July 28, 2025, will be a historic day for hunters in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Game Commission has made changes to the 2025-2026 hunting season by allowing hunters to pursue wild game on thirteen Sundays. For decades, Sunday hunting for large game, including deer, bear, and turkey, was prohibited due to outdated “Blue Laws.” However, thanks to the dedicated efforts of several state senators, Sunday hunting will be allowed in Pennsylvania starting this fall.
PA Senate Bill 147
In 2019, Pennsylvania Senate Bill 147 was introduced to allow Sunday hunting in the state. Since 1873, Pennsylvania has maintained a “Blue Law” that prohibited hunting on Sundays. The Pennsylvania Game Commission worked with the state legislature to adopt a resolution that would permit hunting on three selected Sundays during the 2020 hunting season. Pennsylvania hunters celebrated the chance to hunt on these three Sundays. My son harvested a beautiful buck on the first Sunday of the Pennsylvania rifle season.
Not Giving Up
The success of the 2020 hunting season, which included three additional Sundays, motivated Pennsylvania Senator Dan Laughlin (R) to intensify his efforts to repeal the 1873 law. He sought support from his fellow senators to amend this law. Senator Mandy Steele (D) joined him in this effort, and together they successfully introduced House Bill 1431 in May 2025. After its introduction, the bill swiftly advanced through both the House and the Senate. On June 30, 2025, the House and Senate approved the bill and sent it to Governor Josh Shapiro for his consideration. Shapiro signed the bill on July 9, 2025, receiving substantial bipartisan support.
Moving In The Right Direction
Although Governor Shapiro signed House Bill 1431 into law on July 9, the Pennsylvania Game Commission still needs to make adjustments for the 2025-2026 seasons. During the PAGC meeting on July 28, thirteen Sundays were added to the fall hunting season. The image above lists the Sundays when hunting will be permitted. Additionally, the Pennsylvania rifle season will conclude on Saturday, December 13, so hunters should be mindful of the closing dates for each season.
Spring 2026
Will there be Sunday hunting for the Pennsylvania spring turkey season? That remains uncertain, but it is a possibility. When the Pennsylvania Game Commission meets in January to discuss the 2026-2027 seasons and bag limits, they could decide to add Sunday hunting to the spring turkey season. If I had to make a bet, I would say there’s a good chance they will include a few Sundays for the spring turkey season.
Thanks to the bipartisan efforts of two dedicated senators, Pennsylvania hunters can now enjoy Sunday hunting, just like most of their neighboring states. It’s a great time to be a Pennsylvania hunter! I look forward to the chance to go archery hunting any day of the week.