[Sca-cooks] deer and turkeys

[John Kemker]

This is why some suburbs in the Atlanta area are allowing the harvest of 
deer by bowhunters who have been through a careful training and 
certification procedure.

The biggest problem with a properly trained bowhunter reducing the 
population of deer in a neighborhood isn't the danger to humans or 
animals other than deer.  It's the danger to the sensibilities of people 
who get squeamish at the sight of a hunter properly field dressing the kill.

The rules established for these specially-licensed hunters are very 
strict.  They include a TON of safety-related, as well as a ton of 
public relations rules.  Things such as "leave no gut-piles" etc.

Any competent hunter safety course (required for all hunters under the 
age of 60 in Georgia) will establish one of the most important rules of 
gun safety:  Always be sure of what is BEHIND your target, making sure 
it will not cause your bullet to ricochet.

In other words, if you're aiming at an animal and you might miss and hit 
a body of water, or rocks, don't shoot.

Hunting with firearms in a suburb isn't a smart thing.  Carefully 
controlled hunting by people willing to go through extensive 
qualifications, etc. is a very effective way of controlling a burgeoning 
deer population.

--Cian


Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise wrote:

>>But some folks seem to be a bit uneasy about allowing hunting 
>>in the suburbs. 
>>    
>>
>
>Recently, we had a pregnant woman shot in the head accidentally when a
>hunter's bullet richoceted, smashed a window in the car she was sitting
>in, and hit her in the head, though she was fortunately not killed. This
>was in a not-terribly-crowded township. The bullet had travelled much
>farther than he could see (more than half a mile from the orchard behind
>his home), and he didn't know about the accident until he heard about
>the all-points bulletin.
>
>This is the kind of thing that scares people about hunting the suburbs.
>I don't know how much hunting there is in your area, Stefan, but I grew 
>up in rural areas where Metro NY people came to hunt-- you kept your 
>kids in during hunting season.
>
>There are lots of very reliable hunters and good people who hunt-- but 
>cases where you have people who make mistakes, or hunt inappropriately 
>or under the influence, make reasonable people nervous.
>
>  
>