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Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Deer Problems ()
Date: January 19, 2014 07:18PM

Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
http://www.insidenova.com/news/local/northernva/delegate-proposing-sunday-deer-hunting-in-northern-virginia/article_57dff674-7ed1-11e3-8c89-001a4bcf887a.html

Hunting on Sunday has long been prohibited in Virginia, thanks to old “blue laws” and a desire to let outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the rural countryside without worrying about stray bullets at least one day a weekend during the fall and winter hunting season.

But a combination of factors – including a growing deer population and increasing occurrences of Lyme disease – have inspired state legislation to allow county officials to permit Sunday hunting on private land within their jurisdictions if they want to.

Del. David Ramadan, a Republican whose district includes Loudoun and Prince William counties, is expected to introduce a bill this week that would allow officials in Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties to pass ordinances permitting hunting on Sundays on private land.

Ramadan’s bill would join a similar bill that has already been introduced by state Sen. Phil Puckett, D-Tazewell.

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to endorse Sunday hunting bills, citing concerns about both Lyme disease and growing numbers of deer in the county, which have sparked increasing complaints from property owners as well as automobile accidents.

“I think we need to support this because this is less about hunting and more about public safety,” said Supervisor Marty Nohe, R-Coles. “What we’re hearing from our fish and game professionals is that we need to thin our deer herd.”

“It is a public safety issue, it’s a public health issue and it’s good for the deer population itself,” said Board Chairman Corey Stewart, R-At Large. “Frankly, it’s good all the way around, in my opinion.”

Ramadan’s bill had yet to be filed as of press time, but an aide said Ramadan planned to file it prior to the Friday deadline. Attempts to reach Ramadan for comment Tuesday and Wednesday were not successful.

Puckett’s bill is currently awaiting a vote in the Virginia Senates Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.

A similar bill Ramadan proposed last year never made it out of committee. But efforts to end the Sunday hunting ban could be more successful this year because current bills are more narrowly defined – allowing hunting only on private land – and have won the support of the Virginia Farm Bureau, which had opposed ending the ban in the past.

The Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries is also in favor of Sunday hunting, both because they say it will increase access to hunting by about 40 percent – since most recreational hunters only do so on the weekends -- and because of they believe allowing hunting on Sundays will bring more tourist revenue to the state.

Still, Sunday hunting remains unpopular among some in Virginia, including fox hunters (who don’t use weapons), equestrians and hikers who would say they should be able to enjoy the outdoors without worrying about stray bullets one day of the weekend.

There are no public hunting areas in Prince William County. Even if Sunday hunting is eventually allowed by the state legislature and the county board of supervisors, hunters would still need to receive permission of landowners before hunting on private property.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Hmmmm ()
Date: January 19, 2014 07:33PM

This proposal is likely going to be about as popular as someone with a bad case of flatulence sitting in the front row of a small Baptist country church on Sunday morning.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: hello? ()
Date: January 19, 2014 07:37PM

If it's for bow hunters only do you think that would sway some people into thinking it would be a good idea?

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Elmer Fudd ()
Date: January 19, 2014 08:10PM

Everyone should be in church all day on Sunday. Everyone - without exception. We should ban any sport or activity that might remotely interfere with us paying homage to GOD. So, we should ban golf, tennis, fishing, soccer, football, hiking, running, and any other activity on Sunday.

I understand that some working folk are upset and would like to go hunting on perhaps their only day off - but they should be in church. So what if they aren't rich enough to take a regular day off during the rest of the week.

I also have heard that some kids would like to go hunting but they have school activities and sporting events to attend and the only day they would have available to go hunting is Sunday - but they should be in church. So what if they never take up hunting and we become overwhelmed with an exploding deer and geese populations.

Finally, it is just wrong to go hunting on Sunday - what would GOD think if you took an animal's life on His day?

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: The Congressman ()
Date: January 19, 2014 08:15PM

I hope this passes. I would like to bowhunt on Sundays.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Hmmmm ()
Date: January 19, 2014 08:25PM

hello? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If it's for bow hunters only do you think that
> would sway some people into thinking it would be a
> good idea?


Because of the dense NVA population and the superior penetration power of arrow tips bow hunters would likely be required to hunt from tree stands 25 feet up or higher.

Then someone will be needed to govern and monitor how many hunters are in a given area and where, plus schedule the exercise so that however many hunters happen to be waiting are given their fair time too.

