The issue of large numbers of deer has impacted many communities, especially those containing large parks and forest land. To deal with the issue, some communities are considering options such as sharp-shooting and bow hunting to thin herds.
This is an issue in the community where I live, in the New York City suburbs near the Hudson River, where there are many state and county parks. One evening last month, I attended a public hearing of county officials about whether to allow bow hunting of deer in county parks.
The hall was packed, with a strong showing of county citizens opposed to bow hunting in the parks, where they said they often walk; as well as bow hunters, who are presently allowed to hunt in several surrounding counties and want to hunt in this one as well.
There was a lot of evidence presented on both sides of the issue. The hunters talked about safety and the need to cull herds of deer. Some locals cited run-ins on their private property with hunters. Others who use the parks frequently are fearful for their pets and children. And one county resident suggested monitoring a neighboring county, which has begun to allow bow hunting, before making a decision (which I thought was a good suggestion).
I was surprised last week by an above-the-fold, front page headline in our newspaper, "Family Dog Killed by Hunter." The subhead read: "Man says arrow struck pet during walk in [local] park."
The man, walking his two dogs early one morning, said he had let them off the leash. After one dog ran into the nearby woods he heard a clapping sound followed by his crying dog. When he saw his dog bleeding, fearing a sniper, the man ran out of the park with his other dog and contacted the police. The police helped the man retrieve his dog, which they found had been shot by an arrow and died. They discovered a hunter's stand nearby in the trees.
A few days later, it was reported police had tracked down the hunter, who admitted he was bow hunting for deer and mistook the dog for a coyote. This is a sad story that could have had much worse consequences.
Curious about how the issue of bow hunting in counties might be handled best, I contacted an expert: a public entity risk manager in Colorado.
Deb Carson, risk manager for the City of Longmont, Colo., in Boulder County, said this is a hot issue in many parts of the country, including Colorado, where she said large numbers of elk can be a problem.
Deb, a former president of PRIMA and a board member for PERI, recommended a county considering this work with the state agency overseeing wildlife. She explained that while bow hunting may be a good solution for some areas, it may not be for others, especially heavily populated areas where public parks and hiking trails get fairly heavy use. In areas such as this, she said a solution might be to designate one park, especially if there is a deer issue.
She also recommended limiting the hunting season to one or two weeks and heavily posting the area. The area also should be patrolled, possibly with volunteer enforcement that could include hunters—who have a vested interest in seeing that things run smoothly. Hunting classes are another option, she said, adding that the county would set the rules for hunters—and penalties for breaking the rules.
Unfortunately, accidents do sometimes happen, which is all the more reason for limiting the hunting area, heavily posting the area and monitoring.
Deb said that the county may want to follow the advice of one of the attendees of my county's hearing, who recommended that our county monitor the neighboring county for a season or two to see how bow hunting in their parks works out for them.
While I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about having hunters in our county parks, especially after someone's pet dog was just killed, Deb's recommendations make sense. The next step is to see what the county decides.
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