With the recent victories for Sunday hunting advocates in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, you might be wondering whether any states maintain their old blue-law prohibitions on getting out in the field.
The answer is more complicated than you might think.
So-called “blue laws” originated in colonial New England and prohibited a variety of activities on the first day of the week. These included things like shopping, playing sports, selling alcohol, and, yes, hunting.
Most states repealed their blue laws long ago, but until just last week, 10 East Coast states have maintained their prohibitions on sportsmen in one form or another.
For decades, hunting rights groups like the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers have lobbied to repeal these laws. Hunters who work real jobs (as opposed to outdoor journalists) can only hunt on the weekend. Prohibiting Sunday hunting leaves them with a single day each week to get out in the woods.
“The term ‘weekend warrior’ is sometimes used disparagingly, but the truth is most hunters have little choice in the matter when it comes to time in the woods,” MeatEater’s Brody Henderson wrote all the way back in 2019. “Weekdays are consumed by the responsibilities of work, school, and family, and hunting happens on Saturdays and Sundays. For most hunters, it is hardly the perfect scenario, but it works well enough. Now, just imagine if you lived in a state where ‘blue laws’ restrict or outlaw Sunday hunting.”
This campaign to repeal blue laws saw some big steps forward in the last few months. The Pennsylvania state legislature had already opened some Sundays to hunters, but they recently voted to empower the Pennsylvania Game Commission to allow Sunday hunting during all seasons. We’re still waiting to see how the Commission will use its newfound authority.
Connecticut saw a big win as well. While public land hunting remains closed on Sundays, the legislature voted by wide margins to open it up on private land. The property must be more than 10 acres for rifle hunting, and migratory bird hunting remains closed, but bowhunters with access to even a few acres of private land just expanded their season by 14%.
Last year, Delaware also opened most hunting opportunities thanks to a bill that added game bird hunting (turkey, waterfowl, etc.) to their Sunday hunting allowances.
But those recent successes are tempered by varying levels of openness in seven other states. Massachusetts and Maine have retained a total ban on Sunday hunting, while in New Jersey, firearms hunting remains closed on the Lord’s day.
Here’s where things stand in all 10 states, courtesy of a brief prepared for MeatEater by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation:
Connecticut – Public land Sunday hunting remains closed, as does rifle hunting on private properties of less than 10 acres. Migratory bird hunting also remains closed.
Delaware – Most opportunities are now open thanks to a bill last year that added game bird hunting (turkey, waterfowl, etc.) to their Sunday allowances. Two prior bills opened deer hunting on private lands and on specified public lands (some public lands still remain closed).
Massachusetts – Complete ban.
Maryland – Most deer and turkey hunting on Sundays are open in nearly all counties, but some counties differ from each other on the specific days that are open and legal hunting hours. Migratory game bird hunting remains closed.
North Carolina – Firearm hunting on private land opened in 2015, with some exceptions. In 2017, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) was granted the ability to open public land Sunday hunting on state Game Lands. To date, 51 game lands and four national forests have been opened, but there remains some public lands that are still closed (despite the Commission now having the authority to open them). Other Sunday hunting restrictions still in place include:
- A statutory ban on hunting on Sundays with a firearm between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., using a firearm to hunt deer with dogs, and hunting within 500 yards of a place of worship.
- Sunday hunting is still not permitted for migratory birds, despite the statutory prohibition being lifted in 2021.
- Bear hunting on Sundays in the Coastal Bear Management Unit is still prohibited.
- There are 42 additional Game Lands where Sunday hunting with a firearm remains prohibited.
New Jersey – Sunday bow hunting for deer is permitted on WMAs and private land, but not on state parks and forests, county parks, or other public lands. Firearm hunting remains closed on both private and public lands.
Pennsylvania – Following last week’s bill signing, the Pennsylvania Game Commission now has the ability to regulate Sunday hunting for all game species during all seasons.
South Carolina – The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has the ability to open public land Sunday hunting to more public acreage (with legislative approval), and Sunday hunting is also allowed on private lands throughout the state (without the same exceptions NC has). Now, thanks to the 2023 expansion, public land Sunday hunting is open on seven WMAs and two National Forests, which encompass nearly 700,000 acres of public land. There remain some public lands that are not yet open, despite the agency now having the ability to do so.
Virginia – Sunday hunting on private lands and public waterways (waterfowl) was opened following 2014 legislation. Public lands were then added in 2022. Sunday hunting for deer or bear with the use of dogs remains prohibited.
Maine, it should be noted, is a particularly tricky situation with hunters on both sides of the debate. Many landowners in Maine allow hunting on their properties without requiring hunters to ask permission. But according to a 2022 survey, 44% of landowners who currently allow access say they would be more likely to restrict access if Sunday hunting was allowed.
It’s unclear how many of these landowners would follow through on this threat, which is part of the reason hunters are divided. According to that same survey, 69% of hunters support Sunday hunting while only 23% oppose.
Efforts to repeal Sunday hunting bans in Maine and Massachusetts have so far failed, but with all the victories over the last 20 years, it may be just a matter of time before these states join the rest of the country.
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