Board adopts ordinance allowing rifles for deer from elevated stands; residents seek further changes for nuisance species

The Northumberland County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 9 adopted an amendment to the county code permitting the use of rifles of .23 caliber or larger to hunt deer during the firearms deer season so long as the hunter is in an elevated stand at least eight feet above ground.

The measure—introduced by county staff and framed by reference to the Code of Virginia—specifies that rifles may be used from an elevated stand, that rifles may be loaded only while on the elevated stand (with limited exceptions to dispatch a wounded animal), and that rifles are not permitted for turkey hunting. The board held a public hearing before taking the vote and passed the change by majority voice vote.

Speakers at the public hearing included hunters who supported the change, saying rifles can improve harvest accuracy and reduce wounded deer. Matthew Sprague cited a multi-decade Virginia analysis of hunting accidents and argued that stand-based rifle hunting in open-edge conditions is comparatively safe. Christian Adams and Thomas D. Kelly also spoke in favor, saying rifles reduce wounded animals and bring local rules more in line with neighboring counties.

Opposition at the hearing came from Pam Heagy of Reedville, who urged stricter limits and raised safety concerns about high-velocity rifle rounds and inexperienced shooters. Heagy asked whether an age limit or other training requirements could be added.

During the meeting some board members and staff noted that the county already allows larger-caliber rifles for certain purposes (for example, groundhog and coyote control under existing sections) and that state law constrains the county’s authority to set age limits for hunting; hunter education and state licensing requirements apply to juveniles in state code.

A hunter who spoke after the ordinance passed asked the board to consider a follow-up amendment to specifically allow nuisance species (for example, coyotes) to be hunted with higher-caliber rifles during the firearms deer season to address animal control concerns. County staff said they would draft possible ordinance language and bring it back to the board for review at a subsequent meeting.

The board’s action applies to the county code section governing deer and general firearm season; the new language takes effect immediately as adopted by the board and will be codified in the county code.