Well it’s almost official. The Sunday hunting bill passed the Pennsylvania Senate by a vote of  34-16, and it now goes on to final approval as it heads back to the House of Representatives for a final vote. If approved, it would then go to the governor’s office to be signed into law. 

If House Bill 1431 becomes law, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, through its appointed Board of Governors, will be authorized to implement additional Sunday hunting opportunities over and above the current Sunday hunting for coyotes, crows and foxes and on three consecutive Sundays in fall. 

The initiative to repeal the Sunday hunting ban has a broad base of support from many sportsmen’s groups, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. 
PGC Executive Director Steve Smith gave thanks to the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee Chair Sen. Greg Rothman, and Sen. Dan Laughlin who led the charge on this issue for years. “Thanks to their leadership and commitment, Pennsylvania hunters are on the brink of gaining the opportunity to hunt on additional Sunday’s,” said Smith. 

PGC ASKING PUBLIC TO REPORT TURKEY SIGHTINGS

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is once again seeking input from the public in surveying wild turkeys from July 1 through Aug. 31. 

This survey allows the agency to determine total wild turkey productivity and to compare long term reproductive success within the state. Turkey sightings can be reported through the PGC’s website http://.pgcforms.pa.gov/TurkeySightingSurvey. 

Participants are asked to report the number of wild turkeys they see, along with the county, township, wildlife management unit (WMU), date and contact information if agency biologists have any questions. Participants may also simply drop a “pin” on the website map for the location data to automatically populate. Location data is used only for the survey not for law enforcement, and is not shared. 

PGC Turkey Biologist Mary Jo Casalena said participants should report all turkeys seen whether it be gobblers, hens with or without broods or turkeys of unknown sex and age. 

For those who travel Mauch Chunk Road, there are occasionally four or five turkeys on GES (former Trojan Powder Co.) land. One day I spotted a lone gobbler foraging in the one field. 

SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

As this is the Fourth of July weekend, many families head to the shore so it’s a good time to give saltwater angling a try.  

According to reporters from On the Water Magazine, midshore and offshore yellowfin and bluefin tuna action is picking up. Other than that, striped bass fishing has been excellent in Raritan Bay, while keeper fluke are being taken from the bays and ocean surf as are weakfish and sheepshead that are chewing around the bridges. 
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Hunting, furtaker and antlerless deer hunting licenses go on sale Monday (6-23) and that includes antlerless tags.
 
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the procedure for buying antlerless licenses will be available at the same time as the general license. But this year, the PGC says, all Pennsylvania residents are guaranteed to get an antlerless license for the WMU of their choice, so long as they buy it by 7 a.m. on Monday, July 14, the day license sales open to nonresidents at 8 a.m.. At that time, antlerless licenses will not be guaranteed, and all remaining sales will be on a first come, first serve basis until the allocated number of licenses is exhausted. 

The second round of antlerless sales, at which time resident and nonresident hunters can buy a second antlerless license for any WMU where licenses remain, begins on Monday, July 28 at 8 a.m.

Third round antlerless licenses will go on sale Monday, Aug. 11. Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits also go on sale when this round begins. 

During the fourth round of antlerless sales, which begins Monday, Aug. 25 at 8 a.m., hunters can purchase additional antlerless licenses for any WMU where licenses are available. 

In most of the state, hunters may hold up to six unfilled antlerless licenses until they use those tags  by harvesting deer and reporting them. There’s a higher limit for WMUs here in 5C and 5D in southeast Pennsylvania. There, hunters may hold up to 15 unfilled antlerless licenses at a time. 

Hunters can view the number of remaining licenses in real time by going to HuntFish.PA.gov. and clicking on the Antlerless Deer tab, then Antlerless Deer Quota. In doing so, sportsmen can get a better idea on sales progress and track how fast licenses for a given WMU are selling. 

New licenses may be purchase online at HuntFish.PA by clicking on License Catalog under the hunting tab. Paper licenses and harvest tags are mailed when bought online. General hunting licenses for resident adults cost $20.97 and antlerless licenses cost $6.97 for residents. 

