Comments on: Sunday hunting ban just one of interesting political topics

By: Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:52:04 +0000

Headshot — I figured someone would eventually come to Sammy’s defense. That was nice of him to let you borrow his computer to send the above comment.

You know, this might surprise you, but I’m going to agree with you, to a degree. There are some deer killed illegally in Virginia. Probably even more than 5,000 a year (that’s about what you get when you multiply 49 shots times 95 counties, which is 2 percent of the average kill of 225,000, which I was able to figure that out even though I don’t have a PhD).

Illegal kills are a bummer. I don’t like poachers any more than you do. But, and it pains me to say this, the system takes illegal kills into account. Remember, the DGIF is trying to stabilize and even reduce the deer herd in many places. (I realize that is not the case where you and your buddies camp in the national forest.)

You fear that legal Sunday hunting will increase poaching, which I take it to mean that you worry that you will not see as many deer while you’re out nearly every day of the season. But poaching is not why you are not seeing deer in the national forest. The habitat is just generally poor for deer.

But I maintain that if someone is a poacher, they are a poacher. Legal Sunday hunting isn’t going to make them a poacher. In fact, if I were a poacher, under today’s rules Sunday would be my preferred day to get out there and do illegal things because there wouldn’t be any legal hunters out there to catch me and turn me in. I might even adamantly fight against legal Sunday hunting.

Not that that’s your motivation, of course.

By: Huntersdad

Huntersdad — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:49:35 +0000

Headshot, how do you know what the intended targets of those 49 shots were? Could they have been targets other than whitetails? An occasional groundhog hunter perhaps? Maybe a coyote or two? An islamic terrorist group randomly shooting into the air on the property next door? You can just never tell…some folks need to THINK before hitting the submit button. Geez……Ever heard of sighting in your rifle?

By: Ranger217

Ranger217 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:41:02 +0000

Headshot. Interesting screen name. I wonder what that says about you? Anyway, I think it’s interesting how you can divine the number of poached deer by shots heard off in the distance. I especially like the part about hearing the difference between a rifle and muzzleloader. What about shotguns? From a shot you hear, I suppose you can also tell if they were shooting at squirrels, rabbits, targets, etc. I suppose after the shot, if you didn’t hear someone yell, “oh sh!t”, you assume that was a hit deer.

I am sure some people hunt illegally, but I follow all hunting regulations and everyone I hunt with does as well. You and Sammy are painting with a really wide brush for people that are a few bricks shy a load.

By: The Amatuer

The Amatuer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:49:52 +0000

@sammy

Gave you a link to expand your thoughts and the best you can do is throw rocks and hide your hands.

It’s time to man up.

http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?30033-Hell-no-to-sunday-hunting

By: Headshot

Headshot — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:16:15 +0000

Finally someone that speaks the truth from the field. Way to go Sammy Bass. You did leave out the scum who use their son’, dauthter’s, wife’s
and less not forget grandma on the porch deer tags. I hunt all most every day of the season and I kept a tally this past year, 17 rifle shots bow
season, 27 rifle shoots black powder and 5 late black powder. That’s
49 illegal deer killed just in one county. Most of them likely were posted
on Marks blog. Look at me the big deer hunter. Mutiply the 49 by all the
counties and you dont’ need a Phd to know at least half the kill total is
bogus, but our state counts those. You people want to give these dirt bags
another legal day to do this sh**. There is nothing like educated idiots
running the show. Just step back and look at our country.

