Tom McLaughlin [02/17/2005]

By Tom McLaughlin

Some people want to allow hunting on Sundays in Maine, I told the class, holding up the Sun Journal to show them the headline. Sound like a good idea?Yeah, said a boy. Im for it.Is anybody else for it? I asked. Six or seven students raised their hands.Anybody against it? Another six or seven hands went up.Okay. Why is a good idea?Well, Id be able to hunt on Sundays, said the first boy. The way it is now, I can only hunt on Saturdays.What about after school during the week? I asked him.My father works until its dark during the week, he said, and he has to be with me when Im hunting, or Im not supposed to be out there.Is that because your father doesnt want you to, or is that the law? I asked.Its the law. I have to be with an adult.I see. Are there any other reasons why Sunday hunting would be a good idea? The boy looked around the classroom hopefully, but there were no more hands.Okay, I said. Why would Sunday hunting be a bad idea for Maine?I like to go for walks in the woods on Sundays without worrying about getting shot, said another boy. Its only one day a week, and the hunters have all the other days.No we dont, said the first boy. I just explained to you.Im a property owner in Brownfield, said a woman who was substituting for an ed tech that day. We post our property, but we still find shell casings on the ground, obviously from hunters. I hope this doesnt pass.Do you post it against hunting, or do you have no trespassing signs? asked the first boy again.We post it against trespassing, she answered.Well, they could have been just out there shooting, he said, not necessarily hunting. Hunting on Sundays isnt going to stop them from trespassing.Good point, I said.What about the deer? asked a girl.What about them? I responded. Are you afraid too many would be shot if there were Sunday hunting?Yes.In another class, I said to the students, Id like to know how many of you hunt. Could you raise your hand please if you like to hunt deer?About a third of the class raised their hands.When Ive asked the same question of students in this school 12 or 15 years ago, nine out of ten students raised their hands. It appears that hunting is getting less popular with young people your age.In my family, hunting is big, said a girl. Its a tradition.That used to be the case with most families, I said, but apparently its not as popular as it was.I held up the newspaper to this group. The headline here says Mainers are split on Sunday hunting. Half support it and half are against it. What do you think? How many of you think Maine should allow hunting on Sunday?About a third raised their hands.How many think its not a good idea?Another third raised their hands.How many of you dont think?Several students laughed, and three raised their hands.It would appear this your opinions here in this classroom reflect those of Mainers across the state, at least according to this article. That means youre normal Mainers, I guess. Is that good news? Several nodded. From there, the discussion followed closely the points made in the previous class.Eighth graders in Fryeburg are split on Sunday hunting, too. Tom McLaughlin is an eighth grade teacher who lives in Lovell, Maine. He can be reached at tommclaughlin@pivot.net.