September 15, 2008Interesting takes on bikers vs. hunters dilemmaI'm intrigued by a dilemma Radford city leaders are facing. At issue is who should get priorty use on a tract of 250 acres in Montgomery County that the city owns. The short of it is the city has long permitted hunting on the property by special permit. Recently some bikers helped build about 6 miles of trails. Bikers surprised to find out that hunting is allowed during all open seasons, not just the two-week general firearms deer season, as they assumed, recently asked the city council to change its policy and allow hunting only those two weeks. The council is waiting to decide what to do, and will hear public comments at a meeting in October. As I wrote in my Sunday column, I'm confident a reasonable compromise can come out of this. No one will have to give up much. Apparently, others aren't so confident. Our lead editorial today discussed the same topic, and the writer/writers are much more pessimistic. Maybe I'm a hopeless optimist. I know there's no perfect solution. But I have full confidence the hunters, hikers, bikers and Radford City leaders will prove me right and come up with a good solution. |
About this blog
While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures. Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism. After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters. .....Advertisement.....
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Comments
[September 16, 2008 10:47 AM]
BacklashMost bikers and hikers do not respect hunters rights and will repeatedly go were they want ignoring signs this is a very dangerous situation waiting to happen.
Last year during Archery Season my hunting buddy had bikers cross into a area he was hunting yelling at him to leave the area because they were there first.
This was extreme yet as more individuals came from a different path he packed it in, when do bikers or just plan animal rights wackos understand there are safer places to get your point across.
Just not in the woods during hunting season.
Maybe bikers and hikers safety course like hunters safety course, as hunters we don't own the forest we just like to use it and return home safely to our loved ones I am sure that is a lot of other people intent, but as the season change do hunting season come to mind?
Do the Game Warden have to post it on billboards "HUNTING SEASON"
So biking and hiking in the forest without International Orange on during hunting season you should be Ticketed and fined.
Again as a hunter we don't own the forest we believe in sharing and being safe.
[September 16, 2008 10:17 PM]
TScottWI actually hunt that piece of land. I had decided to stay away from it this year due to too many hunters. Did not know about the bike riders.
It is a nice piece of land but can be overcrowded at times. Curious how Radford will work this out.
[September 17, 2008 11:54 AM]
MoeBacklash.....Very well spoken or written. P.S---- Only 17 days till D-day
[September 18, 2008 12:39 PM]
TroyLets look at this in a fairly. Hunting season is 3 months, so that leaves the bikers 9 months to bike. Looks like some are being greedy. If they want to bike during hunting season, it should be bike at your own risk.