PACKWOOD — Tim Renfro was sitting near the creek on his property outside of Packwood, taking in the fall afternoon sun, when he heard some loud pops through the woods.
"I was outside enjoying the scenic area. All of a sudden, I hear a couple gun shots ring out," said the 48-year-old Renfro, who lives in Puyallup and works for Pierce County Transit.
Three men dressed in hunting gear were standing about 300 feet away, rifles raised, pointed at Renfro, unaware of his presence. He yelled to the men to get their attention, and they took off running, perhaps recognizing they were trespassing.
"The only thing I can say is that I was lucky Dick Cheney wasn't there," Renfro said, referring to the vice president's recent accidental shooting of a hunting partner.
That incident, which happened in September 2004, is one of the reasons Renfro, and the eight other landowners in the Teal Lake subdivision, sought to prevent hunters from shooting at elk on their land.
Thursday night, they got their wish.
Lewis County commissioners approved a resolution at the Packwood Senior Center to create a no-shooting zone covering 183.4 acres at the Teal Lake area, south of the Packwood Airport between U.S. Highway 12 and the Cowlitz River.
Commissioners Dennis Hadaller and Jim Lowery held a brief public hearing — which featured comment from four local landowners, including Renfro — before both voted to approve the zone. Commissioner Richard Graham was out of town and didn't attend the meeting.
Dan DeVaux, president of the Teal Lake Homeowners' Association, said he knows of other landowners who have had near misses similar to Renfro's.
"We put up with numerous trespassers of various kinds, but the hunters are the worst," said DeVaux, a retiree who lives in Sumner.
The Packwood area is already surrounded by a number of no-shooting zones. The Teal Lake area used to be owned by Menasha Forest Products, which allowed hunters onto the land. However, in 2003, the timber company sold the land to a developer, who then sold it in nine parcels for development.
Rick Turnbull, Lewis County associate planner, said the no-shooting zone applies only to firearms, and hunting with a bow and arrow or a crossbow would still be allowed.
However, hunters would still not be allowed to trespass on the landowners' private land, he said.
Violators of the no-shooting-zone ordinance could face a fine as high as $250 and as many as 90 days in jail, according to the Lewis County code.
The Lewis County Public Works Department will now post signs in the Teal Lake area to identify the no-shooting zone, Turnbull said.
Bill Owens, a construction worker who lives in Packwood, said he came to the hearing to see if any hunters would attend to protest the no-shooting zone.
Owens said he used to hunt in the area when it was still owned by Menasha Forest Products, but went elsewhere once it changed ownership.
He said he agrees with the no-shooting zone because the landowners should have the right to do what they want on their property, but he fears it may not be obeyed.
"There will still be people hunting down there," Owens said.
Erik Olson covers county government and environmental affairs for The Chronicle. He may be reached at 807-8239, or by e-mail at eolson@chronline.com.
