Sunday, October 04, 2009
Candidates address Sunday law
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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In the National Football League, teams eagerly await their bye weeks.
The off days come in the heart of the season, giving teams a welcome break and a chance to recover from bumps, bruises and fatigue that build up during the early season.
For hunters in Virginia, the byes come early. And often.
Bowhunters got their first day of hunting yesterday.
Today, they get a break.
They get next Sunday off, too.
And next Sunday.
And next Sunday.
And, well, you get the point.
Virginia remains one of about a half-dozen states that restricts hunting on Sunday. It's a law that's dates back to the early 20th century, when lots of activities were off limits on Sunday.
Today in Virginia all of those other activities are allowed but hunting remains a no-no.
It's a law that has plenty of supporters and plenty of critics.
And a law that scares the heck out of most politicians.
Almost every year a state delegate or senator will introduce a bill in the General Assembly to overturn the ban, or at least to chip away at it.
And every year you can hear the collective sigh from the chamber when the bills die in committee and the other politicians know they won't be forced to take a public stand on the issue.
On Thursday the two men vying to become Virginia's next governor did take something of a public stand on Sunday hunting.
At an event announcing formation of his Sportsmen for Deeds group, Creigh Deeds said he is in favor of giving localities the option of setting, through referendums, their own Sunday hunting rules.
Reached for a response, Bob McDonnell said he would support lifting the ban, but only on private land.
How significant is this?
Probably not very.
By keeping the focus on others -- local voters or private landowners -- both men remain fairly insulated from the issue.
Let's say one of those options actually did make it through the General Assembly and onto the governor's desk. Signing such a bill wouldn't be too risky because the decision to actually allow Sunday hunting still rests with others.
And, again, this is assuming that such a bill could get General Assembly support, something that is far from assured even though the delegates and senators would also be taking little political risk to support such a move.
Actually, the hardiest opposition to a local option or private-land only bill could very well come from delegates and senators who are in favor of allowing Sunday hunting.
For example, few serious Sunday hunting advocates would be too excited about a local option bill. Yes, if a few localities take the step and others see that the change is not a big deal, others may follow suit.
But is taking that baby step with county-by-county laws worth the certain logistical and law enforcement nightmares it would create?
The private land option, which could appease non-hunters who are concerned about sharing public recreational space with hunters, is less problematic but still far more complicated than a blanket law.
When he was running for governor, Tim Kaine said he supported a blanket lifting of the ban.
Not a hunter, Kaine took his position less out of passion than out of a legal philosophy that banning lawful activities only on a certain day is problematic.
Did taking that position help him in the election? It's hard to say. But it probably didn't hurt him.
That's probably what we'll see in about a month, too.
Crumley reappointed to DGIF board
Sherry Crumley, who will chair the aforementioned Sportsmen for Deeds group, has been reappointed to the board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Crumley, of Buchanan, has served a previous four-year term and also a partial term when she served out the remainder of Roanoke's J. Carson Quarles' term.
The first appointment came after then newly elected governor Mark Warner, whose Sportsmen's group Crumley also headed up, dismissed Quarles, who had been vocally critical of Warner during the campaign.
