Sunday Hunting Again Making Headlines

With the opening of general firearms deer hunting season this past weekend, the local CBS affilate had this story on Sunday Hunting.

WTVR6 went to Dance's Sporting Goods in Colonial Heights to find out what folks thought.  As you saw in the clip above, even among hunters, there is no agreement that the law needs to be changed.  But one thing can not be disputed; 20 years ago there were over 1/2 million licensed hunters in the Commonwealth.  Today, there are approximately half that number.  Revenue from hunting and fishing licenses funds the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF).  DGIF has to make up the lost revenue and so this year, for the second time in 24 years, raised license fees by five dollars.  So, for the deer hunter who hunts with a muzzleloader  and rifle, last year hunting licenses cost that hunter $54.  This year, it cost $64.  That is a little less than a 20% increase.

Sunday Hunting is expected to be another topic of debate at this year's session of the General Assembly.