Well I saw GMMAT's post on the crossbow thread about hunting on Sundays and decided to make a new thread so I didn't hijack the crossbow thread. Should hunting be allowed on Sundays, or should the state have the right to tell you not to hunt due to religion? That is stupid if you ask me anyways. I don't understand how the state can tell you not to hunt on Sundays for religious reasons. Is there not a separation of church and state? Anyways, my outlook on this is that it should be an individuals choice as to whether or not you hunt on a Sunday, not the states. Heck I'm a Catholic and can still go to church AND hunt. We actually have mass on Saturday night so Sundays don't even have any effect on me.
It should be someone's god given right or choice whether they want to work, hunt, attend church, or just sit on there ass on Sundays. To me It's one of the most stupid laws I've ever heard.:mad1:
Ok, well I just make the assumption since it is the Sabbath day. Regardless, I think it'd still be interesting to get people's perspectives on the topic.
Probably the same reason you can get off-sale alchohol in MN. "That the way it was, thats the way it is, so why change it." Makes me laugh some times the laws that are still on the books. Don't get me wrong, you won't find me running to the store at 11:55 each saturday night to get booze. But if I were in your state, I'd be in my stand at that time
I personally think that it is stupid, but from what I have heard, the reason here in PA is more due to hunters/landowners feeling that the "deer need a day to rest". For this reason, I can see it both ways. The deer don't truly need a rest, but the landowners might. I know that one farm I hunt, the landowner asked us that if Sunday hunting is allowe that we don't hunt his property on Sundays. That is the one day of the week when he can take the horses out and be outdoors without having to worry about interfering with somebodies hunt.
Show me in the constitution where it says a seperation of church and state. The government was founded by Christians on Christian values. The idea of the seperation of church/state is an interpretation by the supreme court of that day. I bet if todays supreme court justices ruled, the outcome of that ruling would be different. Umm, how's that for stirring the pot.
There is a lot of debate going on in Va right now of whether or not to legalize Sunday hunting. I have no problem with and can't find any rhyme or reason as to how it could be sacreligious (sp?). That being said, I don't think I could hunt on Sundays at first if it were legalized simply because for the thirteen years I have hunted Sundays has always been a 'rest day' to recoup. re-plan and what now. I do think eventually, that I would give into the temptation. It is hard to pass up an extra day of hunting.
If the law is based on religion, then I feel it is a stupid law that makes zero sense. I feel sorry for those that hunt in a state where you cannot legally hunt on a Sunday. A weekend warrior in a state like that has his hunting cut in half. Man that would suck.
If the state really cared about having a day of rest for the deer. Then make it a wednesday. There is absolutely no reason to not allow hunting on Sundays. If you're a private landowner and you want to go out without worrying about someone hunting on your land.... then tell folks, they can't hunt on Sundays or whatever day you pick. As for public places, the site manager can do the same. Besides, it's not like the public doesn't already have MONTHS they can go out without worrying about hunters. If it's your private land, there is no reason to have a closed day every week. It's stupid.
I've heard people mention this site manger thing a few times on here, what the heck Is a site manager on public land?
I have never lived in a State in which hunting was not allowed on Sundays. But if I did, it would be a huge problem. I wish I could say that I get hunt 4-5 times a week, but the truth is I am lucky to get 3 days a week in. Saturday and Sunday are my only "for sure" days I get to be in the stand. Also, what about all the students out there. I know my two boys would go crazy if they only got to hunt on Saturday and then were done for another week. My day, my time, should be my choice what I do with it.
Around here we have site managers that control (or attempt to control) what goes on in each public area. Since our DNR has been gutted it really amounts to one site manager trying to cover a whole bunch of often widely spread areas. Anyhow, there's some public land near my house. Mackinaw River Fish and Wildlife Area (MRFWA) It's about 1400 acres of grassland, river bottom, crop fields and woods. There used to be a site manager that was there just about every weekday. You could go to the office and ask questions, get a map, etc.. He was responsible for watching over the property. He kept the hiking trails up, mowed areas mowed, keeping track of dove food plots, keeping off-roaders from getting in, that kind of stuff. During hunting season, he kept track of the sign in/out sheets, critter harvests, checked treestands. During gun season he got a bit of help and the guys would sign out the backtags, print standby tags, help you get your deer out. Now, that guy is gone. Supposedly, someone comes by every now and then in the summer and fall. Nobody checks on the treestands (you're limited to one temp. stand). The sign in sheets get picked up once in a while. I think a lot of folks don't bother with them anymore. The trails are barely mowed but the atv'ers get in and tear stuff up. The dove food plots were terrible. It's kind of a free for all out there. They did get the guys out there for gun season at least. Anyhow, every 'site' has it's own rules, set by the DNR, 'enforced' by the manager.. The DNR is supposed to rely in part on what those rules are with the input of the site manager. I hope that makes some sense.
I fit into the student section. I go to school about an hour and a half from home, and there's no way I could hunt on weekdays unless I wanted to drive an hour and a half just to hunt for one night. During bow season I drive home almost every weekend to go out, and it is well worth it since I get to put in 5 sits in one weekend. It almost wouldn't even be worth it for me to drive home on the weekends if I couldn't hunt on Sundays. Sure, I'd still get 3 sits in, and maybe only two, but I don't really see that as being worth paying for all that gas just to hunt twice. Luckily, I'm not confronted with that situation with living in IL since we can hunt on Sundays, but I feel bad for all the college students in other states that don't allow Sunday hunting. Hell, I also feel sorry for all the men/women that work their ass off all week and aren't able to hunt on weekdays/nights. I couldn't even imagine only being able to hunt on Saturdays because you actually have a job to support your family. My dad works 15 hours a day including his commute to and from work, and I can't even imagine how angry he would be if he only got to hunt on Sat.
Wow Christine! On our public land here In Mn there Isn't a such thing as someone watching over It. People come and go as they please, no limit on stands, amount of people hunting the land, etc. Off road vehicles are not allowed though and the local Fish And Wildlife takes care of the food plots If there Is any of the sort. Is It a good thing to have a site manager In Illinois? I suppose people would abuse the system If you didn't have a site manger or not? In your states regulation's, does It say you can only have so many stands on public land or Is that the site managers decision on the size of land?
MN has about 59 people per square mile. Illinois has 215 per square mile. (12.5 million peeps) Less than 1% of the land in IL is owned by the state. (and of course, not all of that is huntable) So given the oodles of people, and the small amount of public land... yes, the site managers are a good idea. It's only been a year since Tony our local site manager left. The property is already suffering from abuse. Site managers give recommendations. On the stand issue, recently Clinton Lake SP went to carry in/carry out stands only. The problem was folks would have numerous stands out - kind of staking out territory. They wouldn't take them down at the end of the season either. So, the park got rid of em on the recommendation of the site manager. Sucks for some but a better idea as long as so many people abused the rule. There is no statewide rule on treestand use on public land.
