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And the survey says: The majority of hunters in Virginia want to be able to hunt on Sundays.

The much-anticipated Department of Game and Inland Fisheries survey on Sunday hunting was released this week and revealed that roughly two-thirds of the hunters in Virginia want Sunday hunting while one-third oppose it. The exact figures were 62 percent for; 34 percent against lifting the long-held ban on Sunday hunting.

What makes these statistics eye-popping is how they have changed from a similar DGIF survey taken a decade ago. That one showed only 45 percent in favor of Sunday hunting and 48 percent opposed.

“This stastically is a significant difference,” said Bob Duncan, chief of the DGIF wildlife division.

For supporters of Sunday hunting, it is shouting time.

Butch Ammon of Richmond, who has become the state’s leading advocate of Sunday hunting, posted an e-mail that said: “They have the results in and it is absolutely fantastic.”

In fact, the margin of support even surprised Ammon, who appeared before the DGIF in support of Sunday hunting on several occasions in 2006.

“I assumed the results would be a 50-50 split, but I was amazed at the overwhelming support toward lifting the ban,” he said.

But Sunday hunting is far from a done deal.

For one thing, the other side has not weighed in. That includes hikers, horseback riders, bird watchers, anglers, rural landowners, church goers, anti-hunters.

For another, even though the survey results weigh heavily in support of Sunday hunting, Duncan said he and his staff won’t be champions of the cause.

“We don’t have a position on this. We are not pushing it,” he said.

The purpose of the survey was to determine how hunters come down on the issue, so DGIF officials will be better equipped to answer questions from legislators and others, Duncan said.

“We still have a long road ahead,” said Ammon.

The truth is, the pro Sunday hunting movement really doesn’t have a face, an organization, a budget, a lobbyist. But then, neither does the other side.

The DGIF survey addressed hunters only, selecting 5,000 hunting-license buyers to participate. The response was an amazing 59 percent, which reveals high interest in the topic. Many participants expressed “strong” convictions. Less than 4 percent said they had no opinion.

You have to figure that non-hunters also are interested and likely would be less receptive to hunting on Sunday. Some horseback riding clubs and a Richmond nature club already have expressed opposition. The survey was criticized by some who said it should have included people who don’t hunt. DGIF officials say they likely will do that. After all, the agency’s constituents include non-hunters, in the form of wildlife watchers, anglers and boaters.

What’s the next step?

DGIF officials are expected to discuss the survey with members of the sportsmen’s caucus of the General Assembly. In a news release, John Montgomery, DGIF board chairman, reminded citizens that the DGIF does not have the authority to erase the ban on Sunday hunting. That is a task of the General Assembly.

In recent sessions, bills endorsing Sunday hunting have been introduced in the General Assembly but quickly have been shot down. The sponsor of a measure slated for the 2007 session backed away from his bill, which would have allowed hunting on Sunday afternoons, when he encountered opposition in his home area.

A bill, HB 2303, that would permit Sunday hunting on private land by the owner of the land or anyone the owner has given written permission to has been introduced by Del. Mark Cole, R-Fredericksburg, at the request of a constitute.

Look for a number of other bills to follow the release of the DGIF survey.

Several pieces of legislation in the past have attempted to soften the sting of Sunday hunters by allowing it on a limited basis, such as in the afternoon or on certain Sundays that are back-to-back to Saturday opening days. But the DGIF survey, and an earlier survey by the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, revealed that the majority of Sunday hunting advocates are opposed to a piecemeal approach.

“They don’t want it sliced and diced,” said Duncan. “They want Sunday to be like any other day.”

Results of the survey can be found on dgif.virginia.gov