HB 1431 — An Act amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in game or wildlife protection, further providing for regulations and for unlawful activities; and, in hunting and furtaking, repealing provisions relating to hunting on Sunday prohibited, further providing for unlawful devices and methods and for trespass on private property while hunting and repealing provisions relating to hunting on Sunday without written permission.

PRINTER'S NO.     1667

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1431
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY STEELE, FIEDLER, WAXMAN, VENKAT AND GUENST,
        MAY 8, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, MAY 8, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 2      Statutes, in Pennsylvania Game Commission, further providing
 3      for organization of commission; in game or wildlife
 4      protection, further providing for regulations, for report to
 5      commission officer, for surrender of carcass to commission
 6      officer and for unlawful activities; and, in hunting and
 7      furtaking, repealing provisions relating to hunting on Sunday
 8      prohibited, further providing for unlawful devices and
 9      methods and for the offense of trespass on private property
10      while hunting and repealing provisions relating to hunting on
11      Sunday without written permission.
12      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13   hereby enacts as follows:
14      Section 1.    Section 301(a) of Title 34 of the Pennsylvania
15   Consolidated Statutes is amended and the section is amended by
16   adding subsections to read:
17   § 301.   Organization of commission.
18      (a)   Composition.--[The] Subject to subsection (b.1), the
19   independent administrative commission known as the Pennsylvania
20   Game Commission shall consist of nine competent citizens of this
21   Commonwealth who shall be well informed on the subject of
22   wildlife conservation and restoration and who shall be appointed
 1   by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of a
 2   majority of the elected members of the Senate.
 3      * * *
 4      (b.1)    Additional consideration.--The Governor shall ensure
 5   that at least one member of the commission represents the
 6   interest of agricultural commodities that pertain to normal
 7   agricultural operations and wildlife.
 8      * * *
 9      (e)    Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
10   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
11   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
12      "Agricultural commodity."     As defined in section 2 of the act
13   of June 10, 1982 (P.L.454, No.133), referred to as the Right-to-
14   Farm Law.
15      "Normal agricultural operation."      As defined in section 2 of
16   the Right-to-Farm Law.
17      Section 2.     Sections 2102(b)(2), 2122 and 2125 of Title 34
18   are amended to read:
19   § 2102.    Regulations.
20      * * *
21      (b)    Seasons, possession, bag limits and devices.--
22             * * *
23             (2)   If in any year the commission fails to establish
24      seasons or bag limits or fails to establish other hunting or
25      furtaking regulations under authority of this title, the open
26      seasons and bag limits for game or furbearers[, Sundays
27      excepted], unless otherwise provided by this title, and all
28      other hunting or furtaking regulations adopted under
29      authority of this title, shall be the same as set by
30      regulation of the commission for the previous license year,

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 1      and all seasons shall open and close one calendar day earlier
 2      than the previous license year. In the event the commission
 3      fails to establish seasons and bag limits for a license year
 4      beginning in a leap year, the seasons shall open and close
 5      two calendar days earlier than the previous license year.
 6      * * *
 7   § 2122.    Report to commission officer.
 8      Any person who kills any game or wildlife, other than
 9   raccoons, under the provisions of this subchapter shall, within
10   24 hours, report, orally or in writing, the killing to an
11   officer of the commission. The report shall set forth the date,
12   time and place of the killing, the number of species killed
13   [and], the sex of the species[.] and the location of each
14   carcass. The commission shall establish a self-reporting system
15   that allows a person assigned to remove deer for crop damage
16   purposes to report each harvest to an officer of the commission
17   via a toll-free telephone number, online application or publicly
18   accessible Internet website.
19   § 2125.    Surrender of carcass [to commission officer].
20      Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, the entire
21   carcass, including the head and hide[,] of all big game animals
22   and the entire carcass of any other game or wildlife, other than
23   raccoons, less entrails, shall be made available, unless
24   otherwise directed by an officer of the commission, intact[,
25   less entrails,] to any commission officer calling for them[.] or
26   delivered to a processor for final disposition. As used in this
27   section, the term "processor" means a location specified by the
28   commission that is willing to accept donations of animals taken
29   under this chapter.
30      Section 3.    Section 2126(a) heading of Title 34 is amended

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 1   and subsections (a) and (b) are amended by adding paragraphs to
 2   read:
 3   § 2126.    Unlawful activities.
 4      (a)     [General rule] Violations.--It is unlawful for any
 5   person while acting under the provisions of this subchapter to:
 6             * * *
 7             (8.1)   Fail to obtain written permission to hunt on a
 8      Sunday.
 9             * * *
10      (b)     Penalties.--
11             * * *
12             (4)   A violation of this subchapter pertaining to written
13      permission is a summary offense of the third degree.
14      Section 4.     Section 2303 of Title 34 is repealed:
15   [§ 2303.    Hunting on Sunday prohibited.
16      (a)     General rule.--Except as otherwise provided in this
17   title, it is unlawful for any person to hunt for any furbearer
18   or game on Sunday.
19      (b)     Construction of section.--This section shall not be
20   construed to prohibit:
21             (1)   The training of dogs.
22             (2)   The participation in dog trials as provided for in
23      this title.
24             (3)   The removal of lawfully taken game or wildlife from
25      traps or the resetting of the traps on Sunday.
26      (b.1)     Exceptions.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to:
27             (1)   The hunting of foxes.
28             (2)   The hunting of coyotes.
29             (3)   Any hunting which occurs on noncommercial regulated
30      hunting grounds holding a valid permit under section 2928(b)

