Many feel that the North Carolina Bow hunters Association (NCBA) has launched what amounts to a thermal nuclear war in the development of hunting rules and regulations for the state of North Carolina. Traditionally the changes to hunting regulations are proposed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) and then taken to public hearings for debate and comments. Based on those hearings the Commissioners then vote on the proposals those that pass become effective the following July when the new regulation book is released. A simple and orderly process that for the most part has worked and most interested hunters understood and had accepted.
This year there was some controversial proposals that the NCBA opposed, removing the requirement that an individual has to be disabled in order to hunt with a crossbow and add a second week to muzzle loading. (Bow hunting would be allowed) At the public hearings there was overwhelming support for these two proposals despite efforts by the NCBA to organize opposition. There was also a number of other proposals including allowing bow hunting on Sundays that NCBA did not oppose that have traditionally been difficult to get past public hearings.
The Commissioners took these public meetings as well as the electronic comments into consideration when they voted on the proposals and traditionally that would be it those that passed would be the new rules. Except for this year the NCBA found a loophole in the final process that all new rules have to go before a State Review Commission that makes sure that the state agency making these rules has the authority to make these rules and that the new rules do not violate a current law. A new rule could be temporarily blocked if the State Review Commission received 10 letters of opposition to the new rule. That would then force the new rule to be put on hold giving the state legislators the opportunity to review it at their next session or to do nothing and then it would automatically pass. While this option has been around for a longtime it seems to be one that was not well known and rarely if ever used especially on Game Laws.
NCBA launched a letter writing campaign to block the expansion of muzzle loading from a one week to a two week season as well as blocking crossbows. Other groups followed the lead and Sunday Hunting along with a number of other proposals has been delayed as well.
Now in order for the NCBA to succeed in completely blocking these changes they now have the monumental task of getting a bills written passed and signed into law during the next legislative session that make it illegal for the NCWRC to allow the use of cross bows by non handicap hunters as well as a law that will not allow NCWRC to alter season dates. That is a mighty tall order to fill and I can about guarantee that it cannot be done.
There is no doubt that the NCBA had the right to take these actions but I would suggest that they did not think this whole thing through before they did it. They could not even come close to making a good argument or garner support at the public hearings where the majority of people there are fellow sportsmen. How will they get the support of those not interested in hunting? Many of these sportsmen now feel like the NCBA has pulled a fast one and they are now opposed to just about anything the NCBA stands for.

( For full disclosure I am currently a member of the NCBA)

Press Release from NCWRC

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