Next, convincing private land owners to accommodate the liabilities and (climbing etc.) risks all of this would be difficult, if not improbable. Farm and property owners know that opening their land up to strangers for any reason is foolish at best. One never knows what kind of destructive or weird thing people are going to do when they are on someone else's turf. That, and the liability risks involved are why the farm and land owners prominently post their property with numerous "Stay Off" signs; plus in many instances resort to solar powered intrusion detection and surveillance camera systems.

Last, but certainly not least the "trees have feelings too" bugs are our friends wackos are going to come out of the woodwork in droves before the entire issue is over.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: The Congressman ()
Date: January 19, 2014 09:07PM

>
> Because of the dense NVA population and the
> superior penetration power of arrow tips bow
> hunters would likely be required to hunt from tree
> stands 25 feet up or higher.
>
>

??

I hunt on a group of 10 acre parcels zoned agricultural. In "NOVA".

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Citizen Joe ()
Date: January 19, 2014 09:25PM

If his proposal is anything like what the SB154 is then it should not matter. We are talking about allowing hunting on private land by private land owners, their family and those they give permission. The land owners still control who has access to their land as governed by VDGIF. If you are caught on private land without written consent from the land owner you are committing a crime. Many of the properties in the effected counties already have leases worked out with clubs and other citizens that allow them on the land to hunt; this would simply extend it to Sundays as well.

As for your comment about the "trees have feelings too" crowd; Sierra Club International is preparing to sue the state to allow Sunday Hunting if it does not pass legislation this year.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Too Many Deer Hurt Them ()
Date: January 19, 2014 10:12PM

These proposals are made with the input of people who know the issue well game officals. No one is out to harm animals. The deer situation is out of control, This endangers humans and makes life a lot worse for the animal.

This is not a wild eyed proposal but one that has been carefully chosen to protect the game animal.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: goandgetthem ()
Date: January 19, 2014 10:36PM

Up and at them!
Attachments:
securedownload.jpg

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Please BH on my property ()
Date: January 19, 2014 10:57PM

I live on 6 acres in Fairfax. I have twenty deer that just hang out and eat all my shrubs. I hate them. They poop everywhere and I want them all dead.

Thanks!

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: jimbowie ()
Date: January 19, 2014 11:16PM

There are tons of bow hunters that would love to come and help you out. Just reach out bro, we can save your shrubs and make some grub! p.s. Oprah wants "all old white people too die!"

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Hmmmm ()
Date: January 20, 2014 04:59AM

The Congressman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Because of the dense NVA population and the
> > superior penetration power of arrow tips bow
> > hunters would likely be required to hunt from
> tree
> > stands 25 feet up or higher.
> >
> >
>
> ??
>
> I hunt on a group of 10 acre parcels zoned
> agricultural. In "NOVA".

You sound like you're first hand familiar with what's going on, but you didn't bring forward how any of the safety conditions or restrictions that I mentioned apply.

Since Sunday is the day in question; particularly that there are more people in the outdoors enjoying their time it seems to me that that would increase the possibilities of something going wrong. Will any of them trespass on a farm with hunters in the woods knowingly or unwittingly?

Maybe, maybe not. A few years ago on the Skyline Drive my wife and I watched a guy, his wife and kids walk back up onto the drive laughing and whooping it up big time. They'd followed two bear cubs down into the woods and was feeding them their pizza while taking pictures of each other beside the bears.

How would an average family of four know that their safety is guaranteed by the terms and conditions in place between a couple of land owners and hunting clubs? How big are the farms? How far apart are they? What's between them if anything? An arrow still has plenty of kill power at 100 yards and fired from a crossbow it can travel 300+ yards and still do damage.

That said, if Sierra Club International is backing common sense legislation that's great. I didn't name any specific organizations in my comment, just the nature of a certain segment of our society and what they are liable to do.

Things like setting up "help save our cats" charity donation tables outside shopping centers less than 50 feet away from a dozen or more homeless people that are sitting on a stone wall in the cold.

As far as bringing the government into the picture goes I am not impressed. There are thousands of acres of land; much of it privately owned that are restricted use in order to protect some kind of weird bug or worm from "possible" extinction. What would it take for deer to be put on their lists?

Back closer to reality and what you said, I have no trouble trusting what experienced and seasoned hunters are doing on Sundays or any other day. The same applies to the majority of the sports clubs and gun stores that work with and support these people.

My problem with the entire situation is that the Commonwealth of Virginia makes it necessary to live with this kind of idiocy in the first place, then now - today it still can't decide amongst itself what the right best thing to do is. It wasn't that long ago that Virginia finally lifted the Blue Law ban on buying toilet paper on Sundays.

