Hunting News

New bill allows Sunday hunting on public lands

New bill allows Sunday hunting on public lands

By West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

A new bill allowing Sunday hunting on public lands in West Virginia has been signed into law. The bill was passed overwhelmingly during the recently completed legislative session.

Last year, Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill permitting Sunday hunting on private land with written permission of the landowner. This new bill opens more than 1.5 million acres of public land to Sunday hunting, provide several additional hunting days each year and make West Virginia more attractive to out-of-state hunters. The change takes effect in early June and affects the 2018 hunting and trapping seasons thereafter.

“People drive right through West Virginia to Ohio or wherever it may be to be able to hunt on Sunday,” Gov. Justice said. “We lose those dollars because they want to be able to hunt an entire weekend. This will provide additional hunting recreation for our visitors and residents and result in a major economic impact for our small rural businesses. Today is truly historical.”

A study by the National Shooting Sports Foundation projects Sunday hunting adds $155 million to the state’s economy each year.

Following the bill signing event, Justice accepted a $50,000 donation from the West Virginia Governor’s One Shot committee for the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program (HHH). The money was raised by volunteers during last fall’s West Virginia Governor’s One Shot Whitetail Deer Hunt.

During the past 11 years of the annual event, sponsor corporations, land owners and hunters have raised more than $555,000. The money helps pay for processing hunter-donated venison, which is distributed to the state’s needy residents through a network of more than 600 food pantries, senior centers, shelters and the Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway.


Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd