MAPLETON – Council is revisiting whether to allow hunting with guns on Sundays in Mapleton after shooting down the idea eight years ago.
Coun. Marlene Ottens was inspired to make a motion to investigate permitting hunting with a gun on Sundays in Mapleton during a council meeting earlier this week after resident Ray Kuper delegated on the importance of allowing hunting seven days a week.
Arguing hunting is statistically safer than football, Kuper said allowing gun hunting on Sundays would help with wildlife management and give an extra day for hunters who can only get out on the weekends to spend time doing what they love.
"Hunting on farmland or in the bush on a Sunday as opposed to a Saturday or Wednesday does not make it more or less safe," said Kuper, during his delegation. "It really makes no difference whatsoever. Hunting is just another sport as far as I'm concerned."
Ottens said her mind has changed on the topic since council voted it down in 2016.
"I'm not a hunter, I'm not a fan of guns it's not my thing but I respect people's desire to do that, especially the deer hunt," said Ottens, during the meeting. "The more you talk to people, the more you learn about it and the more you understand that... if you want to put a deer in the freezer (and) you're working all week (permitting gun hunting on Sundays) gives you two days instead of one to do that."
Hunting with a gun is not currently permitted on Sundays in Centre Wellington, Erin, Puslinch and Mapleton. Minto approved it in February.
There are 189 municipalities in Southern Ontario currently allowing hunting with a gun on Sundays.
Staff will return with a report at a future meeting.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program
