Sunday Hunting

[Fat Boy]

Does your state allow hunting on Sunday?  If so, what for and under what circumstances?  Is this a new law or existing?

I don't understand why Maryland doesn't just allow it all of the time.  All of the other blue laws are gone, why punish hunters?  Everyone complains about the deer heard being too large in the Central and Southern regions, so in addition to already increased bag limits, let the hunters have another day!  Many of our nearby states have allowed hunting on Sunday for several years now.

[show me the money]

new york has open hunting on sundays, years ago sundays were closed. don't remember what year they changed.

[bayonne]

jersey doesnt have sunday hunting they tried sighning patisions in all the sporting goods stores last season but it was a waste of time couple hundred thousand sighned but they dont listen or care what about the ones that have to work on saturday and as for the blue law some countys in my state still have it

[RGFIXIT]

I believe the original intent of not allowing hunting on Sundays was to give  non-hunters time to persue their outdoor activities without  fear of being shot at. Public lands are just that and are there to the benefit of everyone...not to the exclusion of non-hunters.

If I were a hiker, dog walker, cross country skier, snowmobiler, birdwatcher or the like...I'd be upset with losing the use of public lands to hunters for a couple of months each year.

RG

[Out4Trout]

No hunting on Sundays up here in Maine. There has been a lot of talk about changing that along with opening day which is for Maine residents only. As far as Sunday hunting goes, my driveway is about a half mile long, so I'm down in the woods. A day without having the whole family wearing orange is okay with me. Also if Sunday was open to hunting then I would never get anything done around the house during the month of November. But on the other hand, for the working world, we only have the weekends to hunt. So that means one day a week. To double that up would be nice.

[Burnsy]

Can you bowhunt on Sunday?  We can here in Ontario.  We have private land to hunt on so running into other people is not a problem.  I don't know if I would want a total hunt on Sunday because like Out4Trout has said... I would not see my husband or my boys in November LOL!

[Fat Boy]

I believe the original intent of not allowing hunting on Sundays was to give non-hunters time to persue their outdoor activities without fear of being shot at. Public lands are just that and are there to the benefit of everyone...not to the exclusion of non-hunters.

If I were a hiker, dog walker, cross country skier, snowmobiler, birdwatcher or the like...I'd be upset with losing the use of public lands to hunters for a couple of months each year.

RG

RG, they can manage public property and balance things.  For example, they can open certain public locations to hunting while leaving others open.  In may state, there is far more park land that is always closed to hunting than is available to hunt.  In my county alone, there is over 30,000 acres of county owned park land and less than 500 acres are available to the public for hunting.  Our state parks do provide decent hunting opportunities though, but still they have a good balance for non hunters as well.

And, there is a lot more privately owned land where people shouldn't be trespassing where you can't hunt because of a blue law.  It's bad policy and it's simply over regulation.  Especially when everyone around here complains at how large the deer herd is and over it's carrying capacity.

Wallop-Breaux money purchased most of that land, funded by hunting and fishing equipment purchase Federal revenue, and also by hunting and fishing license revenue.  Other recreational users pay NOTHING!  Well, I guess we all pay some tax money for this stuff somewhat though, I'll concede that, but I'd bet that out of the amount of tax revenue that each taxpayer pays, very little goes toward the parks system itself but more likely towards administrative costs.

[RGFIXIT]

Fat boy,
 I may sound wishy washy on this, but I can see both sides and recognize the need for concessions on this issue. You're right, there's room for both...at least in NY.

In New York we have better than 8 million acres of public  lands in the form of state and federal parks. Some ARE closed to hunting on Sundays. There are also countless county and municipal parks that allow no hunting at all.

That's a good thing! Many people don't hunt.

Truth be told, I don't hunt near as much as in years past. Not that I don't enjoy it...it's just a matter of priorities.  I've never been a trophy hunter...I love chops and steaks....I'm a meat hunter. I'm very fortunate. Taking a doe or two for the freezer is pretty easy where I hunt so I don't need extended seasons.

A few days of hunting with my friends and it's back to perch fishing for me.

On the other hand, I sympathize with the casual hunter, limited to weekends and without access to private lands as I am so lucky to have.

