Members of the state Wildlife Resources Commission discussed closing committee meetings to the public because they did not like what a bowhunting group was saying about the meetings.

Commission chairman Wes Seegars said Tuesday that the commission has always been committed to openness. But members did not appreciate what the N.C. Bowhunters Association had told its members about a proposal to alter the rules of deer hunting season.

"Our concern has just always been disseminate the correct information," Seegars said. "We don't have a problem with anybody sitting in and being a part of it."

The commission regulates hunting and fishing. Seegars said the state has some 800,000 licensed sportsmen and sportswomen.

Committee meetings, Seegars said, allow an open exchange, and discussion at a meeting doesn't necessarily mean an idea will become a change to the rules.

"Committee meetings are where we thrash around a lot of ideas," Seegars said.

After members of one of the commission's committees discussed extending gun hunting season into what had traditionally been bow hunting season, bowhunters flooded the commission with comments.

Seegars said that episode prompted commisison members to discuss closing committee meetings off to invited guests only. The discussion died down, Seegars said.

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The N.C. Bowhunters Association and members of the state Wildlife Resources Commission have been in a feud about access to meetings.

The bowhunters group, which has about 1,400 members, wants to be assured of access to the commission's committee meetings. Commission members and staff have previously said that those committee meetings are not covered by the state open meetings law and that committee chairmen have the discretion to invite visitors.

But the commission has apparently now reversed itself. A person who has submitted public comments to the commission forwarded an e-mail message sent Thursday to "Wildlife Stakeholders," in which commission chairman Wes Seegars said that all committee meetings will be announced publicly.

It's at those committee meetings, said Ramon Bell, president of the bowhunters association, where the decisions are really made.

"When they have these committee of the whole meetings and commission meetings, generally, they just have a show of hands. It's not really a meeting," Bell said. "It's already pretty much engraved in stone at that point."

Earlier this week, Seegars told The Insider, a state government news service, that he only tried to make association members understand that some of their tactics damaged their credibility. "Anytime we had a disagreement with them, they would take it personally," Seegars told The Insider. "They have been incensed over this stuff and I don't know why."

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What started out as a reorganization meeting Monday for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission ended up as a subtraction when executive director Richard B. Hamilton abruptly quit.

Hamilton, a 37-year commission veteran who had served as executive director since September 2004, resigned effective immediately. The commission appointed Chief Deputy Director Fred Harris to serve as interim director, Mike Zlotnicki reports.

Commission legislative liaison Joan Troy, who worked closely with Hamilton, said commissioners’ resentment of her influence led to Hamilton's resignation.

"I'm perceived as wielding a lot of power in the commission," said Troy, 47, of Raleigh, who said she didn't fit in on the all-male body of 18 members.

"I'm a non-hunter, non-fisher, non-biologist, non-male. I was never going to be accepted no matter how hard I tried," said Troy, who added that the special meeting had been scheduled to oust her.

Hamilton and Commission Chairman Wes Seegars couldn't be reached.