Monday, May 04, 2009

OHIO NEWS: Another Municipality Considers Deer Hunt

Officials are considering allowing bow hunters to thin the growing deer population inside the city limits.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates there are more than 1,000 deer living in the city of Heath, 10TV's Kevin Landers reported.

Over the past three years, 170 collisions between automobiles and deer have occurred in Heath.

One of those collisions involved Mayor Richard Waugh. The collision caused $3,000 damage to Waugh's SUV.

Waugh said reducing the deer population is a matter of public safety.

"We do not want injured deer running through the city," Waugh told 10TV News. "We do not want injured deer running through our neighborhoods."

In 2007, the city allowed bow hunters to kill deer near the airport after fears a plane would crash into one of the animals.

Some residents are concerned about hunting taking place in their neighborhoods.

"I don't want them hunting near public access areas or roadways," said Keary Oflaherty, who blames deer for destroying fruit trees on his property.

Keary agrees the city needs to do something about the deer population, just not near his home.

"Yes, they need to be thinned, but bow hunters don't need to be traipsing through here all the time," Keary told 10TV News.

Source: 10TV News

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