Trying to help the guys that hunt in Virginia out by getting Sunday hunting passed. Go to this link about Virginia hunting to find more information.

http://vadeer.proboards42.com/index.cgi?board=issues&ac...ay&thread=1155559635

I’m in Virginia and I’m against changing the law.

If Virginia hunters ever actually become serious about expanding their hunting opportunities they will allow rifle hunters the same generous season that bowhunters are allowed. Namely, from September until the first week of January. Until these same folks start lobbying for that rule change, any whining about having one day out of seven restricted during the regular season is just a bunch of crocodile tears coming from folks who can’t somehow find a way to avoid having a hangover on Saturday morning and therefore want a second chance at it the next day.

Well I would like to see the change, hope it passes

Wismon, I respectfully disagree with you. Many folks work hard all week and are only able to hunt on weekends due to work, family etc.

I owned 200 acres in Virginia for hunting that hardly ever got hunted because it just was not worth the long drive for a Saturday hunt.

Oh me too, Dave, I sure would like to see the rule changed. Imagine: being able to hunt from September to January! Four months of hunting! Yeah, baby! I sure hope those bowhunting prudes don't block us. I'm with you friend! Let's fight the Bowhunting Man who's keeping us down!!! Solidarity, brother!

300magnum,

If hunting isn't important enough to you to take a day or two off from work to go do it than just how much sympathy am I supposed to have?

I right there with you guys, we have been trying to get Sunday hunting passed for years up here in Maine.

Me too, brother Uglystick! I wish those bourgeois bowhunting running dogs would quit stealing the season from us rifle class! Let us fight that unjust law my comrades!

Well being a native Virginian.. I still see the old Blue Laws are still kicking around....You'd think the commonwealth would give up this puritan ethics gig and let people hunt on Sunday....

good luck back there guys.. I'll be thinking about you guys when I am hunting on Sundays this season in Oregon...

cheers
seafire

quote:

Originally posted by Wismon:
300magnum,

If hunting isn't important enough to you to take a day or two off from work to go do it than just how much sympathy am I supposed to have?

If hunting is so important to you.... Pick up a bow and stop whining!

Where in the Bible does it say thou shalt not hunt on sunday. If the Bible is not the reason then what is? This is so silly it would be funny if it wasn't so sad. I am glad I live in a state that isn't so backward. What the hell do bowhunters have to do with it. They have a much lower success rate and need more time than a rifle hunter too score. As far as taking a day off work, for some it is not as easy of an option as it is for others.

Brian,

I know from growning up there that some of the old "Blue Laws' still on the books in the Commonwealth of Virginia were passed by the VA House of Burgesses back in the 1600s!!!!

Sunday is still recognized as the Sabbath on the law books and you are technically only suppose to legally buy items that are considered necessities on Sunday and they actually have a long list...but those are not that enforcable, but at times some Cop will...

My mom got arrested in 1969 at a 7/11 when she went down and bought my younger brother a couple of batteries for a toy he was going to take to show and tell...some cop was in there having a cup of coffee when she came in and bought them.. he cuffed her, threw her in the cruiser, arrested the kid behind the counter, and then stayed until the owner or manager came down to relieve the kid he arrested...

My dad was on duty in Vietnam at the time, as a pilot in the USAF....

Needless to say, mom was pissed!!!!!

Well hopefully in Virginia the word is out and things will change. It seems hunters interested in changing this law are trying to do something about it.

I feel lucky that I live in a state that does allow sunday hunting.

I'm born, bred, and have lived in VA all my life. Hunting on Sunday has never entered my mind as its a "day of rest". I suppose once they let folks hunt on Sunday, then the next thing will be we'll be able to quail hunt in the snow.....Just a note on VA on Sunday in the country, one doesn't even target shoot till after 12PM as other folks may be eating dinner or in church. BobG in VA

quote:

Originally posted by Ivan:

If hunting is so important to you.... Pick up a bow and stop whining!

