Controversial codes
As states keep ahead of technology in the deer woods, some rules only divide hunters
Though biologists and hunters feverishly debate whether there are fewer, the same or more deer hunters than 20 years ago in America, no one questions the fact that there are more deer.
And with more deer (and maybe more deer hunters), states are driven to create more rules. Often the rules are in response to new technology and are necessary to preserve the sport.
Sometimes, however, new deer hunting laws are unnecessary, not based on science and even discriminatory.
Here are a few deer hunting laws around the country that stir debate every time hunters talk about them.
Sunday hunting bans | 
Don Mulligan
Food plots are magnets in the winter and aren't banned anywhere yet. A few states are considering whether they provide an unfair advantage for hunters, however, and may be next on the list for prohibition.
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Eleven eastern states either limit or completely disallow all hunting on Sundays. Almost all of the bans began a very long time ago and were originally based on the biblical tenet that Sunday was intended to be a day of rest.
As deer herds increase and social attitudes change, however, challenges to Sunday hunting bans are increasing by hunters who call the rules antiquated and unfair.
(Map courtesy NRA-ILA)
"I think the Sunday hunting ban is unfair and hurts the future of our sport. I work Monday through Friday every week and can only hunt weekends," says Bob Larkins, a North Carolina deer hunter. "When one of my kids has a game or school event on Saturday, which is usually the case, I don't get to hunt at all."
Larkins appreciates the notion that folks need time to attend a place of worship if they choose, but said he attends church every Sunday and has more than enough time after services to take his kids hunting.
According to a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, another state that limits Sunday hunting, religious considerations aren't the only thing behind the ban.
"We don't allow Sunday hunting on WMA and public ground because the property is equally owned by all the citizens of our state, including the non-hunters who deserve a day to visit properties free of hunting," said Mike Willis, South Carolina DNR.
This raises a situation even more infuriating to Larkins, whose home state also allows Sunday hunting, but only for landowners.
"It's like the early American voting laws where only elite landowners could vote and had special rights. Hunting is a tradition for all American's, not just the ones with enough money to buy land or a lease," he said.
Surprisingly, there are deer hunters in some of the ban states who agree with the prohibition.
"We hunters are in the minority and don't need to alienate the non-hunting public. I think we should leave Sunday hunting bans alone and just be happy with the six days we have," said William Sadler, President of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association.
Virginia is one of seven states that have a complete prohibition on Sunday hunting.
Besides not wanting to anger people who don't hunt and fear walking the woods during hunting season, he also cited tradition as a reason to leave the ban in place.
"The political climate surrounding Sunday hunting will likely never change in Virginia, so we choose to just leave it alone and be thankful for what we've got," Sadler said.
Trail camera ban
Trail cameras are easily the biggest product growth area in the sport of deer hunting. A stroll around any of the outdoor trade shows is evidence of their popularity.
Unfortunately, it is against the law to use them for hunting purposes in Montana. In a few other states such as South Carolina, they are banned on public property.
Montana's ban on trail cameras has been around for 11 years, but recently, the DNR there clarified the rule.
It reads as follows: Motion-Tracking Devices and/or Camera Devices: It is illegal for a person to possess or use in the field any electronic or camera device who's [sic] purpose is to scout the location of game animals or relay the information on a game animal's location or movement during any Commission adopted hunting season. | 
Don Mulligan
Though banned in some states, trail cameras serve a vital role in helping landowners understand why deer have disappeared or are being killed. In this case, a dog in a remote food plot every day was exposed and dealt with by the author. |
"So a hunter may not use or possess in the field a trail camera during an established hunting season. The burden of proof is upon us to show that he/she was using the camera in a fashion to aid his/her hunting," said Mike Korn, Montana's Assistant Chief, Law Enforcement Bureau.
While some deer hunters in the Midwest would disagree that their trail cameras makes them less skilled hunters than their Montana counterparts, Korn says their ban is about fair chase and tradition for deer hunters in Montana.
"Our 11-year ban on trail cameras in Montana reflects our hunting values and an effort to help hunters retain good and complete woodsmanship skills at every stage of the hunt," he said.
While all hunters agree states need to constantly amend the rules of hunting to keep up with technology, it is difficult to know where and when the line should be drawn.
For some Midwestern deer hunters, the thought of riding a horse to a hunting area and then using the animal to carry out the meat as many do in Montana, falls into the category of unfair chase when compared to the use of trail cameras.
Like the bans on Sunday hunting in the east, bans on technology in the west are simply a reflection of local customs, and never intended to be a test of the hunting habits of hunters in other states.
Non-resident deer tag fees
A non-resident can kill a 2,000-pound bull moose in Alaska for $485; about the same amount of money it takes for a nonresident to kill a buck in Illinois.
The trophy value of each is in the eye of the beholder, but the exclusiveness and amount of food the moose provides logically makes it a lot more valuable.
So, why do some states charge so much for nonresident deer tags? The short answer is because they can.
Iowa charges non-residents $426 for an either sex deer tag, which allows a hunter to take a buck and a doe. They allot 6,000 tags each year for non-residents and every year, regardless of the price, they get at least 9,000 applications.
"Our license prices are set by the legislature, and when they see the demand, they see an | 
Don Mulligan
Is he worth $426? A 120-inch buck like this one might not be worth shooting for a non-resident paying exorbitant fees in Iowa or Illinois.
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opportunity to raise money for other projects through deer license monies," said Willie Suchy, Iowa DNR Wildlife Research Supervisor.
He says Iowa tries to keep license fees grounded and has an option for former Iowans to come home and hunt does for a reduced amount, but admits most non-residents want to kill bucks.
Besides legislatures setting exorbitant fees simply because they can, some believe trophy deer states have nothing to lose by inflating deer license fees for non-residents, and that doing so is a win-win for residents.
States like Iowa and Illinois use the money raised by inflated non-residents fees to fund projects that benefit resident hunters. If high non-resident fees actually started deterring out-of state hunters, that would make most residents happy as well.
Since non-residents are willing to pay a lot more for a deer tag in the trophy deer states, it stands to reason they are also willing to pay a lot more for the places they hunt.
Guide services and hunting leases have gobbled up whole counties in Iowa and Illinois and mostly cater to out-of-state hunters. Locals in places like Pike County, Ill., would shed few tears if nonresident hunters were priced out of the game.
What's next for deer hunters?
Deer diseases are sure to continue to shape the rules, and some states are taking a close look at the ethics surrounding baiting and even food plots.
In the end, the only thing that will always be the same for deer hunting in America is that the rules will always change.
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