Unethical Road Hunting Now Becomes Illegal As Well in Jackson County
Statewide it is illegal to shoot game from inside your car or truck on the roadway but some areas an individual can exit the vehicle and shoot from the roadway and be legal. Local laws need to restrict this unethical practice and many already do but mountain counties have been slower to adapt this law.
Some hunters are just lucky. Like the guy driving down the road in Jackson County who spotted a deer in a yard and not long afterward drove off with the critter in his truck.
Call it mountain multitasking.
“It’s an easy way to take an animal,” said Sgt. Tim Lominac, of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
In most of the state, it’s also illegal. Jackson last month became the 13th Western North Carolina county to take on “road hunting.”
I don’t know many hunters that would call such individuals “hunters” never mind “lucky”. This is a dangerous practice because the shooter often does not know what or who lies beyond their target and is at risk of getting shot. I’m reminded of the tragic story out of Canada last fall where a guide was killed by a “road hunter”. There is no room in our sport for such slobs. It may not be illegal to shoot from the road surface but your ethics should prevent you from engaging in this practice.
Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose
I’m not really big on the whole idea of road hunting. As you pointed out, it seems unsafe and it doesn’t really seem like hunting.
Comment by Kristine Shreve — July 14, 2008 @ 9:55 am
This has long been an issue in NC, and a regular source of black-eyes for the hunting community.
It’s not at all unusual from October through January to take a drive down any county road in southeastern NC and see lines of trucks and dog boxes, mannned by armed folks standing right beside the asphalt… and while I know many of those folks have better sense than to shoot right down the paved road, a lot of people, especially non-hunters, don’t know this. Even worse, some of those people DO shoot right down the highway.
I hate to see restrictions on hunting, but this is one “tradition” that needs to go away. Get off the highways, folks… hunt in the woods!
Comment by Phillip — July 16, 2008 @ 11:23 am