Sunday Hunting Coming to Va. ??

[Pappis]

You whine like a woman, JD.

I don't dislike hound hunters. I dislike the VaHDA and it's dishonest leadership.

[FishHook321]

J D, I have to agree with Pappis on the VADHA stance on Sunday hunting. I enjoy hunting with dogs and have owned as many as 20 deer and rabbit dogs at one time in the past. However, I can not support the VADHA on this. I may never go hunting on Sunday, I don't know. However, I do feel that this is a Property Rights issue and a Free Will issue. If, as a landowner I don't support Sunday Hunting, then I wouldn't give anyone permission, it's that simple If I don't want to hunt on Sunday, then I won't, again it's a simple choice of free will.

Now, the VAHDA say's they don't support Sunday hunting for whatever reasons they give, then turn around and ask for the rights to run bear hounds on Sunday. What a piece of double speak pile of dung that is. So, as I've said in other post, I will never ever support the VAHDA again as I did a few years ago when hound hunting was in the crosshairs. They will never get another red cent from me or any other type of support. I say screw the VAHDA.

[J.DAUGHTREY]

I see your points and see why you dont support Vahda and I stated mine,lets agree to disagree.Pappis,I wont stoop to your level.

[Pappis]

I love it. In a post immediately after calling me pompous and hateful, you say you won't "stoop to my level".

No wonder your such a blind follower of Kirby Burch. Seems hypocrisy and honesty aren't too high up on your list. Now, go "train" your dogs on Sunday on anyone's land you want, while the rest of us are held hostage by the VaHDA.

[J.DAUGHTREY]

O.K.

[Will S]

You know it's kind of sad that everything related to Sunday huntign revolves around a deer. People need to understadn that you can and are allowed to hunt on Sunday! You can hunt Coyotes (which damn well need to be hunted), Groundhogs, Bobcat, and Fox.

So go kill a yote this Sunday!

[Luv2fishCB]

I didn't know that you could hunt varmits on Sunday. I thought all hunting was closed on Sunday.

Steve

[Luv2fishCB]

I just had the opportunity to check the regulations and I don't see where it says you can hunt varmits on Sunday. Here are the rules:

Hunting Hours

• Sunrise-Sunset Table (PDF)
• There is no Sunday hunting.
• One-half hour before sunrise to onehalf hour after sunset for nonmigratory birds and game animals except during spring gobbler season.
• One-half hour before sunrise until 12 noon during spring gobbler season, except the last 12 days the hunting hours are ½ hour before sunrise until sunset.
• One-half hour before sunrise to sunset for Youth Spring Turkey Hunt Day.
• Hours for bear hound training season are ½ hour before sunrise to 4 ½ hours after sunset.
• Bobcat, foxes, raccoons, and opossums may be hunted by day or night during authorized seasons.
• Nuisance speciesmay be taken day or night.

I interpreted this to mean that varmit hunting was considered in the same category as game animals.

Steve

[Pappis]

I wouldn't believe this stuff if I didn't read it myself. Kirby Burch's hypocrisy knows no bounds. This guy must have balls big enuff to come in a dump truck, because I've never seen anyone contradict themselves, misrepresent facts and be down right deceitful as Kirby has been during the 2012 General Assembly.

Here's a letter that Kirby just sent re: the fox penning issue. If anyone from the VaHDA can explain the differing positions that Kirby Burch has on the defense of fox penning versus his opposition to Sunday Hunting, I'd love to hear it.

Here's the letter:

An open letter to Virginia Sportsmen and Women:
Yesterday in the Senate of Virginia Sportsmen fought the first round in what will become an epic battle against the Animal Rights interest that are seeking to end hunting, trapping and even fishing. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) used to include information on its website about all of the law suits that they had filed against hunting, agriculture and medical research facilities. They now seem intent on concealing their true purposes from the public and are intent on saying they want to prevent the abuse of animals when in truth they oppose all hunting, trapping fishing, farming that involves raising animals and any medical research that uses animals in anyway.

