meeting with a couple VA Game Wardens
 

We had a couple Game Wardens come into work this afternoon for a quick meeting. Went over some statistics of the last 10 years involving hunting accidents. My county was actually one of the highest along with Caroline County for shotgun accidents.

Couple topics they went over was Sunday hunting, and also hunting with dogs.

Sunday is basically a go. Said if it doesn't start next season he would be surprised. :woot:

Dog hunting looks to be staying. So many people support it he doesn't see it going away. If anything there might be some changes done involving using dogs, but don't see it stopping in VA.

Can't win them all I guess. Good to hear some positive on the Sunday hunting though.

Thanks for the info. Every year I write letters to my local state representatives expressing my dislike for the ban on Sunday hunting along with a lot of great reasons for it. I would love for it to change here in Va.

At the same time the dog runners are writing letters opposing Sunday hunting with their partners HSUS.

Just for some clarification, there are a lot of Va. hunters who dog hunt as well as stand hunt during the archery and black powder seasons. Many of us are also for Sunday hunting as well. I know the Va. dog hunters assoc.is against Sunday hunting, but they are just a small segment of the actual dog hunters out there and most that I speak with are all for Sunday hunting. Maybe one day.......

Yes but the VaHDA will stand in front of the General Assembly and say the represent over 50,000 hunters in Va and claim to be the largest hunting dog organization in the state. They lie every year and use all the pro Sunday hunting dog clubs who supported them years ago to fight against Sunday Hunting. They ahve done it before and they will do it again and again. So do not believe the fight is over until it is signed by the Governor. According to VaHDA the governor won't sign it so do not give up the fight.

+2 there are many guys like myself who hunt with dogs, and still are in favor of Sunday hunting. I also don't support the VA. Dog Hunters Association, but that's beside the point I guess.

I've found that a lot of the guys in our group of guys that hunt with dogs are in favor of Sunday hunting, but there are some that aren't and are dead against it. I've also been surprised at how many people I've talked to that are against Sunday hunting, and while some of them are dog hunters, quite a few of them are stand hunters also. Reading on here, I'd think that the majority of people are in favor of Sunday hunting, mostly because most of us are. However, in talking to people in the real world, I've found a lot of guys oppose it, a lot more than I'd have expected, and I also know several guys who I wouldn't have expected to oppose it, that do. Like I said though, it's not just dog hunters opposing it, and quite a few of the ones I know that oppose it don't hunt with dogs. To be fair, most of them seem to be older guys that are fairly set in their ways. Unfortunately in our area many of these guys are also major land owners, and have already told us that if it does pass, that they will not allow hunting on their land on Sunday, and if they catch anyone hunting on Sundays on their land, that they will lose permission for any hunting from them. I'm not sure if they would be as strict as they claim now if it really does pass or not, but they are pretty set on the idea that no one is going to hunt on their land on Sunday, and since they are the property owners, us that want to use their land do have to respect this.

That said, I hope that it does pass next year, and it seems to be gaining support as we go on.

I don't have a problem with a landowner telling me I can't hunt his property on Sunday or any other day of the week. What I do have a problem with is the state not allowing me to hunt my own property on Sunday. They don't mind me going out and fishing or going to a sporting event but I can't hunt?

I probably wouldn't hunt on every sunday if passed as I do need to do stuff with the family and around home on the weekends. At least with the option of hunting sunday, I can miss saturday and get into the woods the next day.

For dog hunters. I am sure there is some great people that do it. They just aren't around me. The clubs around here think they own everyones land, the road and can do whatever they want. I look at it plain and simple. Train your dogs, and keep them off my property. Keep them off the road, and if you must stand in the road with a shotgun waiting for Bobby Joe to run a dog to you.. Please realize that you are "standing in the damn road!" I am not swervin out of your way, and your dogs will go "thump, thump" just like other critters that run in front of it. I am not wreaking my truck for you or any animal. Thats what the big tires and brush guard is for.

+1

That's why I never bought land here in Virginia. If I bought, let's say, 100 acres of land out near the Blue Ridge, I'd hunt it every chance I got - Sundays included!

Hey, I bought it, pay taxes on it, the land is legally, lawfully, mine. AIN'T NOBODY GONNA TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO WITH MY OWN LAND!! :mad:

I have had this debate many times. I have met a few dog runners that are FOR Sunday hunting, however they are still members or belong to clubs that are members of VaHDA. This is where I have a problem with it.

VaHDA is in bed with HSUS in their stand against Sunday hunting. Someday the VaHDA will want(or need) the assistance from all these Va hunters they lobbying against to save dog running. I will be the first to walk away and not lend one hand or right 1 letter in their defense... The VaHDA is a dispicable, 2 faced group. I cannot support them or their members one bit. They drew their line in the sand, so have I.

Great post! I agree 100%