Virginia deer hunting bill has no ‘path forward,’ says committee chair

A Southwest Virginia delegate’s shot at expanding the deer hunting season to year-round on private property appears to have missed the mark this session.

On Jan. 18, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee failed to take any action on House Bill 1811 from Del. Marie March, R-Floyd.

While March said Friday she is tweaking the bill, and subcommittee Chairman James Edmunds, R-Halifax, said it could possibly still be brought back in amended form to apply only to March’s locality, House Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, said the bill is likely to remain dormant.

“I don’t see a path forward for the bill,” Ware said, noting “the subcommittee heard the testimony and didn’t feel compelled to make a motion.”

The bill was a way to address the deer population in Southwest Virginia, March said during a hearing on the proposal.