[Durham INC] City Manager's Response to Bow Hunting Ordinance Inquiry

[Blalock, Amy]

Due to the amount of discussion on the INC list serve regarding the City's new bow hunting ordinance, City Manager Tom Bonfield has requested that his response to Ms. Young's inquiry be posted in this forum. Thank you.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bonfield, Thomas 
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 5:25 PM
To: Carol or Reeves
Cc: Council Members; Baker, Patrick; Bell, William
Subject: RE: January 1, 2014 bow hunting behind my property

Ms. Young:

The property in question is not in the City limits as you have noted, therefore the City's recent adoption of a bow hunting ordinance would not have impacted this situation since hunting of this nature has always been allowed outside the city limits. You were correct to have called 911 in this matter. Additionally, the North Carolina Wildlife Commission is responsible for the enforcement of hunting regulations. Violations can be reported at 800-662-7137. Thank you for your concern and feedback.

Tom Bonfield
City Manager
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC  27701

Durham - Where Great Things Happen!
Notice: All email to and from the city manager is available for media review and all communication not specifically exempted by North Carolina law is a public record and subject to release upon request.

-----Original Message-----
From: inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org 
Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2014 12:00 PM
To: inc-list at rtpnet.org

From: Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>

Please see the following/forwarded message to the Council from my friend Carol Young. While I agree with ecologically sound ways of dealing with an overpopulation of deer when it exists, I am also concerned about allowing people to hunt deer within city limits, whether with a bow, a boomerang, whatever. The story described below is an example of the situations that can (and have) developed (and this is with hunters on what is presumed to be gameland).

I am interested in others' thoughts on the matter.

Sincerely,
Melissa Rooney
--------------------------------------
Dear Council,
 
Once again I'm informing you of our latest disturbing experience with  a "law abiding" hunter. 
 
As background information, there is a narrow spit of land between Lake Park and Lyon's Farm north of Scott King Rd. that was included as NC Gameland as part of the Jordan Lake 240 foot contour line. When this area was designated as Gameland, there was only the beginning of construction of Lake Park in the late 1970's. To the west was nothing but undisturbed forest save for a few homes scattered along the dirt roads all the way to NC 751. The distance between Lake Park and Lyon's Farm encompassing this Gameland is between 300 feet and 500. Clearly this area should no longer be part of Gameland due to its proximity to homes.
 
Today in the late afternoon, a hunter trespassed on my neighbor's and my property to access the northern edge of Gameland, less than 150 feet from my property to set up a his deer stand aimed into a wooded area that is within the city limits. I watched him as he scoped into this area and advised him that he was aiming into the city limits and I would call the police if I saw him shoot illegally. I further advised him to turn his stand around facing into Gameland where he would be legal. In the two plus hours he was there, he maintained his aim into the city limits.
 
I alerted a neighbor to the hunting activity as he was about to walk his dog in this area. He walked down to our property with his dog and talked to my husband who was finishing up yard work and at that point, not interacting with the hunter. By this time it was dark and my neighbor shined a light on the hunter and asked him what he was doing. The hunter taunted my husband and neighbor saying he would be up in the stand all night and "hoped" his coyote calls wouldn't wake us up. Then he made a few coyote calls to prove his point. The hunter opined to my neighbor that he didn't think it wise for him to be talking like he did to someone who had weapons, clearly a veiled threat. It was now past legal hunting time (being more than one half hour after sunset)so my husband asked the hunter if he knew what time it was. The hunter either didn't answer or didn't know. My husband walked into the house and called 911 having felt threatened by this man.
 
When the male deputy and my husband walked to the rear of our property they were greeted by the hunter shining a light on them and mockingly saying, "Hello ladies." The deputy said, "Durham County Sheriff's Deputy, turn your light off," which the hunter ignored. Upon the second request by the deputy the hunter asked the deputy for identification. The deputy responded, "Don't you see my uniform?" The deputy then informed the hunter that deer hunting season ended one half hour after sunset, it was past that time and this man needed to leave. This hunter had the nerve to ask the deputy to give him a ride to his vehicle which would have meant walking through our property to reach the patrol car. The deputy said he would not give him a ride and waited until the man left the area. 
 
To say this latest encounter was un-nerving is an understatement. No one should have to put up with this dangerous nonsense. In light of your recent decision, clearly ignorant of the behavior of many hunters, you are putting residents at risk. Have you thought about adjacent property owners not knowing that hunting will occur next to them or that a hunter will know the boundary of the land much less know where 250 from the boundary is or god forbid a child goes into the area and is shot? Do you honestly think hunters will care about these rules should a deer be sighted outside of the legal hunting area?. Law enforcement has enough to do without responding to dangerous situations created by your unanimous decision.
 
Citizens should not be on the front line ensuring that hunters obey the rules. I trust none of you live where you've dealt with this type of situation. Again, I am asking you to overturn your bow hunting decision, and failing that, at the very least land owners who allow hunting should clearly mark their property lines identifying the property as hunting land as well as mark the 250 foot no hunting buffer, notify adjacent property owners and/or register their property with the city as hunting land.? 
 
Considering this latest unsettling encounter with a person who holds his right to hunt above the safety of others (and he is not an isolated case), I believe a response from you is warranted. Again, please reconsider your decision. I'd rather take my chances with the deer, at least they don't retaliate, something I don't put past this hunter.
 
Sincerely,
Carol Young