Published: February 12, 2009 09:06 pm      

Elected officials come through

When it dawned upon me that I had been writing this column for 30 years, I tried to start thinking about the big outdoor stories that have come across my desk during those three decades. As I mentioned a week ago, I want to look in the rear view mirror of this hook and bullet bus a few times during 2009 so that we can all remember some of those events.

There have been a number of important changes in the hunt/fish world during that time. Probably atop the list is the resurrection of the Maryland bear hunt in 2004. There had been no such hunt since the early 1950s.

The institution of an early October muzzleloader season in Maryland was another biggie. That three-day hunt has become a real pleasurable experience. Perhaps I say that because I got a decent 6-point this past October. Naw, I’d say that anyway.

What else?

OK. Here you go. When I returned with my family to Cumberland in the late 1970s, it was after about 11 years living, working and hunting in a number of states where hunting on Sunday was perfectly legal. I’m talking Utah, Wyoming, Idaho (where our three sons were born) and Washington. I had come to accept the fact that if I wanted to hunt a goose or a rabbit or an elk or an antelope or a deer or a duck then I could just go do it without thinking about the day of the week.

Upon returning to the Land of the Blue Law, it was difficult for me to accept the fact that we could not hunt in Maryland or Pennsylvania or West Virginia on a Sunday. No way. No where. No how.

Remember the fuss in the 1980s when a decision was being considered as to whether or not retail stores could be open on Sundays in Allegany County? Seems silly now, doesn’t it?

Well, Sunday hunting has changed; not enough, but a little. That little change, I believe, makes the enactment of partial Sunday hunting one of the bigger stories of the past 30 years.

In West Virginia, it became legal to do some rifle deer hunting on Sundays, but then was prohibited in most counties via public referendums. There are still some counties where deer hunting is OK on some Sundays. Jefferson is one of those counties.

In Maryland, a crack in the Sunday hunting door opened a few years back when one Sunday in November was OK for bow hunting and the first Sunday in the deer firearms season was also permitted. Allegany and Garrett counties were in that first group.

Other counties came on board. This all had to be done by legislation in the General Assembly. Then, some counties asked for and got even more Sunday deer hunting. For example, a General Assembly ago, Washington County picked up additional Sunday bowhunting.

Here is the good news. Delegate Wendell Beitzel told me this week that the House delegates from Garrett and Allegany counties and Senator George Edwards are preparing bills to include Garrett and Allegany counties in that expanded Sunday bowhunting. All of this, of course, takes place only on private lands.

Awesome. The House Bill is 675 and the Senate Bill is 652. These bills would make it legal for bowhunters to go after deer on the last three Sundays in October and the first two Sundays in November. The first Sunday in the rifle season would continue to be open for hunting.

Bill Wilhelm, president of the Allegany-Garrett Sportsmen’s Association, said recently that the idea was presented to all of its clubs and there was total support for additional Sunday hunting.

Out here in Almost Maryland, where hunting may be more of a way of life per capita than anywhere else in the Great State of Merlun, it makes sense to allow as much Sunday hunting as possible. With the economy struggling and with people taking on second jobs, Sunday it the only free day available to some folks.

Besides that, they are eating the deer meat.

There are some other bills that have been introduced that deal with hunting. Please see our Bill Watch feature elsewhere on this page. I find particularly interesting Senate Bill 713, which would reduce the safety zone for bowhunters in Frederick County from 150 yards to 50 yards. Sounds great to me.

We are ending up with a hodge-podge, a checkerboard of hunting regulations with this kind of county-by-county legislative approach, but any addition to Sunday hunting and any increase in opportunity such as SB 713 is welcome.

Keep up the good work, elected guys (and gals).

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.