Do not authorize bow hunting of deer in city

Note: this petition is for residents of Chapel Hill-Carrboro to sign.

On April 19th, 2010, the Town of Chapel Hill Council members voted 8-1 to continue gathering information related to a petition to allow bow hunting of deer within Chapel Hill city limits. This issue continues to be considered despite a memo from the Chapel Hill Police, Public Works, and Parks & Recreation Departments stating that: "We do not believe an urban hunt is a viable option for the town."

There are a number of reasons that bow hunting of deer should not be allowed in Chapel Hill, which include the following considerations.

• *   There is no scientific evidence that the deer population is currently too high for the town's environmental carrying capacity, which is different from "social tolerance of deer".
• *    It is unknown in how many cases of Lyme disease whether the persons infected were bitten by ticks in Chapel Hill or elsewhere (many residents travel to other communities where they also spend time outdoors). We would like more education for our medical professionals on testing for tick-borne diseases.
• *     Although reductions in deer population have been associated with fewer diagnoses of Lyme disease on islands, this has not been conclusively demonstrated in mainland areas (page 56, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/resources/handbook.pdf). Areas where deer have been eliminated for decades still have ticks (e.g., Carolina Tiger Rescue, a 55-acre electrically-fenced area outside Pittsboro, NC).
• *     Success in reducing ticks has been demonstrated with the 4-poster deer treatment bait station (page 57; http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/resources/handbook.pdf). Some private home-owners might be willing to participate in trials of this method.
• *     Since Chapel Hill is not surrounded by a town-wide fence, any deer killed by bow hunting would be soon replaced by deer from surrounding areas; this would mean that bow hunting would have to become an almost permanent feature of the town management plan to show any effect and many residents of Chapel Hill would not want this to be a characteristic of their municipality, which thus far had a reputation as being a town concerned with humane treatment of animals.
• *     Many people in Chapel Hill and Carrboro would feel safer and better about this discussion if more humane methods were sought to manage the deer population. One such method, which would not necessarily lead to more animals entering from surrounding communities, could be fertility control. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved GonaCon (TM), a contraceptive for white-tailed deer that renders them infertile for up to 5 years (http://origin-www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2010/02/deercontra.shtml). The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is receptive to using this method (http://www.voteanimals.org/GonaCon-Great_News_for_Maryland_Deer). More information could be obtained from the researchers who developed this treatment (John D. Eisemann; mailto:john.d.eisemann@aphis.usda.gov).
• *    While persons wishing to use firearms must undergo a criminal background check, in North Carolina this is not required for bow hunters. Moreover, members of the military and youth under 16 years of age do not even require a hunting license (http://www.ncwildlife.org/License/License_Requirements.htm). How would the town of Chapel Hill control bow hunters in the city limits if this is permitted?
• *     There is no guarantee that domestic pets would not be injured (http://www.safebackyards.com/Accidents.htm).
• *    Even if the Town of Chapel Hill would initially only permit bow hunting in neighborhoods where the majority of home-owners (50% - 60% - 70%?) approve, the deer would leave those neighborhoods and move into adjacent neighborhoods so that eventually hunting would occur in all neighborhoods. How would this respond to the wishes of town residents who oppose bow hunting?

The signers of this petition request the Mayor and Town Council members of Chapel Hill to:

1. 1.  Scientifically establish that a deer over-population exists in the town in relation to environmental carrying capacity (and not just in relation to social tolerance by some town residents).
2. 2.   Establish how many cases of Lyme disease have been diagnosed in Chapel Hill over the past decade and whether there is an increase related to tick bites within the town.
3. 3.   Obtain more information from the researchers and EPA on the GonaCon (TM) deer management method and petition the state for permission to conduct a trial in Chapel Hill, involving as feasible, university resources.
4. 4.   Conduct a trial with the 4-poster method of controlling ticks on deer.
5. 5.    Disseminate more information on gardening methods that can discourage deer and rabbits from eating plants that home-owners wish to cultivate.
6. 6.    Increase attention with driver education programs on observing speed limits in connection with wildlife crossing roads.

We ask that only people with Chapel Hill-Carrboro addresses sign this petition, which will be presented as evidence of residents' views to the Chapel Hill Town Council. Others who sympathize with this petition can sign a "sister petition" at: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/no-bow-hunting-to-kill-deer.html

Thank you!