Sunday hunting in PA is legal as of September 7, 2025. Act 36 of 2025 repealed the state’s long-standing Sunday ban and handed the Pennsylvania Game Commission the same authority over Sundays it already had for every other day of the week.1Pennsylvania Game Commission. Sunday Hunting Days Set for 2025 That doesn’t mean every Sunday is open. The Commission picks the dates, sets which species are in season, and the rules change depending on what kind of land you’re on.
Which Sundays Are Open This Season
For the 2025–2026 license year, the Board of Game Commissioners approved 13 Sundays for hunting.2Pennsylvania Game Commission. Seasons and Bag Limits The species you can pursue depends on which season a given Sunday falls inside. Three November dates do most of the heavy lifting:
- November 16: archery deer statewide, archery deer in Wildlife Management Units 2B, 5C, and 5D, plus squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, ruffed grouse, raccoon, and archery black bear in select WMUs.3Pennsylvania Game Commission. Final 2025-26 Seasons Adopted
- November 23: archery deer in WMUs 2B, 5C, and 5D, black bear statewide, and the same small-game lineup as the 16th.3Pennsylvania Game Commission. Final 2025-26 Seasons Adopted
- November 30: regular firearms deer statewide, extended firearms bear in several WMUs, and raccoon.3Pennsylvania Game Commission. Final 2025-26 Seasons Adopted
Crow hunting is permitted on every Sunday that falls within the crow season, which runs August 21 through March 22, 2026. Fox is open all Sundays.3Pennsylvania Game Commission. Final 2025-26 Seasons Adopted The Commission can adjust the calendar each year, so check the current Hunting and Trapping Digest before any Sunday hunt.
Migratory Birds Stay Closed on Sundays
One category didn’t open up. Sunday hunting of migratory game birds is still prohibited.2Pennsylvania Game Commission. Seasons and Bag Limits That covers doves, ducks, geese, woodcock, and snipe. The restriction sits in the federal framework for migratory bird management and is separate from the state changes in Act 36. If you were planning a Sunday waterfowl outing, you’ll need to pick a different day.
Where You Can Hunt on a Sunday
Where you go matters as much as when. The rules vary by land type.
- Private land: open on every Sunday the Commission designates, as long as you carry written permission from the landowner.
- State forests: open on all Commission-approved Sundays.4Pennsylvania Game Commission. Sunday Hunting – 2025-2026 Hunting and Trapping Digest
- State parks: limited to just three Sundays this season, November 16, 23, and 30.4Pennsylvania Game Commission. Sunday Hunting – 2025-2026 Hunting and Trapping Digest
- State game lands: open on designated Sunday hunting days, with the standard 250 square inches of fluorescent orange required on head, chest, and back between November 15 and December 15.4Pennsylvania Game Commission. Sunday Hunting – 2025-2026 Hunting and Trapping Digest
The state park schedule catches people off guard. If you regularly hunt a state park midweek, confirm the specific Sunday is one of those three before you go.
Written Permission Is Required on Private Land
This is the rule that most often causes trouble. To hunt private land on a Sunday, you need written permission from the landowner, even if you have standing verbal permission to hunt the property anytime. Act 36 repealed the old standalone Sunday permission section (Section 2315) but moved the same requirement into Section 2126 of the Game Code. Hunting a Sunday without that written permission in hand is a summary offense of the third degree.5Justia Law. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Act 36 (2025)
The written permission should list your name, address, and Customer ID license number, along with the landowner’s name, address, and phone number, and the landowner has to sign it.4Pennsylvania Game Commission. Sunday Hunting – 2025-2026 Hunting and Trapping Digest Pennsylvania law does not require written permission for most private-land hunting on weekdays. Sundays are the exception. A friendly handshake deal that works all week does not cover a Sunday hunt.
Safety Zones Still Apply
Safety zone rules don’t change on Sundays. With a firearm, you cannot discharge within 150 yards of any occupied building, residence, barn, or school playground. Bowhunters and crossbow hunters have a 50-yard buffer around occupied structures, though the 150-yard rule still applies around school playgrounds.6Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 34 Game 2505 – Safety Zones A landowner can give written permission for you to hunt inside the safety zone around their own buildings, but no one can waive the zone around a neighbor’s property.
Penalties for Getting It Wrong
Pennsylvania grades hunting violations by degree, and trespass while hunting is one of the more serious ones:
- Most trespass scenarios are a summary offense of the second degree on a first offense, with possible loss of your hunting license for up to one year.7Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 34 Chapter 23 Section 2314 – Trespass on Private Property While Hunting
- Trespass on posted or cultivated land is a misdemeanor with a mandatory three-year loss of hunting privileges.7Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 34 Chapter 23 Section 2314 – Trespass on Private Property While Hunting
- A second or subsequent offense within seven years is a misdemeanor with a mandatory five-year revocation.7Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 34 Chapter 23 Section 2314 – Trespass on Private Property While Hunting
The Game Commission and the courts can also revoke hunting licenses for a range of other violations, including hunting under the influence, safety zone violations, and property damage.8Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 34 Game 2741 – Revocation or Denial of License Fines and court costs come with most convictions, and firearms and equipment used in serious violations can be forfeited.