Bill would repeal Sunday hunt ban on public land in SC law

On any provided Sunday, men and women can be found in South Carolina’s parks and wildlife locations experiencing the great outdoor. But while Palmetto State people can take part in hiking, fishing or chook-watching, the just one factor they won’t be executing is looking — mainly because it’s in opposition to the regulation.

A monthly bill generating its way by the S.C. Legislature would alter that.

State Rep. Bobby Cox, R-Greenville, is sponsoring laws that would permit looking in state-operate wildlife management spots on the working day of relaxation.

“We’re 1 of the couple of states that does not permit looking on Sundays,” Cox mentioned. “Some people want to go delight in God’s creation by searching, and we’re not making it possible for them to do it.”

South Carolina is one particular of a incredibly couple of states that have this restriction, courting back to colonial-era “blue laws” that limited quite a few Sunday routines. The Nationwide Capturing Sports activities Foundation says that only Maine has a blanket ban on Sunday searching, though Virginia’s governor at this time has a bill on his desk to legalize the practice there.

North Carolina not too long ago opened some community gamelands for Sunday searching, while Maryland enables counties to established their possess nearby rules for when looking is allowed.

Sunday searching in South Carolina is authorized on personal land, but it took a lawsuit to open that loophole soon after S.C. voters authorised a constitutional amendment safeguarding the suitable to hunt and fish in 2010. That leaves hunting on non-public property out there on Sundays for these who have access to it, or who can find the money for membership in a personal searching club, but prohibited by the S.C. Office of All-natural Sources for those whose only possibility is to hunt on public land.

“The DNR regulation discriminates towards hunters that just can’t manage to possess or lease house or be part of a hunt club,” explained John Culclasure, southeastern states director for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Basis, which is backing Cox’s repeal monthly bill.

The constraints are specially annoying for local hunters simply because, from hunting license service fees to taxes on firearms and ammunition, they are significant monetary backers of the state’s wildlife management areas.

“They are the major contributors to controlling these wildlife spots, and they are the only group prohibited from working with them on a unique working day,” mentioned Trevor Santos with the Nationwide Shooting Sports Foundation.

DNR has moved to modify its limits, holding a sequence of community hearings about the point out previous summer time and drop to get the public’s input. The agency in the long run proposed opening some wildlife management places to Sunday hunters, a transfer put on maintain as lawmakers take into consideration a blanket legalization in all management parts.

Whilst broadly supportive of Sunday searching, the Edgefield-centered Countrywide Wildlife Turkey Federation is remaining neutral on the bill, ready to see what new rules DNR finally adopts, mentioned NWTF district biologist Ricky Lackey.

Cox’s bill will be regarded as by the wildlife subcommittee early following week, and could soon move out of the House’s whole agriculture committee for thing to consider in the Legislature this calendar year. If the laws does not come to be regulation this yr, Cox will have to refile his proposal future year.

Hunting advocates hope the monthly bill will open up new avenues for the pastime in a state wherever searching lifestyle is potent.

“With anything else we have likely on, you may well be left with just Sunday to go hunting,” Santos explained. “This is a good chance to recruit new hunters, and make certain this heritage will carry on with a new generation of hunters and conservationists.”

This story was originally released March 24, 2022 12:52 PM.