The Ugly Side of Urban Archery

Deer are probably some of the most adaptive animals in North America.  Subdivisions, city parks and greenways provide plenty of cover and food.  I live in Charlotte and deer tracks are a common site in my yard.  We rarely ever see them in daylight but fresh tracks prove deer are using our little subdivision on a frequent basis.

It is currently against the law to discharge archery equipment in the city of Charlotte.  This is probably true with most cities that have populations of deer.  In fact, it is illegal for me to target practice with my bow on my property.  The city ordinance is included below for all the nay-sayers and wanna be attorneys.

[message type=\”warning\”]

Sec. 15-13. Shooting. (Charlotte Municode)

(a)

It shall be unlawful for any person, except an officer of the law, to shoot any firearm in the city, except in a licensed shooting gallery or as further provided in this section. However, the city manager or his designee is hereby authorized to grant temporary approval to persons desiring to shoot blanks in any firearm upon finding that the shooting will be conducted in a safe manner. Any person desiring to shoot live ammunition in any firearm may do so only with the permission and approval of the city council upon its finding that the shooting will be conducted in a safe manner.

(b)

It shall be unlawful for any person in the city, to shoot with bow and arrow or to shoot missiles of any description from slings, spring guns or instruments of any kind, except in a licensed shooting gallery or range or by permission of the city council.[/message]

 

There are however several cities in many states that permit urban archery deer hunting.  The intent is to control the deer population with the use of crossbows and compound bows and traditional archery equipment.  The hunts typically take place on private land where the hunter has written permission.  Additional safety regulations apply that restrict how close the hunter may be to dwellings, roads, hiking trails.

The downside to this activity is the potential to impact non-hunters.

We all know the type.  

• The folks that feed the deer and love to see them in their yard.  Until they eat all the landscaping shrubs and flowers
• They love to take pictures of the deer running through the yard…Until it runs in front a car.
• These folks seem to forget that deer are wild animals placed on this earth for mankind.

I found the picture above in a CBC News article. Check out the article and read through the ridiculous comments.  When reading the comments please keep this in mind…  There are a lot of non-hunters in your neighborhood and they do not understand why we hunt deer.  The picture is disturbing for anyone but it can be very traumatic for non-hunters.

During the spring and summer I plan to share some ideas on how we as hunters can help improve the overall perception of our sport.  I also plan to do several articles on shot placement and deer anatomy.  The only thing that will kill the deer in this picture is infection because the arrow is far from lethal. In the meantime continue ready more bowhunting tips that you can start working on during the off season.