Published: April 11, 2008 09:49 pm         

Sunday hunts added; we’re next

Congratulations to the bowhunters in Washington County. Unless Gov. Martin O’Malley forgets to sign a bill that recently passed successfully through the General Assembly, they will have five Sundays to use their bows and arrows to try to bag deer this coming autumn.

They already had one, just like us here in Allegany and Garrett counties, that Sunday being the first one in November. House Bill 840 and the ink from the governor’s pen will provide hunters in Washington County with four more: the last three Sundays in October and the second Sunday in November.

Cool!

I asked for the Western Maryland delegates — LeRoy Myers, Wendell Beitzel and Kevin Kelly — to see if they could add Allegany and Garrett to that recent bill. The Allegany-Garrett Sportsmen’s Association made the same request. We were a little late, it appears, but here is the good news.

I heard from Myers Wednesday and he plans to introduce a bill in 2009 General Assembly aimed at giving us those extra Sundays as well.

Thanks, LeRoy.

Remember, these Sunday hunts are to take place only on private land where the hunter has written permission from the landowner.

Getting Sunday hunting in Maryland has been a painstakingly slow process, but at least it is happening little by little.

Wendy Donahoo, president of the Maryland Sportsmen’s Association, has shown some interest in my request for the opening of Sunday hunting during spring gobbler season and I believe that organization may make an effort in that direction in the near future, though I don’t know that for sure.

Spring gobbler hunters are in the woods well before the crack of dawn and a large majority of them may be out of the woods before many of their fellow citizens wake up.

Shots during spring turkey season are few so there shouldn’t be any problem with noise pollution.

I think Sunday hunting for spring gobblers could easily fit into the public land scheme of things as well. Spring gobbler hunters are solitary types and you won’t find them setting up for something as spooky as a bearded turkey near any public areas where other activities are likely to take place. You could simply say that Sunday hunting for gobblers is OK as long as hunters leave the woods by 10 a.m., rather than the noon hour used for other days.

Give us Sunday hunters an inch and we’ll take an inch and a half, or at least we will ask for it.

There have been no social problems I am aware of concerning the small amount of Sunday hunting that has been legalized and that includes the one November Sunday when firearms may be used to take deer.

We are seeing now that there is no reason to maintain the discriminatory practice of outlawing Sunday hunting.

So, to our local delegation to Annapolis, thanks for doing HB 840 and we look forward to HB whatever next January.

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