Minutes 01-21-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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deer and dog problems and she would like this banned. She also has grandchildren that play on her property. David Honeycutt said that he has had confrontations with deer hunters who have threatened him on his own property. He said that the hunting clubs claim that they use GPS collars on their dogs, but this does not help. He said that the dogs chase the deer no matter what. He asked why the dogs are not an extension of the hunter. He said that he is tired of these dogs causing damage to his property at his expense. He said that his children are scared to go outside because of the hunters. He asked the County Commissioners to stop the deer dog hunting. Charles Treis spoke against dogging deer. He said that the deer hunters this year have threatened property hunters. He said that this is the Triad Hunting club and ever since they came in and leased property in this area, the process has gone south. He said that there are too many hunters in one spot and most of these hunters do not live in Orange County. He said that this group has ruined hunting for everyone. Earl Brown was representing the farming industry and the Caldwell Hunting Club. He made reference to the survey and said that only 59 people were surveyed in Orange County. He made reference to the maps in their packets and said that there is no population concentrated around the Caldwell community. He said that the hunting season is over now. He asked the County Commissioners not to ban deer dogging. Mike Laws said that he knows about dogs and horses, and there is more trouble with coyotes than dogs. He asked the County Commissioners to let them hunt the deer population, because the area will be overrun by them otherwise. He said that running with hounds is not a big deal. He said that there are 700 people that come to Caldwell the first part of March for a meal to show their appreciation for the deer hunters. He said that hunting is not illegal and it is their right to hunt. Chris Cole is a resident of Orange County and he is a hunter. He said that he no longer hunts in Orange County due to the dogs. He hunts in Durham County now. Richard Lockamy is a landowner in northern Orange County and a hunter. He said that he is against dogging deer. He leases land in another county to hunt because of these deer hunters with dogs in Orange County. He said that hunters cannot control where dogs run. Steve Graf said that dog hunting with deer does not control the deer population because dog hunters displace other hunters that do not hunt with dogs. He said that one big concern is property rights since his rights are not respected by dog hunters. He has had problems with the Caldwell and the Triad hunting clubs since both clubs run dogs on this property, and he is in support of the ban. Susan Walser distributed a handout. - Susan Walser, speaking for Orange County Voice and as a long-time hunter and supporter of gun and hunting rights. - First, we'd like to thank Gwen Harvey for her work in organizing community dog deer hunting meetings over the past few months. o We believe that meetings between the County and its citizens are an important way to provide ideas and feedback on issues. o They seem to be a much more effective way of communicating than 3- minute comments to the Board. o We hope to see more of this kind of engagement with the community in the future. - Second, Orange County Voice supports a countywide ban on dog deer hunting — initially through a county ordinance, and ultimately approved by the state legislature — before hunting season begins later this year.