To those here against Sunday Hunting

[Gun Bowanna]

To the Sunday to Church crowd.

How come Fisherman don't get this kinda grief for going Fishing on Sundays??
Or invoke Tresspssing debates?

So I can kill a crappie, but I can't kill a squirrel??

[dk99358]

Gun Bowanna, I spent time outdoors NOT hearing gunshots on Sunday.

Which leads into why I am opposed to a general expansion on Sundays. I would support Sundays for turkey, muzzleoader deer, archery (although I think one day should be removed from the end of the season for each Sunday gained), maybe bear and maybe groundhogs. Those are relatively quiet, with few hunters, no barrages like you get in dove season or deer season. Nor do I want to be woke up at dawn by Sunday goose hunters.

I grew up on a farm that was (and still is) enrolled in one of the PGC public access programs. I also managed a farm that was enrolled. Six days a week, we were willing to share our land with strangers. I want that seventh day without being bothered.

You say "Post my land". Why should I have to bear the hassle and expense of posting? I think the law should read all private land is closed to hunting unless posted OPEN. You want to hunt on Sunday, you deal with the hassle of putting up signs and the people.

So that's what I did on Sunday, and what I would support. Flame away, Flame away, Flame away all! (to paraphrase Clement Moore)

Dale

[Mtbkski]

Me and a buddy loaded up the Mt. Bikes and went out to explore some new trails. We spent about 5 hours riding uphill, downhill, uphill, downhill. We put on 14 miles doing this. Trust me till it was over, I almost wished there had been hunting and I had stayed home.

Not really, we had a blast, I got launched over the handlebars. We busted thru mud holes getting covered in mud. We slipped and slid in the snow (yes, there was still snow where we went). We had a blast.

And not once did we have to worry about any hunters. We limit our riding to Sunday's this time of year, out of respect to the hunters. But I sure do appreciate having at least one day that I can get out and not worry about interfering with your hunt, or, having a round go zinging by as I ride.

Thanks for not hunting on Sunday's.

[Sandcut]

Now, alls' I wanted to know is "What the non-pro Sunday hunting crown did this Sunday"?
Not start another debate, i think there is a thread on that.

Well, I spent about 3-4 hours back in the swamp behind my house collecting birch bark, and dewberry vines for making baskets. I cut up some windthrow birch trees for some staves to carve spoons. I also collected some ground pine and winterberry holly branches/berries to make some wreathes for the holidays. Two weekends prior to that, I took my daughters with me to teach them how to use an axe and we cut some pole timber to make a teepee and some walking sticks. Oh, and I made another birch bark basket for Thanksgiving the week before that.

This would not have been possible if hunting were authorized on Sundays as this area is hunted very heavily. Not only would it not be safe for me and my daughters to be stomping around, but just as importantly, it also would prevent my daughters and I from screwing up someone else's hunting opportunity by walking right through the middle of the area that they are trying to hunt. Nothing would piss me off more than having some hikers saunter right through the area that I'm hunting. Yes they might push a deer in my direction, but they are just as likely to bump a deer away from me, too.

Now mind you, I hunt just about everything there is to hunt in PA except maybe for snipe, coots and elk. My wife knows that from September 1 to the third week of January that I'm most likely going to be hunting on Saturday. Would it be nice to get more time hunting? Yes. But there are people other than me that have a limited number of days to spend in the woods as well and I can see their point of view. And like I pointed out above, I have interests OTHER than hunting that it is nice to know that I can enjoy without worrying about my kids' safety or worrying that I'm screwing up someone's hunt.

Being against Sunday hunting isn't necessarily an "anti-gun/anti-hunting" agenda issue. It's more about equal time for use of certain resources.

[markheck1]

No Flames from me

What this really boils down to is 2 days. You don't usually have to worry about such things other than the regular Deer season. Most everyone opposed to hunting on Sundays will say that they limit their activities to Sundays this time of the year. that means that 50 weeks out of the year, they don't worry about limiting their activities to Sunday.

I think the commission is dead backwards on this issue....we had a WCO talk about it on our last club meeting, and they plan on opening up in stages, with Deer being last, in 5 or 6 years....I think that regular deer should be first....it's 2 Sundays, not the rest of the year, if that goes well, then maybe more.....I think they are trying to ease into it by opening up other seasons first. Which is IMO backwards, I think they should open rifle deer because it IS just 2 sundays, (I'll also concede that it's because I would like to be able to hunt them as well) and then look at opening the rest of the year if they want to.

All in all, before I started working all these Saturdays, I never really gave it a second thought before going out and doing other things on them, other than the 2 in Rifle Season, but I was usually hunting on those 2 anyway.

Anyway, I really don't see why the great opposition when in reality we are talking mostly about 2 days...

[Irwin Inhabitant]

have you made reports of people shooting into your saftey zone? I would ..... as far as people walking through your yard post it for sundays or hell all week ... you as a landowner should not have to tolerate trespass.