To renew senior tags for residents ages 65 or older, they may purchase a lifetime hunting or furtaker license or a lifetime license that includes hunting, furtaking and other privileges, but lifetime license holders still must obtain new antlered deer and turkey harvest tags each license year, as well as new antlerless deer licenses, bear licenses, elk license applications, DMAP permits and more. 

All senior lifetime hunting and combination license holders who purchased their lifetime license prior to May 13, 2017, are exempt from needing a pheasant permit to hunt or harvest pheasants. 

When doing so, hunters need to provide proof of residency, usually with a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license, when renewing lifetime licenses. 
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After years of controversy and debate, the Pennsylvania State House Game and Fisheries Committed has passed Sunday Hunting Bill 1431 that repeals the remnants of the state’s old “Blue Law.” It now goes to the Senate for consideration. 

Act 107 of 2019, allowed additional hunting on designated Sundays. Historically, Sunday hunting was prohibited with the exception for foxes, coyotes and crows but this new bill will affect big and small game.  

The effort to repeal the Sunday ban has a broad base of support from sportsmen’s groups, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. 

According to Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith, his agency has been working to get this bill across the finish line which will benefit hunters to help ensure the future of wildlife management. Said Smith, “Hunters play an active role in helping to manage wildlife populations through the purchase of their licenses and other revenue they generate. They also fund wildlife conservation on a large scale for all species.”

Smith goes on to explain that one of the biggest reasons hunters stop hunting is a lack of time. “While no one can add hours to the day or days of the week, removing prohibitions on Sunday hunting holds the potential to add significantly more time to the hunting calendar and it keep hunters hunting.” For now, HB 1431 lies within the Senate. 

LEHIGH COUNTY FISH & GAME PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION

A recent press released announced that the above underwent a reorganization in 2024 and is an independent, non-profit organization registered with the State of Pennsylvania and is not affiliated with the Lil-Le-Hi Fish Hatchery, Pioneer Fish & Game Association, Queen City Trout Nursery or Trout Creek Hunting and Fishing Club. 

Association members are President William Rhoades, Vice President Peter Burkhardt, Treasurer Fred Boenig and Secretary Terry Ryan. 

Rhoades writes that if there are any questions regarding the organization, inquiries should be sent to [email protected].

TROUT STOCKING
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While on the subject of fishing, the Little Lehigh was again stocked with stocked today  (6-14)  within the Lehigh Parkway stretch in Allentown. 

 

It’s that time of year when wildlife begin to have their offspring. So when encountering young wild animals be it deer, raccoons, rabbits, opossums, birds or other species, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said to leave them alone. 

“As well-intentioned some folks can be, Matt Schnupp, PGC’s Bureau of Wildlife Management Director said that what appears to be an abandoned animal or bird, rest assured the mother is probably nearby and waiting for you to leave so she can return.”

Schnupp explains that adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food, but they don’t go far and they do return. Wildlife often rely on a natural defensive tactic called “hider strategy,” where young animals will remain motionless and “hide” in surrounding cover while adults draw the attention of predators or other intruders away from their young. Deer employ this strategy with their fawns. 

Taking in wild animals or birds comes with risks of fleas, ticks, lice even rabies. Worse yet, Schnupp goes on to tell of a fawn a family illegally took into their home and raised until it became a 6-point buck when the buck suddenly attacked and severely injured two people. Again, it’s illegal to take in wild animals and it comes with a fine up to $1,500 per animal. 

Another drawback is the rabies problem. Schnupp said that although rabies might show obvious symptoms, they can still transmit the disease and rabies may differ from animal to animal. Species such as skunks, raccoons, foxes, bats coyotes and groundhogs can carry different strains of rabies. And people can get rabies from the saliva of a rabid animal if they are bitten or scratched, or if the saliva gets into a person’s eyes, mouth or a fresh wound. 

The PGC also reminds folks to keep domestic pets under control at all times. Dogs often will kill deer fawns and other baby animals. 

Keep in mind that only licensed wildlife rehabilitators are permitted to care for injured or orphaned wildlife for the purpose of eventual release back into the wild. This occurs at times with hawks or an eagle getting hit by a vehicle. If coming across one of the above situations, a wildlife rehabilitator can be found on the Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators website (www.pawr.com) or call the PGC at 833-PGC-Wild or 833-PGC-Hunt. The exception of course would be if it’s a coyote, fox or deer that’s still alive. Then it’s best to call local police and report it. 

