To the Editor:
I attended the public hearing regarding hunting from state rights-of-way at the courthouse. Was not surprised at the turnout of hunters as we want no changes made. I was not surprised by the small turnout for changes. I would estimate the ratio of hunters to anti-hunters at about 10 to 1.
I really would like to praise the first speaker from Chocowinity who helped start the petition for banning hunting from the road and then had the “guts” to say he was wrong, to leave things the way they are. The other speakers did a good job also, supporting us. The anti-group that spoke, you could tell what they were going to say before they started speaking. “Hunters threatened me, shot my house, shot my dog, shot my horse” or anything else on their property. I’ve been hunting 60 years and know all these stories. There is at least one of them in every block of woods in Beaufort County. If you were hunting in a block of ten thousand acres and they bought a half-acre lot they would tell you no more hunting in their block of woods.
Most problems start with the anti-hunters leaving his property, finding you elsewhere leaving his vehicle, while they will not even speak to you they will begin to cuss and threaten you, from whipping your “butt” to killing your dogs. If they approach peacefully things can usually be worked out. As you saw at the hearing, hunters were mostly calm and the anti-hunters were full of hatred. There’s no way to deal with some of these people.Things are not as bad as they make them to be.
I was disappointed with the attacks on  Robert Cayton by the anti-hunters. He represents more than the five or six people at the hearing. You would think everyone at the hearing was from Richland  Township. We hunt on the north side of the Pamlico  River also. I haven’t yet found out what Hood  Richardson’s interest is in support of the anti-hunters. Looks like he could express his views in the local paper instead of in out of town newspapers. In the out of town paper it states that dogs run deer across the road. “It’s like fishing in a barrel.” Come hunting with me and show me how to hit a deer running at two or three hundred yards. Deer has a chance.
Still-hunting you sometimes shoot the deer as close as 25 or 30 yards, standing still. The deer doesn’t have a chance. Even I can make that shot. A lot of people don’t know much about hunting including the writer in the out of town paper. I did learn a few things from the hearing. Here’s hoping the situation can be resolved.
JOE WOOLARD
Washington