CHARLESTON, W.Va.– Voters in nine West Virginia counties will have a decision to make about Sunday hunting on election day. A proposal to open up Sunday hunting on private property with written permission will be on the ballot in Kanawha, Mercer, Wood, Pleasants, Richie, Monongalia, Marion, Preston, and Berkeley Counties.
Joe Stern has been working for more than a year to get the measure passed in Kanawha County where he says the biggest obstacle is just getting the word out.
“The biggest problem is just educating people it’s actually on the ballot,” he said. “I have met very little resistance from people who are against it, but I still find people who haven’t heard anything about it.”
In Monongalia County, Bobby Doyle and a small group of advocates are also working from the grassroots level to raise awareness and support for the change.
“We’re trying to educate the public so they know it is on private property only with written permission,” Doyle explained. “I don’t think it will hurt anything, it’s one of only two blue laws left on the books in West Virginia at this time.”
Aiding their cause is the Brunch Bill which is growing in acceptance around the state. Already Morgantown, Charleston, and South Charleston in those counties have made the change which allows for alcohol sales at 10 a.m. Sunday instead of the long standing 1 p.m. regulation. Other cities in West Virginia have made the switch through home rule. Voters in Monongalia County will decide if ithe Brunch Bill will be a countywide change, something Doyle expects will help the cause of Sunday hunting.
“Morgantown has already done it under home rule and now that Sunday liquor brunch bill is on the ballot also,” he said.
Since the measure is allowed only on private land and will not extend Sunday hunting to state forests, national forests, or wildlife management areas, it has enabled those pushing for passage to make it a property rights issue rather than a hunting issue. Stern said he has stressed to everybody he’s talked to under the current system, the state forbids you to do something on your land on one day of the week, which is perfectly legal on the other six.
“That’s the way I’ve been explaining it to people, ” Stern said. “It allows landowners to hunt on their own property.”
Voters in much of the state killed the idea in 2001 when the legislature allowed Sunday hunting on private land with a provision which left it up to county voters. Since then a lot has changed in West Virginia and more and more people only have one day of the week to hunt.
“It’s a lot different now on the workforce load,” said Doyle. “A lot of people have to work six days a week and the only day they really have off is Sunday. A lot of people I think are seeing that now.”
Both Doyle and Stern say there has been very little organized opposition to the idea of making the change as it is proposed on the ballot.