Urban hunting opponents, supporters have their say at public forum

After not being on the agenda to speak to the city council and the Deer Management Committee at recent meetings, opponents of urban deer hunting finally had their say at a public forum on the matter Tuesday night.

But support for hunting within the city was just as vocal.

The roughly 30 people who spoke during Tuesday's forum at the Osage Centre were almost evenly divided in their views on urban deer hunting. While some questioned the committee's credibility and others raised concerns for their gardens and children, one thing was clear -- the public wanted to be heard.

And they were.

The committee sat silently, absorbed in the public's input throughout the 90-minute forum.

Cape Girardeau Police Department nuisance abatement supervisor Ty Metzger, left, and Ben Rhymer with special services remove a yearling from the shoulder of Kage Road near First Free Will Baptist Church on Tuesday afternoon in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

"I took three pages of notes that I hope we will talk about at the next meeting," said committee member Dru Reeves. "There were a lot of valid points on both sides made tonight."

The committee will present its recommendation to the city council March 19.

Deer causing property damage was a major concern among the speakers. Some wanted to remedy the damage with urban bow hunting, while others suggested nonfatal solutions, like store-bought deer repellent and an ordinance against feeding the deer.

"I would like to help feed my family with fresh produce from my garden, but I don't even try because the deer eat everything," one speaker said. "I should be allowed to defend my property from damage."

One woman feared that with urban hunting, her young son could watch a deer die in her front yard. Others worried about poorly aimed arrows injuring unintended human targets.

"If bow hunting is so safe, why is there a liability issue?" one woman asked the committee.

One speaker told the committee that urban deer hunting is far less dangerous than 15 bucks stampeding in his yard and hurting his children. Others said that bowhunters frequently practice and that, given the short distance arrows travel, it's unlikely they would strike an unintended target.

Missouri Department of Conservation spokeswoman Candice Davis said before the forum that bow hunting causes fewer injuries every year than football and golf.

The department will not weigh in on the issue in Cape Girardeau, but has a list of approved methods -- which includes urban hunting -- that it would support, department biologist Erin Shank said.

"We're not advocating either way for one particular method," she told the committee. "We have been dealing with this issue in other parts of the state for quite some time. This issue doesn't go away."

Several people questioned why the committee had not asked the department to count the deer.

"I don't think we've reached carrying capacity," said Steve Stigers, who heads Cape Friends of Wildlife, an organization against urban deer hunting. "The first step is to approach this scientifically."

Shank said before the forum that communities do not need a deer count to actively control herds. Several decisions on urban deer hunting are made based on anecdotal evidence, she said.

Deer caused 45 car accidents last year in Cape Girardeau, according to police statistics. In the last week alone, nuisance officer Ty Metzger has scooped five deer carcasses off Cape Girardeau roads and taken them to the city's transfer station.

"The deer I've picked up in the last week could have fed families," Metzger said Tuesday afternoon. "But they're being dumped and crushed with the rest of the trash."

Rick Renfro, who owns a large lot in the Cape Girardeau city limits where he says he sees lots of deer, asked the committee if it had spoken to landowners about hunting on their property and suggested that several would deny hunting. Hunting would only be allowed on land owned by people who agreed to participate.

"Is there going to be a place where you guys can even hunt?" Renfro said.

Committee member Jim Whitnel said he was pleased with the public's input, and the committee would mull over the comments at its March 6 meeting.

"I think it was super fantastic," Whitnel said of the forum. "These people for and against urban deer hunting stated their down-to-the-gut feelings."

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

1625 North Kingshighway

Cape Girardeau, MO 63701