Oh yeah, every time it gets reported, some random acts of vandalism may mysteriously occur. I gave up on replacing mailboxes too. My current one has had a bullet hole thru it for a couple of years now, nice rural patina. With no names or license plate # not much ever happens.
Or my wife gets harassed when I am at work, if we are working different shifts. She is now known as the crazy b!+(h who answers the door and lets the dogs out carrying a big @$$ revolver.

Not too many problems at all with the known locals, or the people who have permission from adjoining property owners. We have worked out our problems respectfully.

The problem is the punk suburban mall ninjas who show up wearing black hoodies and an orange hat with only the brim barely visible, because they see other vehicles parked there, and think it is a public shooting range and a 4x4 playground. Can't read the numerous posted signs? DUH!

Keep in mind this is usually not on my property, but somehow since mine is completely surrounded by woods and is the only house in a half mile, and has a rough access road and with a mowed yard, it somehow strangely looks like woods/gamelands access to them.
So they sometimes see it as a shortcut to some sections of the woods. They also piss off the local hunters who do have permission, just by constantly firing their .300 mag just for the hell of it.

Obviously can't shoot it at home, so why not harass someone you don't know?

They are not sportsmen or hunters, just posers who want to make noise, then go home to play their video games, and email pictures of everything they destroyed while "hunting".

So far this season it has been normal, maybe the punks found another hobby, or hopefully somewhere/someone else to annoy.

[huntr70]

Not to pee on anyone's parade, but I would love to be able to hunt Sunday's.

My job gives me off 1 day during the week, and Sundays. No time before work or after, with the time changes during hunting seasons.

I agree that the public lands are just that, public. However, hunters have bought and paid for most of those lands.

Maybe a "use permit" charged annualy would give everyone the right to complain about the hunter's on that land...?? I do think that private landowners should be able to regulate their own land, and allow or not. It's not any different than the other 6 days.

Not sure what the final outcome will be, but PA is in the minority here, with not allowing Sunday hunting.

And I did spend this past Sunday walking some trails with my wife and daughter on public land open to hunting. We would have worn orange if hunting was open.

[Mtbkski]

I really do understand the Sunday Hunting thing. I was a avid hunter for about 30 some years. But I have lost interest and moved on to other things.

One reason I support Sat. hunting, is hunters need at least one day a week to do what you enjoy. But then again, I'm against Sun. hunting cause the rest of us need one day a week... you get the idea.

If you work on Saturday, your just shit out of luck. I use to work a rotationg schedule that my off days rotated thru the week. If your working Saturday, your probably off another day of the week besides Sunday.

I do know one thing. The number of hunters is dropping in PA. License sells go down each year. But the number of people getting out of the house and enjoying the outdoors via, bike, hike, kayak, snowshoes, crosscountry skis.... is growing each year.

[freesoul]

In reality we're talking about 1-2 days per year, perhaps up to 5-6 in certain WMU's. Mostly on state GAME lands or private property. All the legislation would do is give control to the PGC to allow hunting- its not going to open it up simply by passing.

I'd say its pretty darn selfish to try and claim those handful of days for hiking, birdwatching, etc when you have the whole damn rest of the year. Especially where state GAME lands are concerned. Perhaps you'd be happy having to pay a use fee to use them?

The Pennsylvania State Game Lands (SGL) are lands managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission for hunting, trapping, and fishing. These lands, often not usable for farming or development, are donated to the PGC or purchased by the PGC with hunting license monies.

[Gun Bowanna]

I never have (or had) any intention of flaming anyone, Everyone's reason for their view is a valid reason.

This IS a Disscussion Forum, so I like to Disscuss when the mood strikes me.

But yes, I will add. Having grown up in NYC, we hunted every week in various counties north of the city. We met and interacted with many folks who were out in the woods enjoying their time and there was never any (&^%$^ feelings or words), everyone is/was doing their thing.

I lived in Manheim twp Lancaster for about 20 years and of course never heard any shooting.
Now I live in the river hills in York and I hear Shooting All Year long, everyday of the year. Even FA, and actually, it's music to my ears!!
Reminds me of god Bless America, Land of the FREE.

Also, Deer season is one Sunday. The season starts one a Monday and ends on a Saturday. There is ONE SUNDAY within the current season. So as it sits, the expansion of Sunday hunting would add ONE day to the present season length.

As far as Goose hunters making so much noise, it really cannot be so long throughout the day, the birds are usually gone after the third volley.

Horse back riders, I can understand the frustration on wanting to ride in the fall. I have neighbors with horses and I've ridden with them at times.

But on MY property, I want to hunt, and not just target shoot.


You know, this state having the most licence hunters, we have the shortest hunting seasons. Wouldn't it make MORE sense to lengthen the season to alleviate the pressure?
Colorado has 3-4 separate gun seasons for deer & elk. NOT counting Archery & Muzzloader.
South Carolina's season is 6 months long.
and None of these issues of Anti-Sunday hunting issues exist, they all get along well.


Anyway, The rains' let up a bit.
I'm gonna take a walk along the local creek with the 300blackout now.