Ivan, I've got one. You'll never see me carrying it during rifle season though. Butthole.

Yes, comrades, yes! I weep with joy at the thought of arrival of justice for us longsuffering rifle class! The oppression must end! Let us storm the DGIF and demand an end to this unfair privileged class of bowhunters! We must all be equal before the game laws! If it is ok to kill a deer with a long pointy stick at 280 fps then why not with a short pointy stick at 2,800 fps? Justice!

Absolutly I want Sunday Hunting in Virgina!
I get two days a week that I don't have to work. I would like to hunt both of them.
The extra day of deer hunting would be great, but I would like to hunt other game on Sunday too. Heck, Church isn't till 11:15AM, that's an entire morning I could be hunting and still make it to Church on time!

And as for taking vacation to hunt.. I get one week vactaion a year, dictated to me by the company that it will be taken during shutdown, in Aug. So yes, I want to hunt on Sunday.

This is the biggest redneck herring to come down the pike in a long time. Let’s have a reality check here folks. In the counties west of the Blue Ridge the rifle season is two weeks long. Therefore if Sunday hunting were allowed it would increase hunting opportunities there by…one freaking day! (Ok two if the season was expanded, yes, expanded, to include the last Sunday.)

Meanwhile, if rifle hunters were allowed access to the bowhunters woods, which bowhunters, for whatever reason, seem to think they are entitled to have as their private domain, the season would be four months long. Discounting Sundays, that’s 104 days of hunting, give or take a few days. Back out the current twelve rifle days and that’s an additional 92 days of hunting.

Sooo, the redneckusbeerdrinkus amongst us want Sunday hunting, purportedly to increase their hunting opportunities yet they leave the bowhunting monopoly issue utterly unaddressed, leaving 92 hunting days on the table. Again, an additional day vs. an additional 92 days. Hmmm. Tough call, let me drink on this a while…

What’s bowhunters’ major malfunction, anyway? What’s their explanation for their inexplicable behavior? Do they not want rifle reports in their exclusive happy hunting grounds? Will that disturb their peace? If so is it unreasonable to think that rural congregationalists merit similar consideration during their sermons and hymn singing?

But there’s more to this than that. This is like Larry Flint hiding behind the First Amendment. He’s got some nerve. If ever there were anyone likely to get restrictions applied to the First Amendment it is he, pushing the envelope on it as he does. Or, to put it another way, as Oliver North said, "Larry Flint didn’t save the First Amendment [as he is often incorrectly credited for doing]; the First Amendment saved him." Likewise, if we hunters want our hunting activities left alone we will show similar consideration for others and their activities. Especially such a gun-and-hunting-friendly group as rural churchgoers.

Why push the envelope and piss off others in the process? We have six days out of the week to hunt; all the churchgoers ask is that we allow them one day without it. We get 86%; they get 14%. But that’s apparently not enough for the redneckusbeerdrinki, for seldom is their unhungover Saturday morn. They want another chance. Screw ‘em; the fewer drunks in the woods the better.

Fight the greedy bowhunters! Freedom, liberty, justice, and gunpowder for all!

quote:

would increase hunting opportunities there by…one freaking day!

That's 33% 3days-2days/2days*100= 50% more hunting time by my schedule.

What I really want to know is why can't I hunt with a muzzle loading handgun, but I can hunt with a muzzle loading rifle?! Who's the brain child that wrote that law?

I've lived all my adult life in Louisiana and, now, in Alabama.

It sure is refreshing to see laws more backward than ours.

If Wal-mart (Mao-Mart)can do business on Sunday, then the Korporate Khristians sure ought to let you hunt on Sunday. I'll bet that Mao-Mart is open on Sunday in Virginia, Right?

WHAT!! CLOSE A MART ON SUNDAY!!! You commie bastard ,

I think I'll join the ranks of CROSS BOW hunters,, that really seems to piss off the stick bow guys

Rusty, you may want to brush up on your math.

