By John Culclasure, Central Appalachian States Manager
The Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus ended a successful legislative session under the leadership of Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Emmett Hanger and Delegate James Edmunds.
Over the course of the session, the Caucus heard presentations from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and various hunting, fishing and other in-state conservation groups on topics including: deer, bear, turkey, and quail habitats and population as well as management issues in the Commonwealth; fox hunting traditions; coastal fisheries management; and oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. In total, the Caucus met seven times during 2018 regular session to discuss issues relevant to sportsmen and women in the Commonwealth.
The 2018 regular session concluded with numerous bills of interest to sportsmen and women becoming law or being adopted:
Virginia’s 1.07 million hunters and anglers spend over $2 billion dollars annually on their pursuits which supports over 39,000 jobs in the state and generates more than $242 million in state and local taxes.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
