Pennsylvania hunters are on the verge of seeing historic changes to their ability to hunt when they want to and do so safely as important bills move through the Commonwealth’s legislative chambers. These changes will reshape hunting in a manner not seen before.

First on everyone’s mind is a bill to decriminalize Sunday hunting. I say decriminalize because under current wording, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which is responsible for managing the Commonwealth’s wildlife, is forbidden from expanding Sunday hunting. Although the law was changed to allow no more than three days of Sunday hunting as a means of appeasing advocates, this tactic backfired. By allowing these three days, the legislature only proved that the ban itself was completely emotionally driven, with no fundamental aspect of wildlife management.

On Thursday, June 26, the entire Sunday hunting debacle took one step closer to being corrected when the Senate, in a vote of 34-16, approved House Bill 1431. The HB1431 had been sent to the Senate after a favorable House vote of 131-72 on June 11. Due to an amendment change during the Senate approval process, HB 1431 will now return to the House for another vote and, if approved, will be sent to the Governor’s desk for final approval.

Is this a done deal? Not yet, but it is closer than ever before. Opponents still have an opportunity to derail this historic legislation, either during the House review or at the Governor’s desk, but doing so would be political suicide. For those unfamiliar with the Pennsylvania political system, this vote is about more than just the overwhelming support. It is also about the timing of those votes.

Come June, the legislature will be preparing for two essential scheduling issues – the annual budget and summer recess. For anyone awaiting consideration for a Bill they have supported, June becomes a de facto deadline, a vote-or-die period. This is because almost nothing of importance is brought to the floor during this period, as all thoughts are focused on debating the budget and heading home.

The fact that Sunday hunting was brought to the floor in June is as telling as the overwhelming votes in favor of the bill. It signals that leadership in both chambers not only supported the move but felt it necessary enough to get passed before returning home to their districts for the summer. If there were any concerns that it would be derailed by amendments or lengthy debate, which would have also interfered with the budget debates, the Bill would have been tabled until fall.

Now, House Bill 1431 will return to the House for another vote and then proceed to the Governor’s desk. The Governor will then have three choices:

Sign the bill and repeal the ban on Sunday hunting,

Veto the bill, which will most likely be overturned by a vote in the General Assembly and cost the Governor support among sportsmen, or let the bill sit for more than 10 days without signing it and allow it to become law automatically.

Either way, Sunday hunting is as close to being permitted in Pennsylvania as anyone has ever seen.