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WENTWORTH — An advisory committee appointed by county commissioners last year has some ideas about how to discourage problem hunters in Rockingham County.

Drunken hunters and inadequate trespassing ordinances are the two top concerns that members of a committee plan to discuss today when they meet about possible changes to local and state laws.

“It’s illegal to drive a truck drunk,” said Commissioner James Kallam, chairman of the committee. “But it’s not illegal to hunt drunk. It’s a very widespread problem in the county, people who are hunting while under the influence.”

Kallam also said current practice makes it difficult to prosecute trespassers.

State law allows residents to post “no trespassing” signs up to 200 yards apart, but property owners complain that some hunters just pull them down.

Instead, committee members have discussed allowing property owners to mark trees with fluorescent paint every 50 feet to 75 feet, Kallam said.

“You could march an army between signs spaced 200 yards apart and you wouldn’t even know it,” he said.

Other proposals under review include regulating the use of all-terrain vehicles — an issue not addressed in the county’s 20-year-old ordinance — as well as increasing the fine for violations and extending the local deer-hunting season by one month.

The committee suggested allowing people to hunt does through the end of January as a way to reduce the deer population and prevent collisions with vehicles.

Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page said eight or nine of his patrol cars have been involved in collisions with deer over the past year.

“There’s not too many places in Rockingham County you can go at night where you’re not at risk for hitting a deer,” Page said.
 

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 627-4881, Ext. 119, or morgan.josey@news-record.com