to look for fresh ideas about how to reverse the downward trend.

Hunting license sales have fallen 28 percent from 1981 to 2007 and projections indicate that another 24 percent decline may occur by 2025.

According to a recent study, "Fishing and Hunting Recruitment in the U.S. from 1990 to 2005," by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, time constraints appear to be the biggest barrier to increasing hunting participation.

"Giving people more time to hunt may very well be the best way to solve the long-term decline in hunting," Steiner said. "The biggest obstacle we've discovered comes in the form of an archaic 'blue law' that prohibits hunting when people are most likely to have available time, during the weekend.

"Interestingly, most surrounding states, including Maryland, Ohio, New York and West Virginia, now allow people to hunt on both days of the weekend. These states have experienced few of the problems some people assume would plague Pennsylvania, such as increased posting of private land. Not one of these states has plans to repeal the added day," Steiner said. "Given the positive experience in other states, the advisory council believes that doing away with the 'blue law' is worth considering."

Pennsylvania dropped its ban on Sunday fishing in 1937, and other blue laws, such as those limiting the sale of liquor and beer, have been greatly relaxed. With the exception of car sales, hunting remains the only activity that's restricted on Sunday in Pennsylvania.

"Understandably, this topic can stir a range of emotions even among hunters, not to mention other users such as hikers and bicyclists," Steiner said.

"Undoubtedly, there will be long-term consequences if we don't address the decline in hunting and fishing. Nationally, hunters and anglers have been the largest contributors to government wildlife programs for game and nongame species, contributing over $10 billion for conservation and more than 80 percent of the funding our state fish and wildlife agencies rely on. All of us who care about wildlife and wild places should be concerned.

It's time we started to think about how we can encourage more hunters, and what hunters are telling us is that they need more time to hunt."

Legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives (House Bill 779 (Staback-D-Schuylkill)) that would remove the prohibition on Sunday hunting, allowing the Pennsylvania Game Commission to fully regulate hunting on Sunday.

Most people assume that deer hunting would be considered part of any expansion, but the inclusion of other species, such as waterfowl, turkey and grouse, would interest hunters.

Individuals and organizations interested in learning more about expanding hunting opportunities should contact the Governor's Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation by calling 717-772-3292.

8/29/2008