Abstract

HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF WILDLIFE 2021, VOL. 26, NO. 1, 94–97 https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2020.1811923 Public support and visitation impacts of Sunday hunting on public hunting lands William R. Casola , M. Nils Peterson , Krishna Pacifici, and Christopher E. Moorman North Carolina State University, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program, Raleigh, NC, USA Sunday hunting legislation is complex, and often controversial, resulting in recreation impacts for both traditional (hunters, anglers, trappers) and non-traditional (e.g., hikers, birders, bikers, campers, horseback riders) public land users. There are currently 11 states in the U.S. that have restrictions on Sunday hunting, and two with total bans (National Conferene of State Legislatures, 2015). Changes to these policies often spark controversy because of the impact to recreational experiences and visitation patterns of users in both groups. Conflict among these user groups is rare, but has occurred in association with differences in social values, and negative perceptions of hunting among some stakeholders (Vaske et al., 1995). Conflict may be reduced with safety precautions, such as wearing blaze orange or implementing zoning regulations limiting hunting near roads and certain ame- nities, as well as education (Vaske et al., 1995). North Carolina is one of the 11 states with regulations governing