DRS
Old Mossy Horns
I've always been of the opinion that local government up to the county level is the business of the folks that live there. Since I don't own land or live in Granville county what the citizens do there is none of my business.
As far as dog hunting overall, "that dog don't hunt" like it used too. Here in eastern NC it seems like every year one or more traditional dog clubs have switched from deer hunting with hounds to deer shooting from blinds, stands, apartments, castles, and most likely hot air balloons before to long. Dog hunting for deer is slowly and quietly dying on its own for the myriad of reasons we've discussed on these and other forums. If you don't believe me, check out one of the larger Gamelands in the east on a Saturday during the season. Trucks blazing down every path, radios blaring, hounds baying, Bojangle boxes littering the roadsides, a real hoot. And if you ask them why they are hunting Gamelands most will reply that they have no other place to go. They've been run out of most of the clubs due to still hunting or lost their leases due to lack of funds or simply pissed off their neighbors. And now even some the adjacent Gameland private property owners are getting tired of it and complaining.
I don't think that this proposed law is based on certain groups trying to eliminate hunting. This came about because of complaints from landowners and residents concerning hounds running on their property, getting run over by vehicles, and probably a bit of dog dumping/abandonment at the end of the season. I can't recall how many half starved hounds I've seen on the roadsides in late January with no collars on. Add all of these issues together and this is what you get. More regulations and restrictions.
My understanding on this is that their were no public input, ie county commissioner meetings. Back handed "local" legislation at best.