Chesterfield board to look at bow-hunting rules

Before they vote, Chesterfield County leaders will hear from the public tomorrow night about a proposal to prohibit the use of bows and arrows within 600 feet of a home.

The ordinance change was initiated to address concerns from homeowners in Midlothian's Salisbury community that people were hunting too close to homes.

Currently, Chesterfield property owners and permitted guests are allowed to use bows anywhere on their property, so long as the arrow does not cross the property line. Because of growth in the county's deer population, the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries allows additional bow hunting with site-specific "kill permits" on property adjacent to or within residential neighborhoods.

County staff members suggested the 600-foot limit because it is the same distance from which use of a firearm is prohibited. In addition to homes, use of a bow would be prohibited at the same distance from businesses, public buildings and gatherings.

But the proposal isn't sitting well with some.

"If you got a problem in the subdivision, deal with it in the subdivision. Don't mess with the other part of the county that's rural," said Larry Bicking, a Chesterfield bow hunter.

"You take a piece of property that's 15 acres and you may not be able to get 600 feet from an existing dwelling," he said. "In those big subdivisions, the houses are so close together you can't hardly get a car between them, so I don't know how you hunt them anyway."

Bicking suggested the county could limit distance from homes in Salisbury only and maybe require the user to be at an elevation 10 feet above ground level so the arrows would not soar into unintended areas.

Midlothian Supervisor Daniel A. Gecker has suggested decreasing the distance from 600 feet to 150 feet as a compromise.

Billy Nicar, who works at Green Top Sporting Goods in Hanover County, said a high-powered bow could theoretically fire an arrow more than 600 feet, but it would be unlikely in Virginia.

"With the right angle, it could go a couple hundred yards, easy," he said. "But in Virginia, typically 30 yards is about the cutoff," he added, noting that timber and brush limit the distance an arrow can travel.

In other matters, the board will also hear from the public on a proposal to limit the police department's nightclub permitting regulations.

The current ordinance requires applicants to disclose all felony and misdemeanor convictions. If a conviction involves a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, the permit is denied. The change would limit the grounds for denial to 10 years prior to the application being filed.

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or .