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 1      (2) (relating to regulated hunting grounds permits).
 2             (4)   Hunting on three Sundays each calendar year, as
 3      follows:
 4                   (i)    One day of Sunday hunting shall be instituted by
 5             the commission during the deer rifle season.
 6                   (ii)    One day of Sunday hunting shall be instituted
 7             by the commission during the Statewide deer archery
 8             season.
 9                   (iii)    One day of Sunday hunting as determined by the
10             commission shall be instituted by the commission.
11      Authority to hunt on any Sunday instituted by the commission
12      under this paragraph shall not apply to any person required
13      to secure a hunting license who attempts to hunt on private
14      land without obtaining written permission of the landowner,
15      an agent of the landowner or lessee.
16      (c)    Penalty.--A violation of this section is a summary
17   offense of the fifth degree.]
18      Section 5.         Section 2308(b) of Title 34 is amended by adding
19   a paragraph to read:
20   § 2308.    Unlawful devices and methods.
21      * * *
22      (b)    Exceptions.--The provisions of subsection (a) shall not
23   apply to:
24             * * *
25             (7)   Natural deer urine for the purposes of taking,
26      attempting to take, attracting or scouting wildlife that
27      meets all of the following criteria:
28                   (i)    Has no detectable levels of chronic wasting
29             disease prions.
30                   (ii)    Is labeled as being tested using real-time

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 1             quaking-induced conversion assay or another commercially
 2             available testing method that detects the presence of
 3             chronic wasting disease prions. For the purposes of this
 4             subparagraph, the Department of Agriculture may randomly
 5             select natural deer urine products for testing on a
 6             biannual basis. The Department of Agriculture shall pay
 7             for the costs incurred for testing under this
 8             subparagraph.
 9      * * *
10      Section 6.     Section 2314(a) and (c) of Title 34 are amended
11   to read:
12   § 2314.    Trespass on private property while hunting.
13      (a)     [General rule] Trespass.--A person, while engaged in
14   hunting or furtaking, commits an offense if, knowing that the
15   person is not licensed or privileged to do so, the person:
16             (1)   enters or remains on any land of another without
17      authorization to do so, when the land is posted in a manner
18      prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the
19      person's attention [or is fenced or enclosed in a manner
20      manifestly designed to exclude trespassers; or];
21             (2)   enters or remains on any land of another without
22      authorization and defies an order not to enter or to leave
23      that has been personally communicated to the person by the
24      owner of the land or other authorized person[.];
25             (3)   enters or remains on any land of another without
26      authorization to do so, when the land is fenced or enclosed
27      in a manner manifestly designed to exclude trespassers; or
28             (4)   subject to subsection (b), enters or remains on any
29      land of another without authorization to do so when notice
30      against trespass is given by the placement of identifying

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 1      purple paint marks on trees or posts on the property, in
 2      accordance with 18 Pa.C.S. § 3503(b)(1)(vi) (relating to
 3      criminal trespass).
 4      * * *
 5      (c)     Penalty.--An offense under this section shall be graded
 6   as follows:
 7            (1)   A person who violates subsection (a)(1), (3) or (4)
 8      commits a summary offense of the [third degree.] second
 9      degree and may result in forfeiture of the privilege to hunt
10      or take game or wildlife anywhere within this Commonwealth
11      for a period of up to one year.
12            (2)   A person who violates subsection (a)(2) commits a
13      misdemeanor[.] and shall result in forfeiture of the
14      privilege to hunt or take game or wildlife anywhere within
15      this Commonwealth for a period of three years.
16            (3)   A person who commits a second or subsequent
17      violation of this section within a seven-year period commits
18      a misdemeanor, and the second or subsequent violation shall
19      result in forfeiture of the privilege to hunt or take game or
20      wildlife anywhere within this Commonwealth for a period of
21      [one year] five years.
22      * * *
23      Section 7.     Section 2315 of Title 34 is repealed:
24   [§ 2315.    Hunting on Sunday without written permission.
25      (a)     General rule.--A person required to secure a hunting
26   license to hunt commits an offense if, while engaged in hunting
27   on Sunday under section 2303(b.1)(4) (relating to hunting on
28   Sunday prohibited), the person enters private land without
29   obtaining written permission of the landowner, an agent of the
30   landowner or lessee.

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1   (b)    Penalty.--A person who violates subsection (a) commits a
2   summary offense of the third degree.]
3         Section 8.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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