TO THE EDITOR:
It is a mistake for the Chapel Hill Town Council to seek an alternative to urban archery (“Officials still discussing solution to Orange County deer problem,” Oct.19).
The problem with using deer repellent, planting vegetation that deer don’t eat and building fences is that none of these solutions actually address the real issue at hand.
Just like abstinence, hunting is the only way to be 100 percent sure that there won’t be a problem.
So why isn’t urban archery a viable solution for the Town Council’s problem? It probably has to due less with how safe urban archery is and more to due with the fact that the Town Council has no idea what urban archery actually is.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission will bring in licensed hunters, most of whom have handled a bow their entire life.
Most of the hunting will take place out of tree stands, far away from roads and at such angles that accidents are highly unlikely.
So if your idea of urban archery is some inexperienced hunter with a crossbow on Franklin Street, you should probably rethink what it actually means to be a hunter.
The first priority is always safety and the second is the animal’s well-being.
If you don’t believe me, take a look at the life of a few squirrels on campus and wonder if importing a few hawks really solved that problem.
Overpopulation isn’t fun for the animals or the humans involved and if you want to solve the problem, you’re going to have to make a few hard choices.
