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0J <br />house. As a landowner and citizen of Orange County for many <br />years I would approve the passage of this regulation. <br />Posted land <br />I received a real education about posted land at the public <br />hearing. For many years I have posted my land to try to protect <br />myself and the houses and businesses which are located adjoining <br />my property (there are 8 homes, 1 church, 1 large commercial <br />greenhouse and 1 horse farm adjoining my land - -most within sight <br />of my home). It was quite surprising to learn that for legal and <br />enforcement purposes this gives very little protection; therefore <br />I strongly encourage regulations to strengthen the law governing <br />the encroachment of hunters on posted land. <br />Committee consisting of hunters and landowners <br />Whether such a committee will or will not help solve some of the <br />problems is problematic. The content of such a committee would <br />have to be monitored carefully so that it is really equally <br />representative of the citizenry... hunters, owners of large, <br />medium and small tracts (all the way from large farms to 1/4 acre <br />lots and developments - -no matter where you live you are still <br />subject to be hit with a hunter's bullet or harassed by his dogs, <br />as was graphically proven this past season in Wake County). <br />Possibly the sheriff and local member of the wildlife commission <br />might also be included. I do not believe such a committee would <br />be representative of orange County residents or their feelings <br />about hunting were it comprised of only hunting club <br />representatives and members of the landowners association as was <br />suggested by someone at the hearing. <br />The regulations you are proposing may seem drastic to the <br />hunters; however, the magnitude of the problem which they <br />instigate cannot apparently be solved by anything less. As an <br />example of the careless and reckless abandon with which many <br />hunters behave I would cite four instances during this past <br />season when hunters have stopped in the road, pointed their rifle <br />out the window and shot into the fields surrounding my home, one <br />occasion killing a deer and retrieving it from the "posted" <br />field. shooting from the road at night has also been noted. <br />Whether or not -this was directly connected with spotlighting I <br />can't be sure as we become aware when we hear the gun and by the <br />time you get to the window to see what is going on you see and <br />hear a vehicle rush off. Suffice it to say, that hunting from <br />the road is already illegal (at least in our township). <br />I do not claim to have the answers to these problems, especially <br />since some of the hunters at the public hearing openly admitted <br />that they willfully and knowingly violated the trespassing <br />laws....attitudes like this -- disregarding the rights and <br />privileges of others - -is what has led to the problem in the first <br />place. I often wonder why they feel that someone else should <br />provide them recreational lands and wonder if they would be <br />