First vote on Cape deer hunting ordinance set for today

A revised version of the deer hunting ordinance is scheduled for a first reading and vote today by the Cape Girardeau City Council. At last count, the ordinance will likely pass in at least a 4-3 vote.

Council members John Voss, Mark Lanzotti, Trent Summers and Meg Davis Proffer have said they plan to vote in favor of the ordinance while councilwomen Kathy Swan and Loretta Schneider oppose it.

Mayor Harry Rediger, who had expressed firm support in the past, said after the council meeting June 4 that he was undecided. He worried that administering the program could take too much time from city staff due to the ordinance's complicated requirements. Rediger also said he was uncomfortable with setting the minimum size of hunted land at one acre.

General provisions of the revision that will be reviewed today are that hunters would be required to successfully complete a hunter safety course though the conservation department, hold an archery permit and complete an application for a city of Cape Girardeau deer hunt permit. Landowners must give written permission for the hunt to occur or be in the hunter's immediate presence.

No hunting would be allowed within 150 yards of any church, school or playground, and hunters are required to ensure that arrows don't land within 75 feet of any front yard property line or within 50 feet of any street or public right of way.

Despite Rediger's reservations, the ordinance sets the minimum property size for hunting at one acre, unless adjacent landowners combine their parcels.

If a deer is harvested, the hunter would have to report his or her name, the sex of the deer and the location of the kill within two business days to the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrows must be marked with a hunter's Missouri Department of Conservation identification number.

Penalties for violation of the ordinance include fines ranging from $100 to $500, 90 days in jail, or both.

Changes in the ordinance compared to a sample version presented earlier this month include elimination of the requirement to notify contiguous neighbors in writing that hunting will take place, removal of the condition that property owners provide a certificate of liability insurance or $2 million indemnity bond and elimination of the rule that hunters must be in an elevated position of at least 10 feet and face the interior of the property. Previously included mandates regarding carcass disposal and transportation were deleted.

Some rules were loosened, such as reducing the minimum distance hunters must maintain from dwellings from 100 yards to 30 yards, except by owner permission. The maximum fine for violating the ordinance was decreased from $1,000 to $500.

Also, the stipulation that hunters must be 18 years old was changed to allow younger people to participate, as long as they have received a certificate of completion from a bowhunter safety eduction course and are accompanied by an adult who holds a hunting permit.

Finally, a section was added that outlines penalties for interfering with the deer hunt, which could carry a fine of up to $500 or jail time of up to 90 days, or both.

Summers said Friday he remains in support of the ordinance and that the changes made were consistent with discussions in previous council meetings intended to make it less cumbersome. Summers, who took office in April, said that supporting the hunt was part of his campaign platform and he has not received any communication from his constituents for or against the hunt.

On the other side of the issue, Schneider said Friday that she has received repeated feedback that residents of her ward oppose a hunt. Schneider said that she agrees there is a problem, based on the number of motor vehicle accidents caused by deer. But she says a population count is needed so that goals can be established to help measure any program's success. She is in favor of trapping and euthanizing the deer and feels that her method would be a more accurate way to modify the population.

Schneider said changes to the ordinance will not affect her vote.

"It doesn't eliminate the fear that people have of this bowhunting," Schneider said.

Stephen Stigers of Cape Friends of Wildlife said the revisions eliminate significant safety measures and the inclusion of new rules against interference with the hunt are "deliberately antagonistic" to people opposed to it. He also said the council reneged on a promise to provide a population count. Should the ordinance pass, he said the group plans to circulate a petition that would require a public vote. Stigers said he believes the 2,400 signatures needed would be easy to collect and that enough residents are against urban deer hunting that the ordinance would ultimately be blocked at the ballot.

"A lot of us are deeply disappointed in our city leaders," Stigers said, calling the revised ordinance "irresponsible" and "embarrassing."

If the ordinance passes the first reading and vote, a second and third reading will likely occur July 2, which could finalize the matter. However, a petition filed within 40 days certified to have the required number of signatures would stop the ordinance from taking effect until a public vote.

Rediger, Voss and Proffer did not return messages left by phone and email Friday afternoon. Lanzotti's office said he was out for the week.

salderman@semissourian.com

388-3648

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO