On July 1, 2022, it will be legal to hunt on Sundays on public land In Virginia, per a bill signed this week by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. In Virginia, a ban on Sunday hunting has been in place in one form or another since 1643, when it was passed by the House of Burgesses.
Several years ago, state legislators passed a law allowing hunting on Sunday on private lands in Virginia, but not on public. Starting with the 2022-23 fall seasons, people can also hunt on state WMAs and national forests anywhere in the Commonwealth.
“This legislation encourages Virginians to take full advantage of the many outdoor opportunities our great Commonwealth has to offer,” said Youngkin in a statement. “This legislation will open up new opportunities for hunters to enjoy the sport they love.”
This is a weird time for me, as I grew up hunting like mad in my home state of Virginia, but never on Sunday. My family and friends had no problem with our state’s old “blue laws” which prohibited many things on Sunday, including hunting. As I got older, I never really wanted to hunt on Sunday. When I finally did hunt deer on a friend’s farm in the Piedmont one Sunday a few years ago, I felt strange, like I wasn’t supposed to be there, or maybe like I was doing something illegal.
But times change and now I fully support Virginia’s Sunday hunting. It will give our state’s hardworking men and women another weekend day to hunt, and importantly, an extra day to take their kids hunting. Bravo to the Virginia DWR, our state legislators and our great Gov. Youngkin for making Sunday Hunting happen.