Grizzly Albert in a can: since when can you hear Wal-mart for miles around? And what do you have against the free enterprise system? Dave James had you pegged by calling you a commie, however tounge-in-cheek his comment may have been. But you’re right that the laws are backwards: join us in the fight my Kajun Kommie Kinsman, and we too can eradicate the bowhunting scourge, bringing us up to speed with LA & AL.

yup I fubard' its actually a 50% increase, so you tell me.. am I in favor of Sunday hunting?

Heres some info from the NRA-ILA:
The Truth About Sunday Hunting: Why Hunters Shouldn`t Be Treated as Second-Class Citizens


In the early days of America, so-called blue laws restricted many activities on Sunday. In recent years, however, state governments have recognized that the people`s right to choose for themselves what they do, or don`t do, on Sunday is more consistent with America`s founding principals. Present day bans on Sunday hunting are the last holdouts of these blue laws, and hunters are questioning why they are being treated differently from their fellow citizens.


Click on Map For Larger Image

The majority of hunters will agree that the biggest obstacle to hunting, and the biggest obstacle to recruiting new hunters, is lack of access and opportunity to hunt. By restricting Sunday hunting, states are not only limiting opportunities for today`s hunters but are making it harder to recruit new hunters to carry on our proud heritage. Anti-hunting groups understand this, that`s why they oppose lifting Sunday hunting bans--they don`t want a new generation of hunters to enter the field. This opposition to Sunday hunting is in fact opposition to the future of hunting itself.

Restrictions on Sunday hunting treat hunters as second-class citizens. Other outdoor activities are allowed on Sunday, including fishing, hiking and golf. By restricting hunting and not other activities, state governments are sending a not so subtle message to hunters and non-hunters alike that there is something wrong with hunting, that it isn`t as legitimate an activity. This message ignores the fact that hunters contribute billions of dollars to the benefit of wildlife, both through license fees and excise taxes paid on firearms and ammunition.

There are compelling reasons why Sunday hunting should be allowed:

Sunday hunting has no detrimental effect on wildlife populations. The 43 states that allow some form of Sunday hunting have healthy wildlife populations in those areas that can sustain them. In fact the states with the most abundant game populations allow Sunday hunting. Those states that have recently removed prohibitions on Sunday hunting have not seen a negative impact on game populations. Allowing Sunday hunting will give state wildlife agencies more flexibility in managing populations. The extra day a week for hunting will give the agencies the ability to increase hunting in areas of overpopulation by encouraging hunters to go afield.
The most common reason that hunters stop hunting is lack of hunting opportunity. Hunting opportunities are largely decided by two factors: accessible land and available time. Since most hunters work Monday through Friday, a ban on Sunday hunting cuts their available hunting time in half.
Sunday hunting is an excellent way to recruit new hunters. Many young people have school or athletic obligations on Saturday. Allowing Sunday hunting means that parents can spend time hunting with their son or daughter, passing on a heritage that is so important to America. With the myriad of activities that compete for the attention of young people today, a restriction on Sunday hunting means many of them never take up the sport.
Sunday hunting will bring an economic benefit to many rural areas. Every day that hunters are in the field, they spend money on gas, food, lodging and the dozens of other incidentals that go along with a day`s hunt. The ripple effect of this spending can have a major impact on a rural town or county.
Out-of-state license revenue can grow as a result of Sunday hunting. Few hunters will take extended hunting trips to a state that won`t let them hunt one day of the week. These out-of-state hunters pay higher license fees that benefit the game department and also spend even more money on incidentals than in-state hunters.
Current Sunday hunting bans:

Currently seven states entirely prohibit hunting on Sunday for wild game; they are Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey and Connecticut. All of these states have considered legislation to lift the bans in recent years. Repealing the Sunday hunting bans has been actively supported by the wildlife agencies in Maine and New Jersey.