TROUT STOCKING

The Little Lehigh Creek was stocked with trout today (6-7-25) within the Lehigh Parkway stretch. The trout stocked were from the Lil-Le-Hi Trout Hatchery. 

NEW JERSEY SHORE FISHING 
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If you’re heading to shore points this weekend, our On the Water Magazine reporters say that trophy stripers are taking eels and metal lips along the beaches while the sea bass bite remains excellent as does fluke and sheepshead in the backwaters. 

Summer vacation time can mean an expensive trip to a Disney in Orlando, or more economically, to a scenic campground to rough it a bit and to enjoy the great outdoors. 

The topic of camping usually evokes images of campfires and tents, but new data shows that most campers are partial to keys and a set of wheels. The Dyrt app (www.thedvrt.com) that serves the online camping community that includes state and national park campgrounds, RV parks, glamping and free campsites, has found that three out of four campers have camped in or next to their vehicle at some point in their camping journey, proving that vehicles are central to camping. 

According to a 2025 Dyrt Camping Report presented by Toyota Trucks, it shows that 53.4 percent of campers say their preferred type of camping involves a vehicle such as an RV, trailer or camper van. Half of all campers have owned a trailer (49.6 percent) at some point in their lives, 32.2 percent have owned an RV and 20.3 percent have owned a camper van. Slightly more than half of survey respondents (50.6 percent) say they bought a camper van, RV or trailer within the last five years. Additionally, when respondents were asked how much they were willing to spend on a new rig, the average dollar amount was $58,331. 

“Look around any campground and you’ll see a wide price range and variety of sizes of camping vehicles,” says Dyrt founder Sarah Smith. She reported that camper vans are increasingly decked out with amenities that provide an RV-like experience that can fit in a traditional parking spot.

Vehicle campers have a specific list of priorities for what they look for in a campsite. Electric hookups are easily at the top, with 52.3 percent indicating that it is the most important amenity. Next up is a water station (13.2 percent), sewer hookup (10.3 percent) and knowing the pull-thru length (8.9 percent). 
For RVers, it’s important to know that roughly one in five camping properties (18.7 percent) has an age limitation on the RVs allowed on properties. Of those with restrictions, the average age limit for an RV is 12 years old. 

When it comes to passenger vehicles primarily tasked with the function of transportation to and from the campground, 53.3 percent of campers say a truck is the ideal vehicle for camping. That was followed by a SUV at 38.6 percent. More than half of campers surveyed said they planned to buy a vehicle in the next five years and 10.3 percent are planning to buy one by the end of 2025. 
Farm campers are the group that is most likely to identify vehicle camping as their main camping type: 51.4 percent of people who camp at farms prefer RVs and trailers compared to 45.1 percent of campers overall; that ratio is 13.6 percent to 8.3 percent for camper vans. 
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And with gasoline prices coming down, camping can be the more economical way to a summer camping vacation. 

The 2024-25 bear harvest numbers are in and Pennsylvania remains as the state of giant bears. To wit, three bears exceeded 700 pounds and nine topped 600 pounds. Of those figures, Heath Bromley of Titusville, PA, used a crossbow to take a 597-pound bear in Venango County. Topping that, Scott Price of Madison Township, Lackawanna County, tagged a 774-pound bruin in Monroe County during the November statewide bear season. 

All total, hunters took 2,642 bears during the 2024 season, placing the 2024 harvest in the top 25 on record. 

In the past, the overall bear harvest was spread across the state. Fifty-six of 67 counties gave up at least one bear, as did 21 of 22 WMUs. Hunters, says the PGC, got bears in all of the seasons. The traditional statewide firearms bear season contributed the most to the harvest with 823 bears. The archery season added 756, the extended season 425, the muzzleloader and special firearms season 634, and there were four harvests in the early archery season. 

The PGC explains that the overall bear harvest was spread across the state as 56 of 67 counties gave up at least one bear, as did 21 of 22 Wildlife Management Units. And hunters took bears in all seasons as well. 

