JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

Deer tracks dot a Radford mountain bike path in Radford.

JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

A spent shotgun shell lies near a mountain bike path in Radford. This summer, six miles of trails on land in Montgomery County owned by Radford opened for bikers. Hunters also use the land.

RADFORD -- There were hardly the glares or heated rhetoric one might have expected at the city council meeting Monday evening.

On one side -- and in the overwhelming majority of about 50 attending -- were the hunters, fiercely protective of a 230-acre city-owned piece of land near Interstate 81 where some had bagged wild game for decades. On the other were bicyclists and other unarmed recreationists who have quickly established a presence in the area this summer with the opening in July of six miles of trails on the city-owned land in Montgomery County.

The council called both groups together Monday to air their differences, but few disagreements emerged. If the hunters want to use the land Monday through Saturday from October until January, bicyclists said that was just fine. And hunters said they had no problem with other people on the path, as long as they don't have to think twice about pulling a trigger when game is in season.

But there was hardly such agreement last month, when council member Laurie Buchwald brought up bicyclists' concerns about a group of target shooters firing weapons out of season during Labor Day weekend.

Her assertion that the land around the trails hadn't been used much drew a strong rebuke from Councilman Robert Nicholson, who quickly stepped in on behalf of hunters.

Advocates on both sides also complained at the meeting that some had drawn conclusions from media reports that bicyclists and city officials were pushing for restricting hunters' access.

"They made it look like the bicyclists wanted us to lose everything but the two weeks of [deer] rifle season," hunter Greg Roop said.

Liz Altieri, the president of Pathways for Radford, an advocacy group that promotes area hiking and bicycling trails, told the council that was never the case.

"Many of our members are nature lovers and hunters," Altieri said. "We can share this property ... [and] keep this as a multi-use property as was once conceptualized."

After the hearing, a group of men in camouflage hunting caps and shirts chatted amicably with bicycling enthusiasts Chris Colby and Sean Terry, and most seemed to agree that educating people on both sides was key to resolving tensions. Complaints about bicyclists riding through began after large game came into season Sept. 6, but most "did not understand there are hunters there," Terry said.

"We try to be respectful of everything," Terry said, adding that issues between hikers, hunters and bicyclists is common nationwide, yet "they coexist throughout the country."

Both groups said unless Radford puts up signs that clearly outline when hunters can fire guns safely and when riders can hit the trails, safety will be an ongoing issue. The safety issue carries particularly high stakes for hunters, who could face a backlash if a hunting accident occurs.

"Even if it's a nonhunter that got hurt, hunting would be in jeopardy," said hunter Earl Lawrence.

Monday's meeting, Colby said, "changed the communication between the two groups for the better," and said he thought ideas for better signs and education about hunting season would help resolve issues.

On Monday, Mayor Tom Starnes said the council would rely on the groups' input over the next two months, saying he hoped the council could take action on resolving safety concerns by December.

"I thought the comments were positive, and hopefully we'll be able to work out something that will satisfy the majority, if not all," he said. "Almost universally, everyone who spoke at the meeting and everyone who sent e-mails have indicated a willingness to come to some sharing of the use of the land. I thought that was very positive."