Proposed bill would prohibit duck hunting on Little Hunting Creek

 coveringthecorridor  December 24, 2019  Politics

New legislation proposed by two local state politicians would prohibit duck hunting in places like Little Hunting Creek.

State Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36) and Del. Paul Krizek (D-44) announced Monday that their bill would forbid the state from issuing licenses for stationary waterfowl blinds in places where hunting birds with firearms is already illegal, such as Fairfax County. A blind is a shelter used by hunters to conceal their position in order to escape detection by ducks or deer.

The announcement comes a year after residents who live along Little Hunting Creek became alarmed after a hunter built a blind near Stratford Landing in preparation for duck hunting season. After consultation between numerous state and local agencies, the duck blind was ultimately removed by the owner prior to the start of the season, Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said at the time.

After the incident, Storck and the Board of Supervisors authorized County Executive Bryan Hill to request that the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries forbid the use of blinds along Little Hunting Creek (read more here).

Surovell and Krizek introduced their bill at the request of Mount Vernon area residents who live near Little Hunting Creek.

“It is not safe to hunt with firearms in densely populated areas,” Surovell said in a press release. “Fairfax County has prohibited firearm hunting in the area and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries should not be leasing duck blinds in Fairfax County.”

Krizek called the legislation a “commonsense” measure.

“I hope that this measure will pass to provide our Mount Vernon neighbors more safety and security in their homes,” Krizek said in the release