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Bowhunting used as tool to reduce deer herds (11/21/2002)
While the use of deer birth control and sterilization appears
to be gaining acceptance in many areas, the following towns have ruled
out ineffective means of controlling deer populations and selected
bowhunting as a proven and safe method to reduce the herds. Sudbury, Massachusetts – Sudbury permits bowhunting on its conservation land to reduce the size of a deer herd that, according to Debbie Dineen, Sudbury conservation agent, “was destroying other habitat in our conservation land.” Dineen said birth control medication for deer is very expensive and impractical. Ellie Horwitz, chief of information and education for the
Massachusetts Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law
Enforcement, added that hunting “is more safe than most things people
routinely do.” Midland, Michigan – Midland City Council recently voted to reduce acreage requirements for bowhunting within city limits. The previous minimum requirement was a 100-acre tract of land. Now, the regulation states that hunting will not be allowed within 300 feet of another owner’s property. Radford, Virginia – The Radford City Council has decided to
permit bowhunting on two city-owned properties to reduce its deer herd.
In a recent City Council Meeting, Vice Mayor Gale Collins also
suggested that the council write a letter to the state Board of Game and
Inland Fisheries to encourage it to extend the deer hunting season and
take other measures to reduce deer populations in the state. Mt. Pleasant, MI – Bowhunters will hunt deer in Veits Woods
for a second year. Sara
Schaefer, a wildlife biologist with the MI Dept. of Natural Resources,
said the controlled hunts are the city’s best option for managing the
population. As with many
other areas that permit urban bowhunting, Mt. Pleasant is facing issues
including increased deer/auto accidents, deer consuming and destroying
expensive landscaping and overpopulation.
Schaefer calls the overpopulation “social stress” and
describes it saying, “It’s kind of like putting 100 people in a room
that was designed for 10.” Springettsbury Township, PA - Harley-Davidson has come under
fire by anti’s for its decision to cull the deer that roam its 80-acre
property in Springettsbury Township.
The company worked with wildlife experts and decided that
relocating, releasing or sterilizing the overpopulated herd were not
acceptable options. Sharpshooters
from the Wildlife Services Division of the USDA will cull the herd.
Anti-hunters continue to send messages to the company demanding
it use non-lethal controls and some are even considering boycotting
Harley-Davidson. While some towns have opted to use hunting to control deer
populations, others have fallen victim to animal rights propaganda and
refuse to utilize hunting, the most practical and economical method of
controlling deer populations. Beverly Shores, IN – Beverly Shores Town Council voted to
ban a bowhunt that had previously been permitted to control the town’s
deer herd. The town’s
clerk-treasurer cast the tie-breaking vote in the absence of Councilman
Rick Rikoski, a hunt advocate. Councilwoman
Ellen Firme submitted the resolution to suspend the hunt and expressed
unfounded concern that arrows might injure children.
Councilman Bill Kollada voted against suspending the hunt and
said the vote was “pre-orchestrated” and “unethical.” Asheville, NC - Western North Carolina Nature Center will use
birth control on its deer herd. It
will use PZP (porcine zona pellucida), a drug that has not received
approval from the Food and Drug Administration, and will administer it
annually to the deer. Pittsboro, NC – Fearrington Village, a retirement
community, had considered instituting a bowhunt to control deer
overpopulation, but the community’s developer said he would not allow
it. In a message to community residents, Developer R.B. Fitch
said, “I am not convinced that bowhunting would, in itself, be an
effective tool in reducing the deer that frequent Fearrington, and until
I am, we will not allow hunting on any of our undeveloped property.”
Instead of a hunt, Fitch suggested residents attend a workshop called
“Landscaping with Deer,” form a committee to study and implement
ways to lessen the impacts of deer, reconsider landscape choices and
consider a “Deer Off” program for ornamentals. Princeton Township, NJ – In addition to a deer cull, a committee that was formed to evaluate Princeton’s deer population has suggested birth control and sterilization programs. The birth control program could cost up to $50,000 and the sterilization program has a start-up cost of around $10,000. Councilman Leonard Godfrey raised concern about liability problems that could arise from families that eat deer treated with the birth control drug. The committee also recommended that the Humane Society of the United States be invited to observe net-and-bolt procedures if they are implemented. As of yet, no actions have been taken on these recommendations. CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
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