Beaufort Commissioners vote 6-1 to ban roadside hunting | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, at their regular monthly meeting March 11, 2013 voted 6-1 to ban roadside hunting in the County. The decision came after months of meeting and discussion by the Animal Control Committee and a public hearing. The Committee recommended that the Board petition the Legislature to add North Carolina to the list of other counties, such as Pitt, Hyde and other regional counties that prohibit hunting on public right-of-ways.

    The practice in the state historically has been for the Legislature to honor requests from county commissions and Beaufort's action was predicated on matching what Wildlife Officials recommended based on what other counties do.

    Essentially to ban would prohibit taking of game from the right-of-way with firearms or bows and arrows. As was discussed, nothing in the law would prohibit a person from using dogs and releasing or capturing dogs that were used in hunting.

    Gary Brinn was the only commissioners to vote against the motion and you will hear him explain his reason in the video.

    Over the last couple of years, numerous residents have appeared before the Commissioner complaining about hunters hunting and shooting from the right-of-way adjacent to their property where they had not given permission for such hunting. Even some hunt clubs in other counties have had problems of people hunting on the right-of-way adjacent to posted land.

    The public comments at the public hearings were both pro and con on the issue.

    The action of the board now goes to the local legislative delegation for introduction of a local act that then codifies the restriction as a state law, making in enforceable by Wildlife Commission Officers.

    Here is a video of the discussion and vote.