Take Action Today! Pennsylvania sportsmen should contact their state representatives and ask them to vote YES on House Bill 485. Barring high school and middle school kids from mentored hunting makes no sense. This bill will allow teens to experience hunting in a safe and controlled environment. Pennsylvania members can contact their state representative by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
Pennsylvania’s House Bill 485, sponsored by Rep. Neal P. Goodman (D-Mahanoy City) and Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-York), would extend mentored hunting privileges to kids ages 12-17. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the House Game and Fisheries Committee on April 26 at 9:30 a.m., Room 60, East Wing of the State Capitol building. Currently, mentored hunting is already permitted for people under age 12 and for adults.
“Pennsylvania is the only mentored hunting state that currently prohibits high school and middle school kids from participating in mentored hunting,” said Evan Heusinkveld, president and CEO of the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Mentored hunting has been shown to be the safest and most effective means of attracting newcomers to hunting. We thank Representatives Goodman and Gillespie and strongly encourage their colleagues in the legislature pass HB 485.”
Pennsylvania was the first state to adopt a Families Afield style mentored hunting law for kids in 2006, and has led the nation in mentored hunting license sales since. In 2013, the Pennsylvania legislature approved legislation allowing adults to join the program. However, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reported that it needed special authorization to include kids ages 12-17. House Bill 485 addresses that issue.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.