For whatever reason, some sportsmen just aren’t very sporting when it comes to hunting. Road hunting, the unlawful act of killing an animal from a vehicle, has long been an issue for law enforcement. And, as if guns didn’t give mankind enough of an advantage, some hunters shine bright lights at animals—mainly deer—to immobilize them, an act called “spotlighting.”
 Give Bambi a fighting chance: The county gives almost $17,000 to the Sheriff’s Office to keep the spotlight on hunters who spotlight deer. |
The game wardens can’t keep these unsportsmanlike dudes in check all by themselves, so about 10 years ago, the county started giving money to the Sheriff’s Office to fund game enforcement. In exchange, the county gets a report, full of fun facts about hunting. Here are the numbers from the 2007-2008 report.
Total number of hunters checked: 254
Percentage of checks that resulted from citizen complaints: 25
Summonses issued for illegal hunting: 63
Number of summonses issued for spotlighting: 12
Amount of county money allocated to game enforcement: $16,800
Cost of enforcement per summons issued for illegal hunting: $267
Cost of an annual hunting license: $18*
Amount of state and local taxes generated by Virginia hunters and anglers: $128 million*
*Source: Virginia Department of Game and Indoor Fisheries
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