Sunday Hunting Bans

In 19th Century America, "blue laws" restricted many activities on Sunday, including hunting and other outdoor activities.

Today, most states have done away with “blue laws”. However, 11 states have yet to eliminate outdated bans on Sunday hunting. These states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Each state has different limits on Sunday hunting as shown in the map above.

Maine and Massachusetts completely prohibit hunting on Sundays.

Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania only allow hunting on Sundays in extremely limited circumstances. Below are links to each of the States 2018 - 2019 hunting regulations.

                - Connecticut, click here.

                - Delaware, click here.

                - Maryland, click here.

                - New Jersey, click here.

                - North Carolina, click here.

                - Pennsylvania, click here.

West Virginia allows Sunday hunting on private land in some counties.

South Carolina and Virginia allow Sunday hunting on private land and public waterways. However, these states all still levy varying degrees of restrictions. Sunday Hunting restrictions for South Carolina can be found here, and Virginia can be found here.

There is no evidence that allowing hunting on Sundays negatively impacts church attendance. In fact, according to a 2014 Gallup poll, out of the top 10 states in the country for church attendance, North Carolina is the ONLY state that restricts hunting on Sundays. Furthermore, three of the bottom 10 states for church attendance fully prohibit hunting on Sundays. Hence, giving citizens the freedom to hunt on Sundays will not determine their religious tendencies.

Furthermore, three of the bottom 10 states for church attendance fully prohibit hunting on Sundays. Hence, giving citizens the freedom to hunt on Sundays will not determine their religious tendencies.

The 41 states where hunting is allowed on private property have not experienced an increase in conflicts on Sundays. 

In Virginia, where restrictions on Sunday hunting were softened in 2014, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries conservation police officers said that "they were confronted with far fewer complaints on Sundays than on Saturdays" during the 2014 hunting season. (The Roanoke Times)

The states with the most abundant game populations are all among those that allow hunting on Sundays.