ABERFOYLE – Robert Stark would like Puslinch council to get with the times and allow Sunday gun hunting in the township.
No hunting on Sundays is a holdover from the days when retail stores were also not allowed to open on Sundays, he told councillors on Sept. 11.
Laws changed in 1992, and Sunday shopping is now commonplace. Hunting laws have not kept pace with changing times and attitudes, he argued.
“Sunday doesn’t hold the same significance” as it once did, he said.
Hunting licenses are administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources and are granted for specific wildlife during specific hunting seasons.
Given the popularity of the sport and declining wildlife populations, the ministry has reduced the number of hunting licences available each season.
It’s become a “lottery” to get a licence Stark said, and if you do, it’s for a very narrow specified window of time.
For those hunters with Monday to Friday jobs, Saturday is the only day of the week they can hunt in Puslinch Township.
“Adding Sunday will double the time we have,” he said. “It would be offering another day of opportunity for people to hunt.”
Since 2006, the Federation of Anglers and Hunters has lobbied municipalities to allow Sunday gun hunting.
Back then only 86 municipalities allowed it; 191 municipalities allow it now, he said.
Within Wellington County, Wellington North, Minto and most recently Mapleton passed resolutions to allow it.
Stark said hunters first have to get a firearms license, which involves a test and lots of safety training.
Then they have to apply for a license to hunt.
To hunt on private property, hunters must obtain permission from property owners. Owners can specify days and times when they allow hunting on their property.
Allowing Sunday hunting won’t change anything for property owners. If they don’t want hunters on their property on Sundays, they don’t have to grant permission.
“There are laws in place to cover trespassing, no matter what day of the week it is,” Stark added.
The way it stands now, people can discharge a firearm in Puslinch on Sundays if the circumstances are safe.
Target shooting is also currently allowed on Sundays in the township, as are archery, falconry and shooting nuisance animals.
“You just can’t hunt on Sundays,” Stark explained.
He estimated there are about 340 licensed hunters in Puslinch. Collectively, hunting season lasts a total of five months, but again, hunters must have a license that stipulates what they can hunt and when.
Stark also noted gun hunting is a lot quieter than target shooting.
“There’s very little time spent shooting when you’re hunting,” he said, adding hunters are very quiet while waiting for their prey.
“In terms of noise, this is very minimal.”
Councillor Sara Bailey thought there should be some public consultation on Sunday hunting before council makes a decision, even though it is not required, and the rest of council agreed.
They directed staff to invite feedback on EngagePuslinch and to return to council at a future date with:
- results of the survey;
- information about other municipalities that allow Sunday hunting;
- a tally of the total number of Sundays that would be impacted, and
- a draft of the resolution that would be sent to the MNR.
Councillor Russel Hurst said he has a firearms licence “and this isn’t a firearms free-for-all.”
Hunting licences are very prescribed and property owners have to opt in to having hunters on their property, which gives him comfort, he said.
Mayor James Seeley, also a hunter, noted the penalties for hunters who trespass are pretty steep – from paying fines to potentially losing their firearms licence, the vehicle they arrived in, and their firearms.
“It’s very strict and that’s what drives compliance,” he said.
CAO Courtenay Hoytfox said it will likely be 2025 before staff can get such a report together, but it should be in good time for hunting season.
