MAGGIE VALLEY — The bear that was killed early last week in a Jonathan Creek subdivision was fairly small, but it's caused quite a big commotion in Maggie. And, like so often in the little town, the questions being raised go far beyond this one incident.

No one disputes that hunters followed a bear they were tracking onto private land at the Preserve at Jonathan Creek on the morning of Monday, Oct. 22. No one disputes that the hunters eventually shot the animal, who was around the size of a large dog, on the grounds of a subdivision that bans the discharge of firearms. What people dispute is what this all means.

For Bruce Bain, a subdivision resident and familiar face at town meetings, it means that maybe it's time for some sort of town ordinance banning hunters from shooting on private ...