Governor Josh Shapiro is pictured during a recently held bill signing for House Bill 1431. The legislation repealed the state’s longstanding ban on Sunday hunting. This week the state Game Commission announced 13 Sundays will be available for hunting starting Sept. 14 and ending Dec. 7.

The National Football League will have some competition for attention on 13 fall Sundays this year.

The state Game Commission recently announced that beginning Sept. 14, and through the second Sunday in firearms deer season Dec. 7, all Sundays that fall within established hunting seasons will be included as part of those seasons and open to hunting. Migratory game bird seasons are the lone exception. No Sundays will be added to the 2025-26 migratory game bird seasons because those seasons are set through federal frameworks and adding any Sundays would result in a loss of hunting days in 2025-26.

For other species with open seasons, the Sundays authorized for hunting in 2025 are: Sept. 14, Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9, Nov. 16, Nov. 23, Nov. 30, and Dec. 7.

Firearms deer season still ends on Saturday, Dec. 13. Many established hunting seasons will continue to close as scheduled on a Saturday. Sundays must fall between the established opening and closing days of a season to be open to hunting.

In addition to these new Sunday hunting dates, the previously approved Sundays for foxes, coyotes and crows remain in place for the 2025-26 seasons.

The Sundays to be added to the 2025-26 seasons follow the passage of House Bill 1431, which was signed into law July 9 as Act 36 of 2025. The new law, which takes effect Sept. 7, repeals Pennsylvania’s longstanding prohibition on Sunday hunting, allowing the Game Commission to fully regulate Sunday hunting.

After thoroughly discussing and deliberating additional Sunday hunting opportunities for the 2025-26 license year, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution directing Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith to add the new Sunday hunting days by executive order, as authorized by regulation. The order will be made to take effect Sept. 7, when the new law is in place. While the board unanimously supported the list of Sundays to be implemented, commissioners noted that an executive order was necessary. Adjusting seasons through board action would have required affirmative votes at two consecutive meetings and could not have taken effect until sometime in November – after the majority of fall hunting seasons had already occurred.

For each new Sunday to be implemented, the board considered potential impacts on game species, and Game Commission staff assured commissioners no negative impacts would be expected from opening the approved Sundays within seasons. Allowing expanded Sunday hunting only through the firearms deer season will help to ensure the new opportunities align with wildlife-management goals, as well.

When the board begins the process of setting the 2026-27 hunting seasons in January, with the benefit of including Sundays when establishing seasons instead of adding Sundays to already-established seasons, the slate of opportunities might look different.

“Hunters have sought expanded Sunday hunting for decades, but state law limited the opportunities we could provide,” Smith said. “Now, with the action taken by the General Assembly and the governor, those restrictions finally have been lifted and the Game Commission is prepared to offer additional Sunday hunting opportunities throughout the fall hunting seasons. We’ve carefully reviewed these expanded season dates and are confident they will not jeopardize our healthy and abundant wildlife populations. We will closely monitor the impact of these additions to help inform future season dates.

We’re proud to offer 13 Sundays of hunting this season. These aren’t just extra days in the field, they’re a reflection of our commitment to removing barriers, making hunting more accessible, and ensuring that Pennsylvania’s rich hunting heritage is passed on to the next generation. Today marks a major step forward for our hunters and for conservation across the commonwealth.”

LAND DEALS TO ADD 57 ACRES TO GAME LANDS

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today addressed four land deals: one purchase in Luzerne County, one exchange in Cambria County, one acquisition through interagency transfer in Luzerne County, and one boundary settlement in Elk County through a notational vote on June 11, 2025. The total acreage to be added to existing state game lands through these deals is 57 acres.

The land purchase in Luzerne County is in partnership with Natural Lands Trust and includes roughly 16.5 acres adjacent to State Game Lands 91 off Route 115.

In Cambria County, the Game Commission will be receiving roughly 18.5 acres adjacent to State Game Lands 79, in Blacklick Township, in exchange for roughly 3.8 acres that are now part of it. The exchange eliminates a significant encroachment and improves the manageability of this land.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation agreed to transfer exclusive jurisdiction and control of roughly 22 acres located in Hanover Township, Luzerne County to the Game Commission. The property, known as the Witinski Bank Site, is an indenture to State Game Lands 207 with both Indiana bats and northern long-eared bats showing a potential presence on the property. PennDOT will be able to credit these acres against impacts to state game lands in the northeast region, resulting from future highway and road projects.

By notational vote on June 11, 2025, the Board of Commissioners approved the resolution to a boundary dispute on State Game Lands 44 in Elk County. The total land involved in the dispute was roughly one-half acre.