Contact your representatives

[SongDoghunter]

I just wanted to weigh in on the recent suspension of virtually all of the proposed changes to the hunting regulations due to some opposition from a few people who were unhappy with the proposal. While I have nothing against anyone opposing changes in laws or hunting regulations, I do have a problem anytime a majority is silenced by a handful! I also want to be clear that I support the NCBHA. I believe that any organization of hunters helps promote our positions on gun ownwership and our hunting heritage. However, bow season is almost a 4 month long season here in North Carolina and the addition of an extra week of muzzle loading season is harmless to the sport of bowhunting.

The thing that I find odd is that many of the eastern bowhunters happen to be firearm hunters who bowhunt in order to take advantage of the opportunity to hunt outside of firearm season. Many of our central counties are not subjected to dog hunting pressure as we are here in the east. The extra week of muzzle loader hunting here gives an opportunity to hunt prior to the release of dogs into our hunting areas. Perhaps this is not as big an issue in the piedmont due to the lack of dog pressure.

I would like to encourage all of you to contact your state representatives over the next few months to express your views as these proposals are now in legislative review and can still be enacted next hunting season. I also want to again make it clear that this forum welcomes healthy debate from both sides of this issue and that no ill will is intended toward any particular group of hunters.

CP

[Moose]

I have a slightly different take but overall agree with you. In this particular situation we all seem to agree that the 10 letter rule is slowing down progress but what if an agency pushed through some rules we hated. (realize the 10 letter rule is for all state agencies making rules and not just NCWRC) Having a mechanism to stop the implementation is pretty important.

Contacting your Reps

If contacting your reps about the 10 letter rule that is fine but make sure that there is some method in place to slow implementation of new rules down should the case arrive. I hate to see all the road blocks be removed and the tracks get greased in such a way that agencies can just shove stuff through with little or no public scrutiny.

If contacting your reps is to get all these proposals passed it could be a waste of time or even counter productive. If the lawmakers do not pick these proposals up and review them (which I suspect will be the case) they'll just pass. Asking them to pick them up could delay them by actually getting the lawmakers involved.

I quit the NCBA (Bow Hunters / NCBHA is the Bear Hunters ) over this and their stance on crossbows.

[SongDoghunter]

Moose,

My point is that one, this 10 letter objection rule does not appy to legislation in general. In most cases, regular legislation is not referred to legislative review when a10 letters of opposition threshold is met. If this were the case, the healthcare reform issue would be dead in the water. Secondly, there was overwhelming support by most firearm hunters to the new proposals, especially the extra week of black powder season. In this instance, a group, the NCBHA, just sent the letters in as a "special interest group", not a majority. i am shocked that they as bowhunters would not be thrilled to take advantage of the opportunity to hunt on Sunday. The issue is that it would also allow alot of other bowhunters to hunt on Sunday as well who happen not to be strictly bowhunters.

[Moose]

Well there is a difference between rules and laws. NCWRC sets rules the 10 letters of opposition can delay an agency from implementing rules they don't want giving opportunity for lawmakers to weigh in on them if they choose. The bow hunters only opposed two rules in particular and they were adding a second week of muzzle loader and legalizing crossbows for everyone. Opposition to the Sunday hunting was from religious organizations. The other problem is that all the deer hunting rules were listed together so opposition to one knocked the whole slate out. In my conversation with Director Gordan Myers he reports that all the deer rules have to be listed together and despite the reports to the contrary they really can't make them temporary. It is a huge mess and basically we'll probably have to look at a 2 year cycle to get new rules implemented.

[alien319]

I may be a minority around this area but I do not have an issue with hunting on Sunday. It shouldn't matter in my opinion, who and when citizens in the USA can hunt. I know in my home state of PA they cannot hunt on Sunday either. If that is against peoples beliefs or what not then they don't need to hunt on Sundays! I don't understand why people have an issue with hunting on Sundays. I am not trying to start issues on this forum but it does and has bothered me. I know most people in the state of NC, PA and the USA for that matter work during the week and it is hard to fit in hunting on a Saturday. Here in NC people are extremely lucky to have a gun season that is so long! PA's gun season is only about 2 weeks long and you pretty much have to take vacation to hunt! Even so having a long gun season IMO is not a good enough reason to not put that into effect. The people should be able to hunt in this free nation we have on Sundays if they so choose! I'm just rambling now but it is a very important debate that I agree should not be stopped by one group of hunters or people.

[SongDoghunter]

All of you guys interested in seeing the two week muzzleloading season and other proposals that are under review make it into the regs next season should stay on top of your state representatives and let them know how you feel. I am certain that some of them are being courted by those who would just as soon things go on unchanged.

[Mustang]

Just thinking out loud here on the issue of Sunday hunting...

There are 11 states that currently do not allow hunting on Sundays. Bowhunting on Sundays is a huge step.

Isn't this getting into the "Seperation between Church and State" realm? Not to mention not everyone recognizes Sunday as the Sabbath and more and more people practice NO religion. Take your standard "blue collar" worker and leave/vacation aside, that only leaves one day a week to hunt.

I've never understood it.