Bottom line...there's room for both and a little compromise goes a long way.
RG

[Fat Boy]

Well put RG, I agree 100%.  I'm just against the all or nothing decision making.  Just give us a little to appease us! 

Some day it will happen in Maryland.  Last year they had 2 weekends (maybe the same this year) where Sunday hunting was legal.  Our DNR is trying very hard to accomplish sound deer herd management, I have to give them credit for that.  And they do listen to the hunters.  My gripe isn't with them, it's with the remainder of the local government(s) and politicians.

Here's a good one:

There's a Wallop-Breaux project complete with a sign designating it as such (actually saying how it was funded on the sign) for a wildlife preserve - NO HUNTING!  I have yet to see a public hunting area with a sign that says it used WB money!!!  Some day I'm going to do some research and find out just where our WB money goes in MD.

[Bobman]

NY started Sunday hunting for big game about 4 years ago.  It was banned by the so called "blue laws".  You could hunt small game on Sundays for as long as I can remember.  It took several years and several failed votes in the state legislature to repeal the ban.  When I was in high school and college I really liked having Sunday's off to sit around our cabin and rest, watch football, play cards, do laundry, etc.  But then I also usually got to hunt for almost 2 straight weeks  !  Now that I have a family and regular job I can only take off a couple of week days off to deer hunt so it's nice to have 2 days to hunt on the weekends.

I believe the original intent of not allowing hunting on Sundays was to give non-hunters time to persue their outdoor activities without fear of being shot at. Public lands are just that and are there to the benefit of everyone...not to the exclusion of non-hunters.

If I were a hiker, dog walker, cross country skier, snowmobiler, birdwatcher or the like...I'd be upset with losing the use of public lands to hunters for a couple of months each year.

REG

REG - non-hunters are free to wander public lands during hunting season.  They just have to wear a lot of orange and duck  !  Of course if they are PETA members they are encouraged to wear brown Carhart coats (with hoods) and carry a white hankerchief in their back pockets  .

[BuckShotJon]

I think it was 4 or 5 years ago NY opened Sunday hunting. This was great for sure. It allows more people to get out and with a constant declining number of hunters that is a good thing.

I have no problem with non-hunters using statelands. What I do have a problem with is them paying zero access charges when hunters are paying license fees. So charge them I say ok, no charge and then the lands should be open all the time to hunters.

NY is so out of ratio with deer and high populations that we are very lucky. At least on the high population stand. Opportunites would be better if people could refrain from shooting small bucks and harvest another doe. But if they act within the law I have no problems, I suppose. I just hope the laws would change.

I really like the "earn a buck" ideas out there.

Jon

[Swantucky]

     Three or four years ago Ohio changed from no Sunday hunting to hunting Sundays on your own property or with special permisson from the landowner and state land was open.   2 years ago it was changed to all areas open for Sunday hunting.  I welcomed the change but have still not gotten into the habit of Sunday hunting because for so long this was a family/work around the house day for me. As the kids get older it will probably become a kids hunting day.

[PA_BOWHUNTER]

The only things we are permitted to hunt on Sun. in PA are coyotes and crows.  Everything else is closed.

[devil-man]

Of course if they are PETA members they are encouraged to wear brown Carhart coats (with hoods) and carry a white hankerchief in their back pockets  .

How about hunting on Sundays for PETA members only.
We'll give them a 100 yd headstart! 

[Dogman]

Hey all,I just got aboard this site,looks nice.Sunday hunting?Why not.Lots of states allow it and last I checked they don't have a non-hunter body count to deal with.The arguement that people will  get shot at by hunters on sunday doesn't hold up to fact.If it is true then how come we don't have a saturday body count.Hunting isn't allowed for nearly 3/4 of the year yet we don't hear from non hunters about how hunters are getting a bum deal.Why should we be concerned if they are not happy with us hunting on sunday.I don't want to come across as" over the top" on this,but lets not get too passive about this either.Here in Maine we've been trying to get some kind of sunday hunting and we get absolutely no where with the legislators.Even the last proposal to allow only bird hunting on sunday and then just in the northern,least populated part of the state was rejected.Those opposed to sunday hunting usually are opposed to hunting in general so lets not help them out with statements that make us out to be trigger happy shoot-at-anything-that-moves wackos.