[Durham INC] council's decision regarding deer hunting

[Melissa Rooney]

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
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