Aside from Bromley’s bear and Price’s bear, the others in the top 10 by weight included a 714-pounder taken in the rifle season in Perry Township Clarion County, by Matthew Conto of Slippery Rock; a 700-pounder taken in archery season in Harrison Township, Potter County, by Henry Mast of Harrison Valley; a 689-pouner taken in rifle season in Chapman Township, Clinton County, by Michael Greg of Kersey; a 681-pounder taken in archery season in Sharon Township, Potter County, by Tyler Birdsall of Milton; a 681-pounder taken in rifle season in White Haven Borough, Luzerne County, by Stanley Boc of Huntingdon Valley; a 678-pounder taken in muzzleloader season in Lightfield Township, Bradford County, by Scott Tiffany of Athens; a 673-pounder taken in archer season in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, by Jeff Prinkey of Connelsville; a 615-pounder taken in archery season in Jefferson County, Dauphin County, by Dennis Morgan of Halifax. 

Among the top counties, Tioga produced the most, giving up 163 bears last season. It was followed in the top 10 by Clinton with 157, Lycoming with 148, Bradford with 133, Potter with 109, Luzerne with 95, Monroe with 93, Pike with 85, McKean with 78 and Sullivan with 75. 

Here in the Southeast the final harvest numbers (2023 numbers in parenthesis) were 167 (159) total for all WMUs with Schuylkill reporting 64 (65); Dauphin, 45 (42); Northampton, 28 (21); Berks, 18 (16); Lebanon, 9 (10); and Lehigh, 3 (5). 

According to the PGC, last year, 201,280 hunters bought bear license for the 2024 season. It was the sixth-straight year bear license sales topped 200,000. 

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At their recent board meeting, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners made some changes to several hunting seasons and bag limits. 
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For starters, the PGC made two changes to the after Christmas extended firearms season for antlerless deer. First, the extended firearms deer season will be open to all Deer Management Assistance Program properties statewide from Dec. 26-Jan. 24, 2026. Secondly, the extended firearms deer season will run Jan. 2-19, 2026 in WMU 4C where CWD was recently detected. 

Additionally, the statewide archery bear season is being shortened from three weeks to one week. The archery bear season will run Oct. 18-25. The archery bear seasons in WMU 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D will retain their longer formats. 

As for the elk season, hunters applying for an elk license will now be required to buy a hunting license first. Previously, a hunter could draw an elk tag can then purchase a hunting license. 

Secondly, a hunter will no longer be required to include their Social Security numbers or hunter ID numbers on applications because by first purchasing a hunting license, the ID number will already be in the licensing system. 

Thirdly, no more than 10 percent of available elk licenses in any given year will be awarded to nonresidents. In previous years it was a as high as 13 percent which drew concerns from resident hunters. 

Fourth, any hunter drawn for a bull elk license will be ineligible for another. Previously, a hunter who drew a bull elk license could, after five years, enter the bull tag drawing again in hopes of getting selected a second time. Added to this, and beginning on Jan. 1, 2026, any applicant who draws a bull tag will be ineligible to apply for a bull tag ever again. Those who drew a bull tag prior to Jan. 1, 2026, still are eligible to draw a second bull tag using the bonus points they’re already accumulated. They won’t be able to enter any new bull elk license application after that date. However, those who draw a bull tag after Jan. 1, 2026, will retain their bonus points but they would be applied only to drawings for a cow tag going forward. 

While on the elk topic, 140 elk licenses (65 antlered, 75 antlerless) were allocated across three 2025-26 elk seasons. For the one-week general season to run Nov. 3-8, 30 antlered and 38 antlerless tags have been allocated. In the archery season open only in select Elk Hunt Zones, to run Sept. 13-27, 16 antlered and 11 antlerless licenses will be available. There will be 19 antlered and 26 antlerless licenses available for the Dec. 27-Jan. 3 late season. The deadline to apply is July 13. 
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As for antlerless deer licenses for all WMUs, they will be guaranteed to Pennsylvania residents as long as they buy them before 7 a.m. on Monday July 7 when the first round of license sales opens. All totaled, 1,312,000 licenses will be allocated for the 2025-26 seasons, which is up from 1,186,000 allocated for 2024-25. And antlerless license numbers for sale for local WMUs are as follows with last years allocation in parenthesis: *WMU 3D, 52,000 (41,000); WMU 4C, 51,000 (53,000); WMU 5C, 67,000 (79,000).