One of the most contentious issues facing sportsmen in North Carolina was
pushed to the back burner in 2015 when the General Assembly passed a bill
allowing hunting in the state on Sundays for the first time since colonial days.
There are certain stipulations, such as the fact that it’s only permitted on private
land and hunters may not use guns between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. In addition,
running deer with hounds is not allowed on the Sabbath, nor is hunting migratory
birds.
If those restrictions seem a little strange, consider some that apply to hunters
and fishermen in other places. For example, in at least one state, it’s not just a
matter of whether anglers have the proper license or not; their marital status also
counts. According to Montana law, “It is illegal for married women to go fishing
alone on Sundays and illegal for unmarried women to fish alone at all.” So much
for equal rights, huh?
Montana isn’t the only place that restricts angling, though. In Wyoming, “Using
a firearm to fish is strictly forbidden” and in Portola, California, “It is illegal to fish
from an overpass in the city.” Apparently they’re afraid you might snag a taxi on
your back-cast. In both Idaho and Utah, you cannot fish from the back of a horse
and, in Arizona, horses are ok but anglers cannot fish while mounted on a camel.
In Nebraska and Oklahoma, whether you’re in the saddle or not, “It is illegal to go
whale fishing.” The last kind of makes you wonder whether the lawmakers in those
states really understand where they are.
Fishermen aren’t the only ones who have to be careful not to step across a
sometimes-curvy legal line. In Arizona, not only can’t sportsmen fish while riding
camels, they can’t hunt them either. The army brought those desert-loving critters
into the state in years past to use as pack animals and, apparently, some of them
escaped. The state’s ban on hunting them has been effective – no camel tags have
been turned in to the Arizona Game Commission in quite a while.
Hunters in Texas don’t have to worry about what they’re shooting, so much as
where they are when they pull the trigger or what handicap they may have. A law
in the Lone Star State says, “It is illegal to shoot a buffalo from the second story
window of a hotel.” (We assume that doesn’t apply to really nice tree stands).
However, it is ok in Texas to hunt feral hogs even higher - from a helicopter -
assuming of course you can afford the approximate $500 per hour fee to charter a
whirlybird. You can also hunt there if you’re blind – if you use a laser-equipped
firearm, have proof of your handicap and have another, sighted, hunter with you.
There is no mention of the blind hunting from helicopters.
In Tennessee, hunters have to be aware that they may not, “… shoot any game
from a moving auto, except a whale.” Apparently, they use the same atlas as the
folks in Nebraska and Oklahoma. In Deming, New Mexico, there are no
restrictions on shooting from hotels or motor vehicles, but hunting is specifically
“… prohibited in Mountain View Cemetery.” We guess they don’t want the
residents being disturbed.
An outdoorsman doesn’t have to be pursuing fish or game to run afoul of the
law in some places. All he has to do is have a hunting weapon – sort of. In Nome,
Alaska, an area generally perceived as firearm-friendly, “No person shall have in
his or her possession, nor shall discharge an air gun, bow and arrow, or slingshot
within the city.” In another Alaska Town – Haines – “A person may only carry a
concealed slingshot if that person has received the appropriate license.” Forget the
grizzlies, you might shoot your eye out!
In Arizona, you can have a gun – or slingshot – in your possession, but you may
not be able to use it. A law there says, “When being attacked by a criminal or
burglar, you may only protect yourself with the same weapon that the other person
possesses.” We guess that means if you’re being assaulted by a knife-wielding thug
and have a 9 mm pistol in your hand, you’re just out of luck. If that prospect makes
you feel ill, though, don’t look for comfort in Trout Creek, Utah where,
“Pharmacists may not sell gunpowder to cure headaches.”
If it appears that goofy gun laws exist only in the Wild West, a few cases in
other areas prove that’s not so. In Maine, for example, there is a law on the books
that actually requires gun possession. It says, “Shotguns are required to be taken to
church in the event of an Indian attack.” If that were Arizona, would the
congregation be restricted to using tomahawks?
A little farther down the coast, “It is contrary to Pennsylvania law to discharge a
gun, cannon, revolver or other explosive weapon at a wedding. Apparently that
eliminates shotgun weddings in the Quaker State. And, forget having any fun at all
in some Midwest states. In Minnesota, “It is illegal to tease a skunk.”
Our North Carolina legislators would do well to look at some of these laws
before introducing any new ones in the 2019 session, especially any that relate to
wildlife, hunting, fishing or guns. They may dodge a pie-in-the-face later.
Ed Wall can be contacted at edwall@embarqmail.com or 252-671-3207. His web site is www.edwalloutdoors.com