Let’s hear fish and game regs changes ideas
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is participating in the Governor’s Regulatory Reform Initiative.
Here are the basics, from the DGIF website:
“The Governor of Virginia has directed that the Commonwealth’s regulations be reviewed for possible improvements. This site solicits your suggestions pertaining to Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF)-administered regulations currently governing
-fishing
-wildlife diversity (wildlife species that are not hunted or fished)
-boating
…that would help to achieve the following results:
Repeal regulations that are unnecessary or no longer in use; and
Reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens on individuals, businesses, and other regulated groups.”
Hunting and trapping aren’t included above because they are already being reviewed as part of the DGIF’s bi-annual regulations review process. So, suggestions are welcome on hunting and trapping, too.
The DGIF website page on the issue includes information on how to submit suggestions.
I’d like to write a column about this process to better get the word out about this. I’d like to include examples of regulations that Virginia’s hunters, anglers, boaters and other outdoors enthusiasts would like to see addressed. (Though Sunday hunting is a legislative issue, I don’t suppose it could hurt to include it in your comments.)
I will be disappointed if frequent contributor Walt doesn’t quickly chime in because I know he’s got at least one beef with the current deer hunting rules!
I’ll start: Current regs don’t allow me to take a “conventional” firearm with me when I am muzzleloader hunting for deer. I’d like someone to explain to me why I shouldn’t be able to take a shotgun with me when the muzzleloader deer and firearms turkey seasons overlap. (It would actually be me taking a muzzleloader with me while turkey hunting, but you get the drift.) I don’t want to shoot a turkey with a muzzleloader, and it’s not like the shotgun is going to give me some kind of advantage in deer hunting. It seems any concern about using buckshot or a slug shotgun can be addressed by rules regarding shot size, etc.
In addition to Walt I’d like to hear from readers about what regs you’d like to see addressed.
February 11, 2013 - 12:09 PM
Regarding your suggestion about taking two guns hunting, I think I remember you have done that in the past…Just Kiddin’…I agree with your comments about the issue.
Last season I was deer hunting with my scoped 44 Mag but I also had my shotgun with 00 buck. I shot at a doe with the revolver and missed (bad shooting position, or insert other poor excuse here). It was a clean miss. I had another shot opportunity and could have easily been successful with the shotgun, but in all the excitement, I forgot about the other gun laying across my lap!
The Sunday hunting issue certainly fits the statement: “Repeal regulations that are unnecessary…”. The repeal would also “… Reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens on individuals…”.
I would like to see them:
A) explain the difference between not needing permission from a landowner to retrieve your dog but needing permission to retrieve downed game (trespass is trespass).
B) Explain why scent baiting with acorn, pee, other food scents, food plots, planted corn fields, etc is ok but feeding by tossing corn out on the ground is illegal baiting. I know guys who gather white oak acorns at the end of September by the bucket, freeze them, and put them out in late muzzleloader and it is all legal. I don’t see a dog hairs worth of difference.
C) On a personal note, I own 74 acres which has 1/2 mile state road frontage. Legally, I cannot hunt within like 100 yards of a state road (even though it is MY land). So, I am supposed to give up like 25% of my available hunting land because of the reg about road hunting?
National Forest Permit requirment for hunters and fisherman is the biggest cocnern right now. Additional the idea (VA Legisaltion currently pending) of creating seperate hunting licenses for turkey and deer.
Mark, Is it a safety concern to be carrying two long guns at one time? It seems like it might be to me. At least you would think you would be safer with only one than if you had two loaded guns. I am not saying you wouldn’t be safe. Can I carry two muzzleloaders right now? I hope not, but if I could it would make the 2nd shot a lot quicker.
Back to your original question, could we please make Spring Turkey season shotgun only. I have seen a few hunters with rifles in the national forest and it scares the heck out of me, heck I would be okay with shotguns only on public land or something like that.
The safety issue is a good point, Nino. I’ll be honest; I hadn’t really thought about it from that aspect. I guess before I spout off too much about that I really should try to learn why the rule is there in the first place. I certainly can understand why one shouldn’t be able to have a centerfire rifle during muzzleloader season. But a shotgun, which you could further define by requiring size 4 or smaller shot, certainly wouldn’t provide any kind of deer hunting advantage. Maybe we can get a DGIF conservation police officer to chime in. Feel free, CPO, to be anonymous!
I hear you on the rifle issue during the spring season. It’s come up before. I can’t recall if it is a regulations issue or a state code issue.
I AM IN TOTAL AGREE WITH BOB H. ON THE ISSUE OF BAITING AS I SEE NO DIFFERENCE IN HAVING A FOOD PLOT WITH CORN FOR DEER AND THROWING OUT EARS OF CORN FOR DEER. SEEMS TO ME ITS ALL THE SAME. EITHER WAY, ITS BAITING DEER.
Thanks for the PR Mark, I’ve sent my suggestions on seasons to VDGIF. As to shotgun-only turkey hunting, see my new column in Gun Digest the Magazine, which should be out soon (I’m against it). Turkey management in our state has been a dismal failure for the last two decades, if the kill figures are any indication, and holding a season late in January goes against every biological concept of protecting the core breeding population.
I think we’re pretty much over-regulated; many VDGIF regs are set to generate more money for the Department and are not based in biology or improving recreation opportunities. Loss of the cooperative agreement on National Forest land I believe is their biggest failure; I believe the Department has done a great disservice to Virginia’s sportsmen by not pushing this issue and by not making wildlife management a priority on NF lands.
Over to you.
I do this already, but it wouldn’t hurt to make it a requirement. Some of you won’t like it, but I suggest adding a blaze orange requirement during the muzzleloader season. Seems silly to require it for rifle season, but not for muzzleloader, but maybe that’s just me.
I’m with ya, Chris.
Walt, just curious to why you are against getting rid of rifles in the spring turkey season? With everything greening up, I don’t think it is very safe when multiple hunters are chasing the same gobbler. I am pretty sure the majority of states do not allow hunting spring gobblers with rifles.
In muzzleloader season, I always wear orange while walking and then hang up my orange hat in my treestand. I would have no problem at all if it was mandatory. If I can’t get rid of rifles in spring turkey, how about a blaze orange requirement while moving? Lots of states already have that requirement where it is shotgun only.
I propose removing western Roanoke County from EAB. It could be split by I81. The deer population is going down fast in areas I hunt. I am not saying that it’s all due to EAB. I believe predators are part of the cause, but this needs to be addressed.
I also agree with Nino on rifles during spring gobbler. It should be bow and shotgun only. Shooting a gobbler at 300 yards with a rifle is against the spirit of turkey hunting in the spring.