Virginia hunters: new game laws

[griz]

Here is the Virginia Fish and Game site:
http://www.dgif.state.va.us/index.cfm

Thet are proposing some new regulations and are asking for input. Some of the changes are:
starting the deer season on Saturday, increaseing the number of tags, checking game by phone, and increaseing the either sex days in many counties.

 

[yankytrash]

Thanks for the heads-up.

This can be good for all deer hunters across the state. Make sure you take the time to read through the amendments and comment on each one that could affect you or your family/friends.

 

[dongun]

In Arkansas, the deer season has opened on Saturday for a great many years. It is great for me since I teach school - no taking off during the week. Arkansas implemented online checking a couple of years ago - I call home and have someone check my deer, then I don't have to take it into town before skinning it. Our Game and Fish Commission is recommending shortening the season and the bag limit - going in the opposite direction from Virginia. You will probably like the new regs.

 

[Mannlicher]

The single worst thing about Virginia hunting regs, is the really stupid "no hunting on Sunday" crap. When I hunt there, I have a very limited amount of time, and it usually means one day to hunt. Being able to hunt on Sunday's would be a, pardon the wording, a Godsend.

I have hunted our family land, and former family land, up next to the Jefferson Nat. forest in SW VA, all my life.

 

[cookhj]

i agree with mannlicher. va needs to allow hunting on sundays. many people work mon through fri and the only day they have to hunt is sat under the current laws. also, i know many people who are college students and it's almost impossible to miss classes during the week to go hunting. but wait a minute! i better shut up before i start making too much sense! :banghead:

 

[yankytrash]

Well, the way I sees it is sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad. I moved here from rural upstate NY. Lotsa liberals there, lotsa Democrats. To many rules up there on when I'm allowed to do such things as breathe or use the bathroom.

Moved down here. Lotsa conservatives, lotsa repooplicans. Get to carry a gun without a permit, get to own a gun without a permit, get to own land without being taxed to death (ie, landowners don't totally support the welfare state upon their backs alone: DOWN WITH THE REPEAL OF THE CAR TAX!!), get to smoke pretty cheap, get to spit on the sidewalk. Trouble is, sometimes you gotta go to church on Sunday, because everyone else does.

I guess that's an alright give-and-take. I have tendencies toward bein an evil bastard at times, and little time to stretch on the rack every now and then keep the joints limber. Or, I just skip church and go shootin wherever I dang well please. Can't do that in NY either.

I'm a "could be worse"- kinda guy though, YMMV.

 

[Poodleshooter]

I hear bad news about regulation changes for duck hunting, but I need more info before I post.
We sure could use more either sex days out in the western mountains. If I had a dollar for every doe I see out there, I'd be a rich man. Public land can be slim pickings for us apartment dwellers.
I'm another "Saturday only" hunter, but I'll still not hunt on Sundays. I would like to see some season extensions. An earlier and longer blackpowder season would be nice,too.

 

[Lee Woiteshek]

Not hunting on Sundays bother me too. Especially when you can fish on Sundays and no one says a word. In fact, I went to the Va website, and told them just that. I also agree that bow season could probably open up in middle Sept., and muzzle loading in middle Oct. and it wouldn't hurt anything either. I haven't heard anything on future duck regs though, if you've heard anything please feel free to post.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Re: Waterfowl in VA
The rumor is that the rules on the minimum distance that you can hunt near a registered blind may be changed. Basically, there's been a bit of a pissing war between the floaters and blind guys. Several registered blinds were being registered by "antis" and used to prohibit hunting near their shoreline property.
Also, they may have ruled that canoes and other unpowered craft may be required to license themselves as floating blinds
What I'm trying to determine is whether these proposed regulations have been passed yet.

 

[yankytrash]

'round here, they're easin up on duck huntin from what I hear. Finally lettin us go up into the tributaries of the Rappahanock, and I believe the disance from blind-to-blind is actually going to shorten, not lengthen.

However, I only heard second-hand from a lawyer that hunts with me. Dunno for sure yet. Don't matter much, the ducks around here suck (divers, coots, ruddies take the majority). I gotta go next year where there's a few more mallards.