Residents, property‑rights advocate push back on DWR proposals as Board stands by earlier letter

A string of public speakers told the Nottoway County Board of Supervisors they oppose new restrictions on dog hunting and defended existing local hunting traditions after the Board sent a letter to the governor opposing certain Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) proposals.

Judge Charlton, who identified himself as president of the Virginia Property Rights Alliance, told the Board he believed the county letter misrepresented facts and argued the proposals under review were intended to be improved through public comment rather than discarded. “Dog hunters are never going to give up anything,” he said, arguing many dog hunters already use GPS collars and that reasonable rules—such as requiring collars and respecting landowner notices—could be enforced.

Multiple speakers during the delegation period backed hunting with dogs as a longstanding local practice and urged better enforcement of current laws rather than new bans. Daryl Lott asked the Board to petition the Virginia Game Commission for more liberal deer‑hunting days to address deer damage; James Long urged hiring more conservation officers to enforce existing rules. The chair reiterated the Board had previously voted unanimously to send the letter to the governor and said the Board stands by that action, while allowing citizens to speak during the public comment period.

The discussion highlighted a split between concern about public nuisance/landowner rights and defenders of dog hunting’s cultural and economic role in the county. No new Board action on the DWR matter was taken at the meeting.