we are a dying breed

[Jstpssng]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

The idea of a "free" fishing day and a free hunting day works! We have those here in South Carolina and have good results. With this and anything else it all starts at home with the parents willing to spend the time with the kids.

We have the free fishing days twice a year; once during open water and once on the ice. resident kids under 16 don't need a license to fish anyhow, but it gives adults a chance to get on the ice without paying for a license. It doesn't matter to me, I buy my hunting/fishing combo license as a personal Christmas present, yet have wet a line about twice in the last 10 years.

Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn't have a good turnout for the latter free day which I mentioned.

 

[forgeblast]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

As I was looking at my schedule for the next couple of weeks. I realized I have only two days I can hunt for archery this season. The problem in PA is no sunday hunting. Not even for archery. It really cuts down on the amount of time you can get out.

 

[dave1949]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

Can't say I am a fan of Sunday hunting, sorry.

About every year a bill gets introduced to allow Sunday hunting here and it fails every year. The majority of land owners just don't want it. I can see it would be different in most places where land is usually posted and hunting leases are the norm. I think if Sunday hunting were allowed here where open land is still common, the result would be more posted land.

The fall hunting season here is the absolute best weather for getting out and enjoying the woods. I guess it is not an issue for land that is not used much, but we are out in our woods everyday unless the weather is really rotten. Since most hunters don't ask, they have no way of knowing if we plan to be out or not.

Hunters are their own worst enemy on this issue. If landowners could reasonably assume hunters will communicate with them, then I wouldn't care if I knew someone would be hunting in a area until noon, for example. I could deal with and accommodate that.

For the general public who are enjoying the outdoors other than for hunting, Sunday is a good and safe day. Deer season means putting orange neckties on the dogs and orange vests and hats for us. It's nice to have one day a week when you don't need to worry about becoming a hunting safety statistic.

 

[Jstpssng]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

As a sportsman who takes advantage of my hunting time to revisit old territory and explore new spots I'm on the other side of the equation from Dave... yet I'm opposed to Sunday hunting for the very reasons which he just stated.

 

[schweizer]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

no sunday hunting

Hmm, sounds like a Blue Law to me. Don't see how that passes constitutional muster.

 

[Jstpssng]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

Hmm, sounds like a Blue Law to me. Don't see how that passes constitutional muster.

It probably started out that way... but since most of our hunting is done on private land, and many of those landowners have stated that their land will be closed to all hunting if it's is allowed on Sundays, it remains on the books.

 

[forgeblast]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

I am not asking for rifle to be open on Sundays, archery though has a much smaller footprint and affects smaller areas then rifle. I also put orange on my dogs and wear orange around the property during rifle season. I love fall and enjoy being out there, but my job keeps me too late to get out after work, and my own business means working every Saturday and most Sunday's in October -December.
I agree that its a blue law, when I first started working the stores were closed on Sunday. I worked the first Sunday it was open and people were wandering around in amazement that we were open.

 

[dave1949]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

Maine has an expanded archery season for deer (and turkey IIRC) and an archery season Oct. 3 through Nov. 1, 2013.
Regular firearms season this year is Nov. 4 through Nov. 30. This is followed by one or two (depending on location) weeks of muzzle loader season.


Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife - Expanded Archery Season on Deer
Expanded Archery Season:

September 7, 2013 through December 14, 2013 (designated areas only)
The expanded archery areas were established to provide additional deer hunting opportunities in locations in where deer populations can withstand additional hunting pressure without negatively impacting other existing deer hunting opportunities or human safety. Accordingly, we have identified a number of areas in central and southern Maine which meet these criteria. They include WMD 29, a portion of WMD 24, and nine smaller areas. Most are characterized by intensive residential development interspersed with small woodlots. Much of this area cannot be hunted with firearms due to municipal ordinances banning the discharge of firearms.

The intent of the expanded archery area is to have hunting occur in areas that are not open to firearms hunting due to municipal firearms discharge ordinances. Areas open for the expanded archery season are described below. All are characterized by intensive residential development interspersed with small woodlots. Much of this area cannot be hunted with firearms due to municipal ordinances banning discharge of firearms.

No Sunday hunting probably does have its origins in Blue Laws, but I doubt it is a constitutional issue. Otherwise any season limits would be unconstitutional.

I agree archery has a smaller footprint, and likely many fewer participants. I can't recall any archery hunting injuries or fatalities, so I would guess it is very safe. In Maine at least, archers are getting special treatment, and being recognized as a good way to control deer populations in crowded areas, which I have no issue with.

The root of the problem is everyone is busy, busy, busy and hunting gets pushed to the bottom of the list of priorities. People used to routinely take off opening day for hunting. My Dad took me out of school for opening day as long as my grade card was all A's and B's. Lifestyles are changing creating problems for hunters. I guess landowners are in a sense saying, "don't make your problems my problems."

 

[Jstpssng]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

I am not asking for rifle to be open on Sundays, archery though has a much smaller footprint and affects smaller areas then rifle. I also put orange on my dogs and wear orange around the property during rifle season. I love fall and enjoy being out there, but my job keeps me too late to get out after work, and my own business means working every Saturday and most Sunday's in October -December.
I agree that its a blue law, when I first started working the stores were closed on Sunday. I worked the first Sunday it was open and people were wandering around in amazement that we were open.

I understand what you're saying... and many hunters feel that Sunday hunting in unorganized territories (Generally owned by large landowners mainly for growing timber) However nonhunters fear that this is just opening the door for Sunday hunting statewide...

 

[schweizer]

Re: we are a dyeing breed

Don't know if I agree with you guys. The laws may have originated with the church saying not to hunt on Sundays -- blatant Blue Laws -- and their purpose may not be for that reason today. How about a slightly different analogy: what if we had a Muslim dominated society that was mostly secular, but still there were laws that decreed you couldn't hunt on Fridays?

Property owners are individually still within their rights to forbid hunting on Sundays. It's a matter of gov't showing preference for "religion" vs. individual rights. I own 320 acres and I won't have the gov't telling me I can't do certain things on my land just because it's a certain day of the week. My father came from Switzerland, where you still can't mow your lawn on Sunday, can't open your storefront on Sunday (unless within a train station or airport), older people still wear "Sunday clothes". When I travelled to visit my grandparents in Switzerland during the summers as a child, I still remember my grandparents saying "no, we can't do that, it's Sunday." Many people have immigrated to the US over the past few centuries because their home countries had religion-based rule.

I'm far from being anti-Christian or anti-religion -- personally I guess you could call me very conservative Christian. I'm just strongly for separation of church and state.

Marcus