Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

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virginiashadow
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Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby virginiashadow » Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:40 pm

Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries Endorses Sunday Hunting

Richmond, VA — At their June 7, 2011 meeting, the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries passed a resolution supporting Sunday hunting in Virginia. For years the Board has maintained a neutral stance on this issue. The right of Virginian's to hunt and harvest game is protected by Article XI, Section 4 of the Constitution of Virginia subject only to authority and restrictions prescribed by the General Assembly. The ban on Sunday hunting is set in the Code of Virginia by the Virginia General Assembly and repealing it would take legislative action. If the ban on Sunday hunting is repealed, the responsibility for determining hunting dates and times will rest entirely with the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries. "We welcome this opportunity to work directly with the stakeholders on setting hunting dates and times to include Sundays," said James Hazel, Chairman of the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries.

During the public comment period on the proposed hunting and fishing license increase that ran from December 16, 2010 through April 14, 2011, a significant number of the 1,200 comments received expressed support for Sunday hunting. Surveys of hunters over the years have yielded a similar theme. Additionally, suburban landowners and rural farmers agree that greater opportunity to harvest nuisance wildlife is desirable. With such strong support, the Board felt compelled to take action and developed a formal resolution.

The resolution outlined more than a dozen positive outcomes should Sunday hunting be allowed in Virginia. The Board recognizes that many hunters who work Monday through Friday feel that having only one day a week to hunt is restrictive and limits hunting participation. Furthermore, with the additional weekend day more youth could participate in deer and spring gobbler hunting, two of Virginia's most popular hunting seasons.

Virginia would become more attractive to hunters from out-of-state and for resident hunters who choose to travel several hours to their favorite hunting destinations. Having a full weekend to hunt would encourage greater participation and generate additional revenue for more rural communities in the form of lodging, food, gasoline, equipment.

Wildlife biologists with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries state that there is no biological reason to continue a ban on Sunday hunting. States that have lifted the ban on Sunday hunting have seen no impact on wildlife populations. Forty-seven states have some form of Sunday hunting. Some limit hours, locations, or species. Of the remaining hold-out states - Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia - all were part of the original 13 colonies which shows how far back these "blue laws" go. For many hunters, allowing them to pursue their passion on Sunday is no different from allowing people to fish.

It remains to be seen what the Virginia General Assembly will do if Sunday hunting is raised during the 2012 session — as it has been every year for more than 15 years — but in a bold move, the Board of the Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries established itself as having a leadership role in the Sunday hunting issue.

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(View Resolution in PDF)

Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries:
Official Position Regarding Hunting on Sunday in Virginia

RICHMOND — The Board of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (the "Board") declares its support for the repeal of the statutory prohibition on Sunday Hunting in Virginia.
Board Supports Lifting Statutory Prohibition on Sunday Hunting

WHEREAS, the right of the people to "hunt, fish, and harvest game" is protected by Article XI, Section 4 of the Constitution of Virginia, subject only to regulations and restrictions prescribed by the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's Sunday laws can be traced back to the early British colonies in Virginia; then continued in the early 20th century ostensibly as a means of protecting Virginia wildlife populations from over hunting, and

WHEREAS, modern science confirms the Virginia ban on Sunday hunting serves no biological purpose and is counterproductive to matters of game management; and

WHEREAS, those states that have removed prohibitions on Sunday hunting have not experienced any discernible impact on the desirable health or vibrancy of game populations; and

WHEREAS, Sunday hunting will provide the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (the "Department") and its biologists with a new tool to manage wildlife populations by encouraging increased and concentrated hunting in areas of overpopulation; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth has experienced a substantial decline in hunting participation by both in-state and out-of-state hunters over the past several decades, with license sales falling in both absolute and relative numbers; and

WHEREAS, youth participation is necessary to maintain a hunting tradition in Virginia, we can effectively double the number of hunting days for youth during the school year by opening Sunday, and

WHEREAS, Sunday hunting is an effective means of recruiting new hunters and increasing the value of the licenses for existing hunters of all ages by providing additional opportunity for adults and youth to spend time in the field; and

WHEREAS, Sunday hunting is expected to generate a substantial increase in out-of-state licenses sales and resultant revenues for the Department due to an additional weekend hunting day; and

WHEREAS, Sunday hunting will provide a substantial economic benefit to the Commonwealth's tourism industry, particularly in rural areas and businesses, by increasing the money spent locally by resident and non-resident hunters alike on hunting equipment, gas, food, lodging and other incidental items; and

WHEREAS, the Department is funded almost entirely by the constituents it serves, a large number of whom are hunters; and

WHEREAS, hunting license sales and their associated federal matching funds are the largest single revenue source available to the Department for carrying out its mission, including acquisition of public lands and private easements for wildlife management, hunting access and conservation; and

WHEREAS, Sunday hunting will help ensure that future generations have the opportunity to participate in a sport that is an important part of the Commonwealth's heritage; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries recognizes that this facet of game management is entirely within the purview of the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, if the General Assembly lifts the ban on Sunday Hunting, it is recognized that this action will affect a much broader stakeholder group than just hunters, and the Board will engage these groups in dialogue before passing any new regulations.

NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Board of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, do hereby urge the General Assembly to REPEAL the PROHIBITION ON SUNDAY HUNTING IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.


Wrinkleneck
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Re: Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby Wrinkleneck » Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:43 am

About time!!!!
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magicman54494
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Re: Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby magicman54494 » Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:19 am

Good luck Va. I hope it passes.
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Re: Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:32 am

Awesome!
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Re: Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby headgear » Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:29 am

Another good luck VA!

Not sure what I would do without the ability to hunt on Sunday, once we start losing daylight working until 5:00 really blows so you either take vacation or hunt on the weekends.
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Re: Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby virginiashadow » Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:44 am

Thanks guys, I really hope it passes. Not that I have any private land to hunt or anything, but I hope it passes. If it does pass I think it will mirror NC's Sunday hunting where they only allow hunting on private lands on Sunday. Don't ask me why they do it, they just do. But I am holding out a faint chance that they will allow me to hunt on public land on Sundays. If my son and daughters begin hunting with me I would love to be able to hunt on Sundays. My kids are growing up so quick and I have many family obligations on Saturdays, making it very hard to hunt more than 3-4 hours in the afternoon. Sunday hunting would help me gain a lot of hunting hours throughout a season. I have been hunting 19 years in the state of VA without Sunday hunting and it stinks.
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Re: Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby dan » Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:51 am

Good luck...
It would suck to only get 1/2 a weekend to hunt.
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Re: Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:02 am

Good luck with hunting on Sunday's. What can the reason be to alllow it on private but not public? Can't even think of one? Nature hikers?
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Re: Virginia Game and Fish finally endorses Sunday hunting!

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:05 am

Wrinkleneck wrote:About time!!!!

X2!!!!!!!!!!
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