These are a few of the reasons I enjoy making frequent trips back to my home state where I can legally pick my 30-30 carbine up, walk outside off of the porch and do what I've been doing for over 3 score + 10 years now. Enjoy my Constitutionally protected rights and privileges without any worries about dealing with any hair brained laws and rules.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Safe Hunter ()
Date: January 20, 2014 08:54AM

goandgetthem Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Up and at them!


Very nice shot and great photo.

There is absolutely no scientific or practical basis for restricting hunting on Sunday. MOST states do not ban Sunday hunting and there is no evidence that this has caused any problems.

The fact is that the Sunday hunting prohibition is based on blue laws that seek to impose religion on society. The very foundation of the Sunday hunting prohibition is constitutionally unsound. It's time that this perverse law be repealed - without regard to private property. It should be a flat out repealed. Hunting laws should be based on sound game management practices.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: ....... ()
Date: January 20, 2014 08:59AM

Seems like to me it would be safer because everyone is in church or temple.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: here2help ()
Date: February 01, 2014 01:44PM

If you are looking for help with your deer over-population, send me a Message, I would be more than happy to talk to you about it. I've been successfuly Bowhunting Fairfax County for over ten years now.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: Robin_Hood ()
Date: February 01, 2014 04:06PM

here2help Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you are looking for help with your deer
> over-population, send me a Message, I would be
> more than happy to talk to you about it. I've
> been successfuly Bowhunting Fairfax County for
> over ten years now.

Where are the best places to hunt in the county?

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: here2help ()
Date: February 03, 2014 06:54PM

Honestly, anywhere and everywhere, if you can find a piece of Private Property that backs to a bigger tract of land such as a County Park, you are Golden. Being a fringe species, the small patch-work of parcels in the County create an ideal habitat for them to flourish.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: 3eVYv ()
Date: February 05, 2014 02:55PM

here2help Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Honestly, anywhere and everywhere, if you can find
> a piece of Private Property that backs to a bigger
> tract of land such as a County Park, you are
> Golden. Being a fringe species, the small
> patch-work of parcels in the County create an
> ideal habitat for them to flourish.

Is it now illegal to hunt the deer in the county, now that they are proceeding with the deer spaying program?

From the woods to surgery and back again: Deer spaying begins in Fairfax City
http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/1443143/1443169.html#msg-1443169

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: robinhood ()
Date: February 05, 2014 03:27PM

I would love to hunt from the steeple of my church, on Sundays!

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: AnimalRights ()
Date: February 05, 2014 09:16PM

Why should we be punishing innocent creatures for what WE did to them? The reason they're appearing so frequently now is because of the constant urbanization of Northern Virginia, forcing them out of their natural environment. When did we become superior to everything else on earth?

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: here is the answer ()
Date: February 05, 2014 11:00PM

When we elected Barrack Hussain.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: here2help ()
Date: February 06, 2014 08:15AM

It is certainly not illegal to hunt deer in Fairfax County, I'm not sure about Fairfax City itself. In Fairfax County you can hunt with a bow throughout the entire season, and with a gun, (shotgun with Buck Shot, no Slugs) for a large part of the season, however, you need 20 acres of ajoined property to be posted from all entry points in order to use a gun, (hard to find any property that fits that criteria and I only hunt with a bow here). I personally would not feel comfortable hunting with a gun even on 20 acres in Fairfax County due to the population and close proximity to homes. I would never risk the safety of another person, nor want to disturb people/Police with the sounds of gun shots. A bow is just as lethal as a gun, and if you do not feel comfortable with your ability to shoot a bow, a crossbow is another option as well.

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Re: Delegate proposing Sunday deer hunting in Northern Virginia
Posted by: FEHEy ()
Date: February 07, 2014 06:22AM

here2help Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is certainly not illegal to hunt deer in
> Fairfax County, I'm not sure about Fairfax City
> itself. In Fairfax County you can hunt with a bow
> throughout the entire season, and with a gun,
> (shotgun with Buck Shot, no Slugs) for a large
> part of the season, however, you need 20 acres of
> ajoined property to be posted from all entry
> points in order to use a gun, (hard to find any
> property that fits that criteria and I only hunt
> with a bow here). I personally would not feel
> comfortable hunting with a gun even on 20 acres in
> Fairfax County due to the population and close
> proximity to homes. I would never risk the safety
> of another person, nor want to disturb
> people/Police with the sounds of gun shots. A bow
> is just as lethal as a gun, and if you do not feel
> comfortable with your ability to shoot a bow, a
> crossbow is another option as well.

Have you ever hunted with a crossbow?

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