Yesterday’s hearing on SB202 was about Fox Preserves. If you don’t hunt with hounds you say so what. You had to hear the hysterical testimony of the animal rights crowd as they attached hunting, not just fox preserves. What ultimately turned the tide against them was their outright deception, misinformation and emotional testimony that besmirched anyone that did not agree with them. A courageous lady that has been a major player in wild horse rescue efforts and a major financial contributor to their causes testified that she could find NO fault with the fox preserves and described them a wonderful places for hunters to train their dogs. This brave women said that she cared more about the truth than her association with their organizations. They verbally assaulted her to the point that she left the General Assembly Building in tears!

Virginia Sportsmen that hunt with dogs of many sorts rallied to oppose SB202. Most notably absent in the fight were any of the people fighting to allow hunting on Sunday. The Master of Fox Hounds (mounted fox hunters) and their 24 hunts sided with HSUS and had a letter to that effect read at the hearing. As incredible as that seems in light of the disasters they faced in England, where fox hunting has been outlawed, their elitist attitudes might lead them to the same end here in Virginia!

The National Rifle Association was totally absent in this fight! It is time that the National Rifle Association and the Virginia Shooting Sports Association either stick to gun rights or begin to work with the entire hunting community. Being absent without leave will win them no friends in Virginia where their sole hunting effort has been to promote Sunday Hunting.

The Governor McDonnell took no position on this bill, thus the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) could not take an official position. At the last minute, in face of substantial rumors of Administration aid and comfort for the animal rights interests in this fight, the Governor’s Secretary of Natural Resources, Doug Dominech, quietly let it be known that he stood with Virginia’s Sportsmen. It is noteworthy that Bob Duncan, DGIF Executive Director, gave expert professional testimony which clearly demonstrated DGIF’s support for Virginia Sportsmen even though they were not allowed to take an official position on this bill. Mr. Duncan clearly recognizes that when Sportsmen are divided we all suffer, but made it abundantly clear that there was no basis for this attack by HSUS. I salute Mr. Duncan and his staff.

Virginia’s Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, supported the HSUS and had the leading animal rights attorney in America, Michael Welsh, speak for him in support of SB202. Her testimony attacked the law that authorizes Fox Preserves despite the fact that numerous representatives of the Attorney General’s office have supported the Code Sections that she questioned! If this was intentional, as it now appears, the Sportsmen of Virginia will soon know that Ken Cuccinelli supports the radical animal rights agenda and will never get our support again! We will urge him to recant this position in writing to the Senate of Virginia and Sportsmen. We call on him to review this position and if it was not an authorized position to fire Ms. Welch. If his position stands we will tell him we will not support him for Governor or anything else ever again.

Yesterday, Virginia’s Sportsmen saw a victory in one fight in what will prove to be a long battle. Reason prevailed because Senators from both parties hear from you in overwhelming numbers. Your message was not just emotional, it was factual. They clearly hear that this was an unabashed attack on all hunting and rejected that. The HSUS will not go away. They may attack dog ownership again or dove hunting as they did in Michigan. They may attack bow hunting or other activities where they will try demonize Virginia’s hunting traditions. Make no mistake we will continue to attack us.

Hunters right now are divided over a number of issues, but if they remain that way we will all lose. The HSUS is a One Hundred Million dollar a year enterprise! Regardless of whether we may think that they are based on lies and deceiving the public… they are an unrelenting enemy that can only be defeated by untied action.

I point out that the sportsmen were not united in this fight, not to attack those organizations and groups but to urge their members to work for united action and efforts. If they are proud that they stood quite, I would remind them of Sir Winston Churchill’s statement that “an appeaser is one that feeds the crocodile in hopes that they will be eaten last.”

We did work together on the “Kill permit bill” with great success. We can do it again. We must learn to work together and to address disagreements as a family. If we can’t not, soon the heritage we love in all of its forms will suffer. We are all under attack!

H. Kirby Burch

[FishHook321]

Pappis, was Kirby's letter a Letter to the Editor, if so which paper so I can write one showing his "Hypocrisy" concerning Sunday Hunting and the Sunday Bear Chase bill.