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We need your support on Hunting in VA on Sundays

vtme_grad98

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Sep 21, 2006
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385
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Virginia Beach, VA, ,
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Thanks for the link. Only being able to hunt on Saturdays on the few weekends I can make it to my parent's farm during deer season has always been a thorn in my side. Funny how me being able to shoot a deer or two on Sunday morning is totally disruptive. But there's nothing wrong with their neighbor spending all day sunday running chain saws and heavy equipment to clear out trees from his side of our shared property line.
 

vrwmiller

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Feb 23, 2007
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Virginia, USA
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Unfortunately, posting to the VDGIF comments section on their web site will do little to help the cause. It is via state code that hunting is unlawful on Sunday. In order to have this changed, it is best for all those posting to the VDGIF site to follow-up with a letter to their representatives in the House of Delegates and the Senate to either introduce or support such legislation.

A bill was proposed in the 2007 session, but died in the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee. It was HB 1639 sponsored by Daniel W. Marshall, III. He had no co-patrons signed onto the bill.
 

67GT390FB

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Richmond, Virginia, USA
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vrwmiller wrote:
Unfortunately, posting to the VDGIF comments section on their web site will do little to help the cause. It is via state code that hunting is unlawful on Sunday. In order to have this changed, it is best for all those posting to the VDGIF site to follow-up with a letter to their representatives in the House of Delegates and the Senate to either introduce or support such legislation.

A bill was proposed in the 2007 session, but died in the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee. It was HB 1639 sponsored by Daniel W. Marshall, III. He had no co-patrons signed onto the bill.

Actually there were two Sunday Huntingbills that died in that comittee this year. Mark Cole's HB2303 was for all day hunting on private land Marshalls bill was for noon until 1/2hr after sunset with public and private land included. We need to get the two of these guys together on one bill if you are interested in having Sunday Hunting a reality.

Your comments on the DGIF website are important as well as a request from DGIF will be heard clearly by our delegates and sneators at the state level.

Joe
 

vrwmiller

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67GT390FB wrote:
Actually there were two Sunday Huntingbills that died in that comittee this year. Mark Cole's HB2303 was for all day hunting on private land Marshalls bill was for noon until 1/2hr after sunset with public and private land included. We need to get the two of these guys together on one bill if you are interested in having Sunday Hunting a reality.

That is certainly interesting. I was not aware of that. It might be a good thing for the two of them to come together on a single bill and get some co-patrons. The only way to get co-patrons on new legislation is for those interested to contact their representatives.
 

67GT390FB

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Also on the sunday hunting side is the fact that virginia is one of only 11 states that ban or limit sunday hunting. the other 39 have sunday hunting.
 

longwatch

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I think the smart thing to do would be to push for an experimental lifting of the ban in a few counties to see what the effect would be on the management of game.
 

bayboy42

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Oct 20, 2006
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Gloucester Point, Virginia, USA
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Roscoe - Why do I have to answer that question? The current situtation is that it is disallowed and folks on this board want to alllow it. My question was why? And don't fall into the "Logical Fallicy" trap or I'll turn you over to HankT for a quick lesson:celebrate
 

longwatch

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Well I know a few hunters who like the ban, and I'm not to sure about it myself. I can see the argument that its sporting to give animals a day of rest from being persued by man. Although I suspect the original intent was to keep people in churches on Sunday.
 

vrwmiller

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If hunting were allowed on Sundays, I would probably not utilize it as I use that day to rest, go to church, and spend time with the family anyway. I don't know the history of the legislation or it's driving factors when Sunday hunting was outlawed, so this is pure speculation, but I would suspect that some religious anti-rights zealot didn't appreciate hearing gunfire on Sundays when they were attending church.

VDGIF has indicated over the last 4 - 5 years, at least, that the deer population in VA is excessive. So, would allowing hunting on Sunday curtail this? Yes, I believe it would. Would hunting on Sunday have an excessive effect on the population? That certainly is a potential outcome.

With the literature I am reading in their publications, however, the number of hunters is steadily decreasing over time though. While the average mean age of hunters is increasing. This points to a real possibility that new hunters are not being introduced into the sport.

I am neither for nor against hunting on Sundays. For the purposes of population and/or wildlife management, perhaps impact studies should be performed.
 

roscoe13

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Apr 18, 2007
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Catlett, Virginia, USA
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bayboy42 wrote:
Roscoe - Why do I have to answer that question? The current situtation is that it is disallowed and folks on this board want to alllow it. My question was why? And don't fall into the "Logical Fallicy" trap or I'll turn you over to HankT for a quick lesson:celebrate

The fact that it's illegal now is irrelavent to the arument. We live in an allegedly free society. NOTHING should be illegal unless there is an overriding public interest served by making something illegal.

As far as turning me over to HankT, I couldn't care less, I already ignore pretty much everything he writes anyway.:celebrate:celebrate
 

longwatch

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roscoe13 wrote:
bayboy42 wrote:
Roscoe - Why do I have to answer that question? The current situtation is that it is disallowed and folks on this board want to alllow it. My question was why? And don't fall into the "Logical Fallicy" trap or I'll turn you over to HankT for a quick lesson:celebrate

The fact that it's illegal now is irrelavent to the arument. We live in an allegedly free society. NOTHING should be illegal unless there is an overriding public interest served by making something illegal.

As far as turning me over to HankT, I couldn't care less, I already ignore pretty much everything he writes anyway.:celebrate:celebrate
Well as hunting is a highly regulated activity already, what is the compelling argument to change the existing regulations? There is a general and very compelling reason that hunting is a regulated activity, it is so we will continue to have wildlife to hunt and to avoid a tragedy of the commons situation.
 

rlh2005

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Jun 16, 2006
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699
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Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA
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I know some horse enthusiasts are against Sunday hunting. One I knew said the only day they can only safely ride trails is Sunday. They and their horses are at risk of being shot the other days (and if Sunday hunting is allowed).

I'm neither a hunter nor a horse enthusiast.
 

roscoe13

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Apr 18, 2007
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Catlett, Virginia, USA
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longwatch wrote:
Well as hunting is a highly regulated activity already, what is the compelling argument to change the existing regulations? There is a general and very compelling reason that hunting is a regulated activity, it is so we will continue to have wildlife to hunt and to avoid a tragedy of the commons situation.

The point is there doesn't NEED to be a compelling reason to repeal the ban on Sunday hunting (or any other prohibited activity) , IF there's no compelling reason to keep ithe ban, it should be repealed.

I'm not saying there isn't a compelling reason to keep the ban, but no one (except possibly rlh2005) has presented one.
 

longwatch

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roscoe13 wrote:
longwatch wrote:
Well as hunting is a highly regulated activity already, what is the compelling argument to change the existing regulations? There is a general and very compelling reason that hunting is a regulated activity, it is so we will continue to have wildlife to hunt and to avoid a tragedy of the commons situation.

The point is there doesn't NEED to be a compelling reason to repeal the ban on Sunday hunting (or any other prohibited activity) , IF there's no compelling reason to keep ithe ban, it should be repealed.

I'm not saying there isn't a compelling reason to keep the ban, but no one (except possibly rlh2005) has presented one.
The opposite can be said as well.
 

Tomahawk

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Hunting should be controlled only for purposes of managing the game population. It should be regulated in such a way that allows maximum participation by the people, especially in this day and age in which fewer people are brought up in the sport.

So the only reason I can see for not allowing Sunday hunting is because it may have an adverse effect on the game population. If that's not the case, than what the heck, let's legalize it. Anything that gets more people interested in an important American pastime.
 
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