Four states allow limited Sunday hunting: Maryland allows hunting on two Sundays during deer season; South Carolina allows Sunday hunting on private land only; North Carolina allows Sunday hunting on some federal installations; in 2001 West Virginia enacted legislation that allows Sunday hunting on private land, but each county can hold a referendum to ban Sunday hunting; currently 14 counties allow it.

Recently several states have recognized the folly of Sunday hunting bans:

New York: In 1996 New York opened Sunday hunting on three Sundays during deer season. Within five years the law was changed to allow all Sunday hunting, except on specifically designated lands.

Ohio: In 1998 Ohio passed a bill allowing a test of Sunday hunting on public lands for a period of three years. In 2002 the legislature made Sunday hunting permanent without opposition from groups that had concerns when the test began. The state wildlife agency supported the change.

Michigan: Sunday hunting was banned on private land in certain counties, but in 2003, all Sunday hunting closures were repealed. The bill was supported by the state wildlife agency.

None of these states have experienced the horror stories forecast by opponents of hunting. The states continue to have healthy wildlife populations. Hunters continue to behave in a responsible and safe manner. Church attendance remains unchanged. Landowner-hunter conflicts have not increased. In sum, Sunday hunting has had nothing but a beneficial impact on these states and the future of hunting in them.

If you only allow yourself two days out of the year to hunt that's your problem; no one else's.

Acctually I'm one of those "nasty bow hunters" that seem to get you so wound up.
The bow is for hunting, the rifle's just for killing.

What makes you think I care by what method you hunt? It’s you bowhunters that care how others hunt, not us rifle hunters. You can use a sharpened stick, for all it matters to me. But what does that have to do with why you only spend two days hunting?

Yep ........glad to see there are places with more backward, 'holier than thou laws' than we have here in CO. Somebody probably got the notion that you might shoot church goers.

We just can't buy real beer on Sunday.

Only two days of rifle if I lived in the western region. But luckily I get 4 Saturdays with a bow and another 7 with a gun (muzzle loader being firearm of choice.) So 11 possable days in all. Not horrible, but it sure would be nice to have 22.

BTW I don't care what you use to hunt with, just hunt.

I’m with you SKB2706, let’s tell those holier-than-thou bowhunters to pound sand up their ass. But who do you think you’re kidding? Colorado has set-aside bow seasons as well. But I'm with you, comrade, let's fight the control-freak prissy commie bowhunters!

Randy, so you lied about having only two days to hunt per year? You need to get to church, bro. You know, on Sunday.

And by the way, you do too care what I hunt with if you’re willing to lobby for extra hunting days in the form of Sundays but not in the form of riflemen being allowed to hunt during "bow season."

its Rusty.

While we may not agree on this at least show me the courtesy of getting my name right.

Looks to me like you're hollern at the wrong folks, you need to ask the VDG why the East side gun season ends on Jan 6 and the Eest side ends on Dec 2, and then lobby to get the extra month there. Heck, then the rifle shooters would have a 2 week advantage over the bow hunters. LIKE THEY DO OVER HERE!

How's this for a suggestion? You help me lobby for Sundays and I'll help you lobby for an extra month in the Western zone.

I think some folks misunderstood me. I hunt on Sundays and wish everyone could.

Louisiana lets bowhunters start in the first part October for about 3 weeks before muzzleloading season, which lasts a full week. Then still hunting season opens for about two weeks, then dog seasons, then back to still hunting till the middle of January.

I always thought that was a fair way to do it. Two weeks is way too short for gun season.

To me, a big part of the pleasure of hunting is getting to use all of the neat rifles I own. Hunting with a bow is decisive enough.

Sunday is the Lord's day. Now their is nothing wrong with hunting before or after church, but I think it is wrong to skip church to hunt.

Rusty,

While we may not agree on this at least show me the courtesy of not lying to me about how many days you hunt.

By the way, I hunt east of the Blue Ridge. I get six weeks of rifle hunting. But I'd rather have four months of deer hunting like the bastard bowhunting control freaks have.

