Town takes aim at foraging deer on farmland

The town of Culpeper is wading into firearms regulations again, this time following the state in taking aim at foraging deer.

  At meetings this week, the Town Council Public Safety and Ordinance committees recommended holding a first reading at the regular Feb. 14 council meeting on a local law change related to discharge of firearms within the town limits. The proposed amendment would allow the killing of deer with guns on agricultural land of at least five acres.

  Town ordinance currently allows all of its residents to shoot at varmints — groundhogs, weasels, etc. — famous for tearing up gardens. Deer would be included among such vermin in the ordinance in anticipation of the town absorbing areas of farmland in the boundary expansion later this summer.

  These parcels will retain their agricultural zoning when taken into town.

  Virginia State Code 29.1-529 permits the shooting of deer on land that is zoned agricultural and is at least five acres in size — if the deer are damaging crops or creating other hazards, according to a town report. The staff recommendation to town council is to add the state language to the town ordinance, effective July 1, following the required readings and public hearing.

  Town Councilman Dan Boring, ordinance committee chairman, said he viewed the amendment as one of possibly several administrative matters necessary to ensure the town’s zoning code meets the state code and complies with the town’s obligations to the county as part of the boundary line adjustment.

  “In this particular instance, we are merely ensuring that the status quo is maintained and that landowners have the same rights that they currently enjoy when their property becomes part of the town,” Boring said. “No doubt much of this will be mitigated in the months ahead as property owners come forward with requests to divide, develop or rezone, but on day one of the boundary line adjustment, we are doing our best to maintain continuity and a level playing field.”

  Town Councilman Jim Risner, chairman of the public safety committee, and Mayor Chip Coleman said they agree with Boring.

  The town last addressed its firearms ordinance in 2008 when former Culpeper Police Chief Scott Barlow recommended a ban on all shooting in town — even varmint killing, a practice long allowed in Culpeper. Barlow felt the town had become too congested to continue the practice.

  The issue was discussed at the committee level for several months, and attracted the attention of Northern Virginia gun activists who showed up in force at a town council meeting in protest.  

  In the end, town council upheld its citizenry’s ability to shoot at varmints, noting there had not been any previous problems associated with it. The town did, however, modify the ordinance making the person doing the shooting responsible for keeping the bullets on their property, following all other applicable state and local laws and notifying police and neighbors before taking aim at garden pests.

Pesky deer

Current town ordinance allows residents to shoot at garden vermin after notifying police and neighbors. A proposed change to the local law would allow landowners occupying large agricultural parcels of at least five acres to shoot at foraging deer. The amendment is in anticipation of the town expanding its boundaries later this summer, absorbing some agricultural areas.