Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has signed Sunday hunting into law, allowing Virginia to join the 40 other states that allow hunting on privately owned lands on Sundays. Sponsored by Delegate Todd Gilbert, and cosponsored by many members of the Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, HB 1237 passed the Senate on February 18 (28-11) after clearing the House of Delegates on January 30 (71-27). An identical bill (SB 154) sponsored by Senator Phillip Puckett also reached the Governor’s desk, after passing the Senate on February 10 (29-10) and later the House on February 28 (73-24).
With written permission of the landowner, Sunday hunting will now be allowed on private lands throughout Virginia; waterfowl hunting on public waters will likewise be permitted. Hunting within 200 yards of a place of worship and hunting deer and bear with dogs on Sundays will remain prohibited.
Delegate Scott Lingamfelter, Co-Chair of the Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, stated, “As an avid sportsman and Chairman of the Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, I’ve been working to repeal the antiquated ban on Sunday Hunting in Virginia for several years now and I am honored to have been a part of this year’s successful effort. Allowing Virginians to hunt private property on Sunday will not only have a positive economic benefit in communities across this Commonwealth, it will help usher in a new generation of hunters – young hunters who will carry our state’s great tradition of hunting into the new generation.”
Allowing Sunday hunting will increase the ability of landowners to manage wildlife resources by providing an additional day of hunting opportunities on their lands. Additionally, Sunday hunting will likely improve economic conditions throughout the state of Virginia by including an additional $296 million in economic activity and 4,000 jobs for the state. Further, this measure will potentially help to increase hunting recruitment and retention and thereby provide critical conservation funding for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries by significantly increasing the amount of time most hunters can spend afield as they pass this time-honored tradition down to the next generation.
Sunday hunting restrictions are remnants of the puritanical “blue laws” which were originally designed to encourage church attendance. Through time, the vast majority of the original restrictions on Sunday activities have been repealed, leaving Sunday hunting closures as one of the last remaining examples of the original “blue laws” in the United States today.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is a proud member of the Sunday Hunting Coalition. Led by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and strongly supported by the National Rifle Association, this partnership is working to eliminate all remaining restrictions on Sunday hunting. Other members of the Coalition include Safari Club International, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, Boone & Crockett Club, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, to name a few.
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?