And I'm using this to point out the ridiculous inconsistency of those claiming to want an extra day in their season but are willing to leave 92 extra days on the table, just so they can drink on Friday night.

If you don't go to Church how are you going to get the BIG one.
I always pray for stupid bucks during the season.

Please Dear Lord just one stupid buck with slow reflexes, that's all I ask.

Wismon, I am dence, I finally get it! You're pissed because the "strickly bow only" crew has the option of hunting with a bow or gun during the firearms seasons. I hunt with a lot of bow hunters and to a man (and woman) they drop the bows and pick up guns at the first chance. Apparently I just don't hang out with the right group of (LOL ) bastard-bowhunting-control-freaks to get the "right" attitude. We all hunt with the impliment as allowed by the season, To be honest I never thought of useing my bow during firearms season. The deer are so jacked up from from the added hunting pressure that I figured (and so do many other archers) that a bow hunter just wouldn't have much of a chance. Hence, when its gun season, use a gun.

And it wasn't so much a lie as I didn't go look up the season dates till later. I was working off your stated numbers. oops

Grizzly Albert,

No, I understand you completely. You wrote, "A day without gunfire is hardly worth living." I agree! Let's tell these commie control-freak anti-gun bowhunters to share their season. I'm with you brother! The Bowhunting Man's kept us down too long!

Living here in the "Free State" Maryland, I can tell you it was a long, drawn out battle to get sunday hunting in some form passed. Having the HSUS headquarters here didn't make things any easier.

I worked on the issue for 6 years, had 4 bills get shot down before we finally got a limited one passed.

You are always going to have opponents to sunday hunting: bunny huggers, horse back riders, certain farmers, religious folks, etc.

The key is to get organized, identify key elected officials and start small and work your way up. Our original bill had two sunday's, one in bow and one in firerarms season in counties that wanted it. After the first two years, we now have more counties opting in, and more sundays being added.

After seeing that non hunters were not shot on sunday, the deer harvest was increased, and more people were outdoors, most oppostion has fallen by the way side.

Good luck and remember if it was easy someone would have done it a long time ago.

Ah yes, Maryland. What do you have again, a two week gun season, which means mostly shotgun? No wonder you have to fight in that state: the commie bowhunters and liberals have all but run all the riflemen out. I’m with you brother Hutty! Those pinko bowhunters and libs must be fought! Fight the good fight!

The Sunday hunting ban in Virginia is totally absurd. I go to church, BUT, HOW DARE THE COMMONWEALTH TELL ME I SHOULDN'T HUNT ON SUNDAY!!!

As for the concept of allowing rifle hunters during bow season...get real.

Pick up a bow or crossbow and hunt, change to a ML, then to a rifle.

A 100+ day rifle season here west of the Blue Ridge would destroy the deer population and our future hunting seasons.

And BTW, another thing VA needs to do is cut everyone back to 1 buck a year. The years of hunting, hoping to see a buck, and shooting any buck ended a decade ago.

VADGIF's biggest problem is managing the state's hunting season with too much influence given to tradition.

Hey Ken: real the whole thread; I have a bow. But I don’t know what’s so inherently ridiculous about shooting a deer with a rifle, as to which you attest. Why there are a whole bunch of people here who think that that’s an enjoyable activity.

The only way a long season would destroy the deer population is if game laws are ignored. Allowable hunting days have nothing to do with limits…for law abiding citizens, that is. If you can’t help yourself and feel compelled to ignore bag limits that’s your problem, species depleter.

But I agree with you that VirginiA DoGone Infidel Fartknockers’ rules need to be changed. The bowhunters have paid them all off. We need to wage non-violent jihad against them. Saturate their headquarters with cluster packages containing many letteretters! Show up at their safety meetings and ask why they discriminate against the rifle class! Further stupefy their redneck enablers by asking them about the double standard! Write to the North American Association of Rifled People explaining to them the blatant classism and recruit their support! The call to non-arms is now, comrades! Beat your bows into rifleshares! Viva la revolution!