May 12, 2018 4 min read

There is little doubt the next big change in the traditional hunting rules is, or will be, hunting on Sundays.

This would seem to be a no-brainer since all but two states allow hunting traditional game on Sundays. There was a time when I was opposed to hunting on the Lord’s Day but I slowly changed my mind or at least softened my stance. More than once, while in discussion with a pro-Sunday hunter, I have admitted that my reasons held little logic. While others thought my reasons were the same as other conservatives and based on religion, the truth was a great distance from this.

As I said earlier, don’t expect logic. I always enjoyed the rest I got on that Sunday in the middle of deer season. Your response to this probably would be to solve my problem by just staying home one day and take a break. Well, I would say for me that is not so easy. When I do take a day off, all that goes through my mind is I should be out there hunting. Probably, that big buck I had seen before the season is eating right in front of my stand. Ridiculous, one could say but deer hunting in itself can become a passion. That middle of the season mandates a break, at least for me.

Then, there is one other more illogical reason. I have often thought Sunday was a good day to give the game a break. Now we all know that a turkey or a deer doesn’t know we are giving them a day off. It is the one day during those two weeks that the great pumpkin isn’t behind every tree. Is this a religious reason? I don’t know. I guess I use very little logic when it comes to this passion of mine.

Today, my feelings also are softened somewhat because I do know more than one young potential hunter who can’t go. He or she works too many hours and just doesn’t have the time. Sunday hunting would certainly help.

Perhaps it could be done on state game lands only but that might place too much pressure on these public hunting grounds. Another way would utilize not only state game lands but allow Sunday hunting on private holdings and require written permission, which needs to be carried by the hunter. There is little doubt that it would increase the hunting license sales though not as much as some think.

• I don’t spring hunt groundhogs and never have in my adult years. The reason? The young are still nursing and when the mother is shot, the young starve to death. Since the young are usually weaned by June 1, now is the time to get that varmint rifle out of the gun cabinet and check it out. A famous western hunter and writer once stated that the Eastern varmint hunter was probably the best rifle shot alive. When stretching the shot to the longer distances, I have to agree. Prairie dogs are great targets but most shots at them are not that far by our eastern standards.

Which of us is truly the best is not important but I can guarantee you far more shots are fired at groundhogs than are shot at any other Pennsylvania game. When I was a youngster, I walked the railroad tracks along Valley Brook Road and shot them with my Mossberg 22. Now, I sit in an alfalfa field and shoot at them at ranges of 500 or 600 yards. I am an old fuddy-duddy and I still shoot a few of the older rounds, such as the 22-250, 220 Swift or 6mm. Remington.

Today, we find a better array of bullets offered to the shooter and a wide array of powders that can be combined to create accurate ammo to be used in the groundhog fields. A good rifle topped with a good scope; those two and a pair of binoculars are big help as is a good friend to keep one company. That and sunshine, and if needed, a shady spot to sit. That’s as good as it gets.

Now, if the coyotes would only leave the groundhogs alone.