Sunday Hunting Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Lawmakers Back Sunday Hunting

West Virginia lawmakers have voted to allow Sunday hunting on private land across the state with the written consent of the owner. Deer

The House has voted 92-5 for the bill that bars counties from prohibiting Sunday hunting.

The Senate passed similar legislation in March.

Judiciary Committee Chairman John Shott says the purpose is to establish statewide uniformity.

Currently 33 of West Virginia’s 55 counties allow it, while 22 disapprove.

Shott says the new law wouldn’t affect hunting seasonal and licensing restrictions.

11 Counties Pass Sunday Hunting Measure

Officials say voters in 11 West Virginia counties have passed ballot initiatives to allow hunting on Sunday on private property.

The Kanawha County Commission says in a news release that unofficial totals show the measure passed there by nearly 23,000 votes. The statement says Sunday hunting will go into effect after the County Commission certifies the election results, which will take at least week.

Ten other counties across the state also passed the measure: Barbour, Berkeley, Harrison, Marion, Mercer, Monongalia, Pleasants, Preston, Ritchie and Wood. It boosts the number of counties that allow hunting on Sundays to 33 out of 55.

Hunting is restricted to private property and requires the landowner’s consent.

National Group: Sunday Hunting Could Bring $115M to State

A representative of a national sportsmen’s advocacy group told West Virginia lawmakers that allowing hunting on Sundays could create thousands of new jobs and spur millions in spending.

Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Coordinator John Culclasure appeared Tuesday before the Joint Commission on Economic Development to urge lawmakers to pass a law next year that would legalize Sunday hunting statewide.

Culclasure says making Sunday hunting legal statewide could create about 2,600 jobs and spur up to $155 million in additional economic activity each year. Twenty-two of the state’s 55 counties currently allow hunting on Sunday on private land.

Culclasure says numerous West Virginia residents travel on the weekends to states such as Ohio and Kentucky where there are no Sunday hunting restrictions. Thirty-nine states have no Sunday hunting restrictions.

Five Counties Approve Sunday Hunting on Private Land

Voters in five West Virginia counties have restored the right to hunt on private land on Sundays.

Unofficial returns show the measure was approved Tuesday in Braxton, Calhoun, Nicholas, Webster and Wirt counties. Voters in Gilmer and Lewis counties rejected the proposal.

In 2001, lawmakers allowed counties to hold elections on whether to allow Sunday hunting on private lands. The following year, all 41 counties that put the question on their ballots voted to ban it.

Cory Boothe of Summersville started a petition drive last year. He says he wanted to give his children the opportunity that hunters in most other states have.

He worked feverishly on the grassroots campaign, distributing petitions at convenience stores, bars, diners and larger employers.

Boothe says he’s satisfied with how the vote turned out.