The Virginian-Pilot
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The movement to open Virginia to Sunday hunting gained momentum Thursday when the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-4 to turn a bill over to the full Senate.
Similar bills in years past have failed to make it out of committee.
"This has been a long journey," said Matt O'Brien, a Suffolk hunter who two years ago started a Facebook page - "Legalize Virginia Sunday Hunting for All."
"It's game on now," he said. "The Virginia Sunday Hunting Coalition gave a marvelous presentation.
I was not expecting this, and didn't want to get my hopes up. But this is a huge day for Sunday hunting."
The movement has had the support of other sportsmen's groups, outdoors retailers, environmentalists and some lawmakers.
Several bills were rolled into one for Thursday's session. The Senate now will review and vote on SB464, which allows private property owners to give permission to hunt on Sundays. Public lands would still be closed.
The original bill was introduced by Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk.
If the bill is passed by the Senate, it goes to the House, where it faces a stiffer challenge. However,
Gov. Bob McDonnell is on record as saying he'd sign into law any bill permitting Sunday hunting, and the Board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in the summer adopted a resolution supporting lifting the ban.
Despite the momentum, opponents from groups like the Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance and the Quad County Houndsmen Association believe it will be a long time before the sport is allowed on Sunday.
"I believe this will pass in the Senate and die a timely death in the House," said Kirby Burch, the vice chairman and lobbyist for the dog alliance. "Ninety percent of land owners are opposed to it, and Virginia is just not ready for" Sunday hunting.
Virginia is one of 11 states that prohibit hunting on Sunday.
Opening the day to the sport would add 14 total days of deer hunting when combining bow, muzzleloader and general firearms seasons.
Opponents of Sunday hunting argue that rural Virginia's largely religious base is against it. They say most rural landowners are on record saying they would not allow hunting on their properties if the bill were signed into law.
"As a group greatly beholden to rural landowners, the VAHDA strongly believes we should respect their wishes," John Morse, a Chesapeake hunter opposed to Sunday hunting, said before the vote, "both for our own benefit and because it's the right thing to do."
Joe Ficarra, a Virginia Beach jeweler who once was arrested for Sunday hunting in an act of civil disobedience, argued that the movement is about property owners' rights.
"This is a long way from being signed by the governor, but I'm pretty happy that it's finally made it out of committee," Ficarra said. "This is clearly a case of constitutionality. If a landowner doesn't want somebody to hunt on his land, fine. But if a landowner wants to hunt on his land on Sundays, our constitutional right to hunt and fish should allow them to."
Lee Tolliver, 757-222-5844, lee.tolliver@pilotonline.com
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Sunday hunting
What you cannot overlook is that some of this hunting will take place right next door to your property and I agree with one of the reader comments that hunters are growing more and more irresponsible in trespassing to hunt and retrieve runaway dogs. So many of the hunters are city apartment renting dwellers and do not recognize the right to quite and peaceful enjoyment of real property. I have endured these dummies for years.
john you hunt do ya
why would a hunter be standing outside your apt. waiting for a deer or a bunny to come wandering by, cmon dude, and it is legal for a person to come on your property without permission to retrieve a dog , without firearms, and john it is illegal to hunt in the city where apts.are located, and john if you get caught trespassing in the country by the landowner your in more trouble than what the police will do to ya , so john go sit in starbucks and drink your latte and surf the net, and be a fan of PETA
dogs 2
Not all of us treat our dogs like an old rusted out truck.... I love my pups! And I spend time with them every week, all year long.... I beam with pride when they do well, and I cry like a baby when I have to bury 1... those are my kids, and I am not ashamed to say I love them! BEAGLE POWER! Crazy Dogs hike!
DOGS
Retrieving 1s dogs on someone elses land is legal in Va, as long as you carry no weapon, and go on foot, so it isn't trespassing. My club immediately goes after any dog(s) that get out of our hunt, so that the dog doesn't get hit by a car, end up at someone's house eating their chickens, or some other disaster. We also work closely with local landowners, and other hunt clubs to catch each others dogs, so incidents are avoided. We even try to let others close by know which spots we are gonna hunt, so they can hunt their property beside us simultaneously. Not everyone can be cooperative... some folks just prefer conflict... but at least we try
Are the houndsmen that are
Are the houndsmen that are opposed to sunday hunting the same ones who say their dogs cant read posted signs? If you dont want to go on sunday, stay home. And if I dont want you hunting on my property on sunday, I'll tell you. this is just removing the prohibition, not making it a requirement.
Sunday Hunting
I am opposed to allowing Sunday hunting, not because I am against hunting, I hunt sometimes myself, but we like to be able to venture out into the woods on our property with our Lab, or ride my dirtbike or whatever and the only day we can safely do that during hunting season is Sunday. Thats partly because I don't want to disturb our neighboors who are hunting, and also because you never know where they might be. Some hunters are hunting's greatest enemy. They seem to think that hunting season gives them the right to walk into any woods they want. To park their trucks in the middle of any road they want, rut up any driveway, path, or trail they want, etc. So NO, you cant hunt my property on sunday, and some of you cannot ever.
I am proud to say that my opinion has been heard . . .
No matter which side you support, I would encourage all Virginians to contact their Senators and Delagates, and let them know how you would like them to vote.
We can talk about it on here, and make the most educated and empassioned arguments possible, but it is of z-e-r-o value, unless we also take the step of letting our representatives know how we feel.
Thank you Sen. Norment and Del Pogge for taking my call, and recording my voice in support of Sunday hunting.
Sunday Hunting
As a land owner I believe we should have the choice of whether to hunt or not. If people want to attend church they still can and also hunt. If people have problems with hunters and trespassers, then Sunday hunting wont matter anyway! Most of us are law abiding citizens who work 5 days a week!! I wait all year for deer season and only get to hunt Saturdays. That is about 13 days a year. We wont bother anyone so why bother us??
Even if this passes
Sunday hunting will not be allowed on Public lands, only private land and that will be with land owners permission. Being an avid hunter, and living in a rural area I know and talk to many private land owners regularly and I have yet to find one single private land owner that says they will allow anyone to hunt their property on Sundays. Face it, the vast majority of these private land owners are older and from the "Old School". These are the folks who were raised going to church (many still do regularly) and still have morals and no intention of losing them before they die. Even still I seriously doubt this bill will get thru the house, even with the million dollars the proponets raised and the 15 lobbyist they hired. I say take Sunday off
Good point
And I'd venture a guess that a lot of those land owners who currently allow hunting will find it easier to just post an all inclusive "No Hunting/No Trespassing, rather than quibble the difference. I think it's possible that hunting opportunities may actually decrease if this passes.