From my column that ran in The News Journal on 12/30/2010.
As I sat at my kitchen table and stared through the window at the first windblown snowflakes falling from the sky last Sunday morning, I couldn’t help but think of the fine hunting opportunities presented by the post-Christmas storm. I was off from work. The holiday hustle and bustle were completed. And I was sure the deer were moving and feeding heavily in preparation for the oncoming blizzard.
I started making mental preparations for my snowstorm deer hunt. I thought about where I would hunt, how the deer were acting, and what I would wear to stay warm and camouflaged against the white backdrop. A sip from my second cup of coffee gave me a wakeup call and made me realize that I would not be hunting on that seemingly perfect day. I totally forgot. It was Sunday.
My fellow Delaware hunters understand what I mean. For the rest of my readers, let me clarify: Delaware does not allow hunting on Sundays. In fact, Delaware is one of the last remaining states in the country that does not allow some form of hunting on Sundays. Interestingly, the states that have traditionally banned — and continue to ban — Sunday hunting are in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region, with many of the bans originating from Colonial blue laws. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law, a blue law is “a statute regulating work, commerce, and amusements on Sunday,” that is derived “from the numerous extremely rigorous laws designed to regulate morals and conduct that were enacted in colonial New England.”
We all know that certain laws are put in place to protect individuals and the overall well-being of society, but we should take a hard look at some of the blue laws that are seemingly antiquated. Just like the repeal of outdated laws that banned alcohol and automobile sales on Sundays in certain states, common sense is starting to prevail when considering Sunday hunting.
Using neighboring states as a guide (since Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania each allow some type of Sunday hunting), Delaware should considering repealing the ban on Sunday hunting.
Maryland repealed their ban on Sunday deer hunting in 2003, so now hunters can hunt deer on private property on specified days in specified counties. New Jersey began allowing Sunday bow hunting for deer in 2009 on wildlife management areas and private property.
And even Pennsylvania allows hunting for crows and coyotes on Sundays.
With the bygone notion of workers adhering to 9-to-5, Monday-through-Friday work schedules, it just seems that the law banning Delaware hunting does not fit modern times. Extended work weeks, late office hours, and shift work make it difficult for many hunters to hunt for more than a few hours a season.
Sunday hunting would give Delaware hunters additional opportunities to pursue game, but perhaps more importantly, Sunday hunting would introduce more young people to hunting.
With school and parents’ work schedules extending until dark for much of the hunting season, and with sports practice and game schedules filling the Saturdays of many school-age children, Sundays are the only days available for some young people to hunt.
Numbers of young hunters are dwindling, so Sunday hunting could be an important part of preserving the hunting tradition.
Sunday hunting requires the approval of the Delaware Legislature and the governor. Let’s hope that the issue is seriously considered in 2011.