By: Sammy Bass

Sammy Bass — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:00:59 +0000

Oh, a pissing contest. The righteous bunch have spoken. PLEASE…..half
of you loud mouths are the same people that shoot deer all year, shoot them out of your vehicles, hunt with rifles during bow and black powder season, spot light deer, shoot more than your legal limit, use your son,daughter,or,wifes tag, don’t check deer, call in fictious does in the
earn a buck counties, have to have slaughter permits to get your deer, hunt over bait, steal people’s stands, destroy property and the list could continue. I don’t know what state you people hunt in but half the deer killed in Virginia are shot illegally. You people need to get you
a chain and tractor and pull your heads out of your butts. You people think its some monumental task to shoot some dumb ass deer.It takes about
half ounce of knowledge, half ounce of effort and a brain the size of a pea. Which I am gather you people don’t have any of the three. Pete’s sake, you all have vacation and personal days, learn to manage them to hunt. You have more than 60 days to hunt. If you can’t kill a deer in that time a extra few days is not going to make a difference in your pathic hunting lives. I suggest you spend your time off honeing your hunting skills or better yet just take up golf or honkn a bobo, same sport. FYI unless you are paying my bills or sleeping with me I really don’t give a flying pig what any of you think. Ever……………………………………..

By: Alleghany Ridge Runner

Alleghany Ridge Runner — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:21:40 +0000

Some people are so wishy washy. This is about revenue, plain and simple! hunters purchase licenses to be legal to use the very land that is ours to use. NON-hunters do not purchase licenses, or contribute funds to the national forests unless they pay for access/parking at state parks,etc (where hunting is not allowed). I get infuriated when someone says that NON-hunters should have access during the hunting seasons. Hello? they have the rest of the year to utilize the land. Hunters only have a precious few months in the Fall/Winter, and 6 weeks or so in the Spring. Why is this FACT overlooked? When you boil down the hunting seasons farther, the fact that the whitetail rut encompasses such a short time, a deer hunter may only have access to 1 or 2 tremendous days worth of hunting each season….and that depends on the WEATHER! The blue laws were lifted because of revenue and the additional sales tax the state would gain. I have heard every argument for prohibiting sunday hunting, from religion to PETA. Truth is, no one has EVER been shot attending church by a hunter near the church shooting at game…EVER. The reason this gets no traction, is that hunters continue to pay for their 1 day a week hunting. While the NON-hunter continues to fund nothing. Who would support the National Forest Lands if hunters did not purchase hunting licenses? Would the NON-Hunter stand up and pay $130.00 a year for parking and hiking? What about the local economy? On average, a hunter will spend $600.00 a year in hunting related accessories. Hikers and other users also contribute to the economy, but are they prepared to spend an additional $700.00 a year. Then this brings about the over population control problem. Who will fund that agenda when it develops? I have neighbors down the lane that allow no hunting on their 150 acres, yet the lady is terribly distraught because deer are starving in her front yard…..because there ar approximately 20-25 deer around her house everyday. I just wish for the benefit of all (Deer, other animals that compete for food when deer over-populate,local economy,young hunters, old hunters that need more than one day of exercise,etc.), politicians and the NON-hunter would think this whole agenda completely through.

By: The Amatuer

The Amatuer — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:01:09 +0000

Well put Andy.

Bravo Zulu!

By: andy

andy — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:11:58 +0000

Many believe that our governor is a top candidate for VP running mate to Mitt Romney.
Maybe we as sportsman can use this to our advantage. In the past two presidential elections there was a fair amount of focus on the “Cabela’s Vote”. This may be an opportunity to stress to the potential VP candidate that his outdoor record is not exactly strong and does not look good on the national level. He does not support lifting the ban on Sunday hunting in Va while 88% of the country allows Sunday hunting. He has recently threatened to pull money raised through sportsman licenses (saltwater fishing license) to fund not sporting endeavors.
If McDonnell has aspirations of higher office lets be sure he is aware that his current outdoor voting record will not sit well with the Cabela’s Vote but he still has some time to fix his resume.

By: Hunter-1

Hunter-1 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:18:30 +0000

Sunday hunting is a win/win for the state–economics–etc. It’s a win/win for hunters who work 5 days a week and could double the amount of hunting by adding a day –and you know–if the animals really need a day of rest-(except raccoons–really-read the law)-lets make it Wednesday–(Biology does not support this idea)–Senator Ralph Northam introduced this bill recently–he voted against it last year–but as a land owner and a registered voter in Virginia-he has just assured me in an email that he will fight for the bill this year–we shall see–check out the website WhitetailArmy.org–it is time to change Virginia.