Ms:Homeowners are concerned over sound of hunters' guns

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Homeowners are concerned over sound of hunters' gunsBy AL JONES THE SUN HERALD WOOLMARKET - The sounds of gunfire were heard around the Woolmarket area two weeks ago.The reason for the ammo being pumped into the sky was the opening of duck season along the Coast. The first duck season opened Dec. 1-2 and the second was Dec. 7-8, when hunters feasted on teal, which are the first birds to fly into the region.The final part of the season began Saturday and remains open though Jan. 31, when hunters do their thing in places like Clarksdale and other areas near the Mississippi River looking for the more common mallard.For a few Woolmarket homeowners, the first two weekends of December brought some gunfire since their homes are near the Biloxi and Tchoutacabouffa rivers, which was annexed by the city of Biloxi in 1999.The Sun Herald received a Soundoff last week from an upset homeowner who was concerned for safety in the area. The concerned homeowner wanted to know if the Biloxi Police Department was in charge of enforcing gun laws since the annexation.Mayor A.J. Holloway said the city annexed 34 square miles of land, including both rivers. However, the areas annexed were grandfathered in when the land belonged to Harrison County. Therefore, Holloway said duck hunting along the two rivers will continue."It was grandfathered in, so we decided to let them continue doing what they were doing before the annexation," he said. "We did get some calls last year and the year before, but we haven't had any this year, nothing to date."The real problem is waking the residents up in the morning. But they are doing the same thing they did in the past before we annexed the area."Holloway said teal season is when his office received its phone calls and the calls tapered off when the big part of the season started. At this time, hunters normally leave the Woolmarket area and travel to the northern part of the state looking for mallards and gadwalls.When it comes to enforcement, the city of Biloxi handles regular firearm violators while the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has law enforcement jurisdiction over hunting."We would handle (enforcement duties) no matter where it is," said Randall Miller, enforcement officer for the MDWF&P. "If it's OK with the city, it's fine with us. Deer hunting, duck hunting and any other hunting is always opened statewide. The only way it can be closed is through a city ordinance, not a state law."We have jurisdiction statewide on the hunting and I'm glad to hear that Mayor Holloway and the city see the importance of hunting and didn't pass a city ordinance."Bob Dye, who lives in the Eagle Point area with his wife, Jerry Ann, is an old-time duck hunter turned admirer. Neither he nor his wife has complained to the city or written a Soundoff, but they would rather watch the ducks fly than hunt them."I feel sorry for the duck hunters because they have been squeezed out by the growth," he said. "I support Mayor Holloway and I know the hunters are within their rights."But I see the area like a park. I get pleasure out of feeding the ducks. Then I watch them get shot and it does hurt. However, I feel for the hunters, too."Brian Scarborough, who once lived on the Tchoutacabouffa and now has a house two miles from the river, said hunting has long been a standard in areas like Eagle Point. Scarborough has been hunting teal and other ducks in the area for 28 years."I've often wondered if people would start complaining," said Scarborough, who works for Coast Electric. "I haven't experienced any complaints but I was surprised the city let us continue hunting. "If I had to guess (who was complaining) I would say it was one or two folks that haven't lived out there for a long time."Al Jones can be reached at 896-2351 or at afjones@sunherald.com. http://web.sunherald.com/content/biloxi/2001/12/16/sports/it_1216_river_hunting.htm