Bow Hunting In Our Backyards?

To the Editor:

This past Sunday, while families on our street were enjoying their together time, a suspicious van was cruising up and down our street. Inside the van were two men who approached our homes. They were soliciting people to allow bow hunting of deer on our private properties. There are so many troublesome aspects to this and it left me with many questions.

First of all, these men approached us and offered their services in front of our young children. By the time they left, our children were in tears. Why would they want to kill deer in our yard, our children wanted to know. Does anyone think it is acceptable to offer to kill anything in front of young children? Have we become so desensitized as a society that this is acceptable? Our homes are fairly close together in this neighborhood. Is it safe to bow hunt deer in such a densely populated area? This type of hunting has a 50 percent wound rate. Therefore, 50 percent of the deer are killed and the other half are painfully wounded and debilitated. Does anyone remember the deer in Brookfield who was wandering around with an arrow sticking out of its head? I just read a letter in this paper from last week of someone being asked for permission to find and kill a wounded deer on their property. Do our children need to bear witness to this?

What safety measures would be implemented to ensure an arrow doesn’t cross into a neighbors yard putting children and pets in harms way? Are these private hunters or has a town agency hired them to solicit homeowners? If the latter is true, what are the training and insurance requirements for this type of hunting? Is this proposal designed to minimize Lyme disease transmission? We know from several studies that this is ineffective and that Lyme prevention starts with people checking for ticks and wearing protective clothing. Will this bow hunting eliminate car-deer collisions? I don’t think so, but driving the speed limit and getting off of the cellphones will.

So what is the goal of this hunting on private property? Other than to disrupt family time and upset children, I am at a loss to understand the intent of this intrusion.

Jodi Bialik

Briarwood Lane                                                       October 5, 2010