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sion on other business, said that he was delighted with the commission’s response. As president of the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), he has been advocating some sort of legislative solution to the hunting problem for several years.
“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that the commission has ever publicly acknowledged a problem with hunters’ behavior,” he said. “Politically, it’s a difficult matter for them.” He praised the commissioners, in particular Mr. Thomas, Mr. Fahnestock and Fifth District delegate Thomas Leggett, who also spoke out against statewide hunting abuses.
Mr. Dennis referred to recent polls in The Rappahannock News and The Fauquier Democrat that showed that most rural people support the idea of hunting but are worried about the small minority of hoodlums. He added that those who are harassed by abusive hunters must find the courage to step forward.
“This is one of our problems, and a big one,” said Mr. Dennis, a Rappahannock landowner. “People who are threatened by hunters, especially women at home with small children, fear that any action on their part will be met wtih retaliation. In many cases, their fears are well founded, but without complaints and legal action, we can’t do anything about the problem.”
“There’s no way that I would be publicly linked with this effort,” said a Rappahannock woman whose road is blocked by road hunters during deer season. “These people are vindictive — they might do something to hurt me or my children. I’m even afraid for my dogs.”
Mr. Bankston acknowledged that, although the woman’s property was the scene of spotlighting abuses, he had never been notified by her or her husband.
Another woman from the other end of Rappahannock County had her mailbox shot up as soon as the hunters she had complained about saw Mr. Bankston leave her property, the warden said.
“We’re not dealing with the typical rural deer hunter here,” he added.
Rappahannock residents concerned about hunting abuses and worried about retaliation can still support the Virginia Game Wardens’ Association and PEC in their legislative campagins, said Mr. Dennis.
They can write the PEC office in Warrenton with a signed description of abuses on their land; they can write their commissioner supporting his recent statements; they can write their delegates; or they can call the organizers of MASH. And the Virginia Game Wardens’ Association, represented locally by Mr. Bankston in Woodville, would like to hear from citizens and receive a copy of their correspondence to other organizations regarding hunting abuses.
Sportsmen and citizens who are not intimidated can attend the game commission meeting on March 21 at its office in Richmond to hear the report of the law enforcement committee. It is expected that the date of the public hearing will be set during that session.
Piedmout Environmental Council, 28-C Main Street, Box 460, Warrenton, Va. 22186; The Virginia Game Warden, do Jim Bankston, Woodville, Va. 22749; Mothers Against Slob Hunters, c/o Jim Dyer, 927-4678; David A. Fahnestock, Game Commissioner, 7th District, Siler Rt., Box 26-A, Winchester, Va. 22601, or Andy Guest, Seventh District Congressional Delegate, 27 South Royal Avenue, Front Royal, Va. 22620.
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