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J.P. George planted apple and pear trees in front of his home on E. Parker Street in Smithfield. But he hasn't gotten to eat much of the fruit. Deer got to it first.
"They come around 3, 4, feeding time, a.m.," he said. "They love the fruit."
George lives about five blocks away from the Neuse River, which is "prime habitat" for deer, according to Detective J.G Whitley with the Smithfield Police Department.
But deer are venturing further into town.
"Day or night, doesn't really matter. The problem is there 24 hours a day," Mayor Norman Johnston said at a council meeting Tuesday evening.
Because of complaints, the police department plans to start hunting deer this fall.
Trained officers will hunt primarily from the town's water treatment facility and other town property, so that it will not interfere with the public.
The plan involves both archery and firearms.
Archery season in Smithfield begins the second week of September. Firearms season starts the second week of October.
The meat will go to the hunters, families who ask for it, or programs such as "Hunters for the Hungry," which feed the needy.
"I think the town is on the right road. And the city council, when they do the hunt," J.P. George said.
But the plan has its limits.
"No amount of hunting or harassment of deer in the area will completely eliminate deer-human conflict," Detective J.G Whitley said.
And not everyone supports the idea.
"I'm just against killing deer just because they are in the neighborhood," said Smithfield resident Heidi Fletcher. "Maybe we should have thought about that before we built the neighborhood."
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Comments
By Dave on 09/02 06:34 PM
Hazel, Thank you for your wise words. I hope they don't fall on deaf ears. I agree that the deer population does not need to be slaughtered en-masse. There are other alternatives, such as luring them to a better location. They do not need to be in urban and suburban areas. They will eventually walk out in front of a speeding car. I see that carnage all too often on the roads around where I live. At least they aren't slaughtering and dumping them. The meat and other products will go to help others -- that is, if you believe the article.
By Dave on 09/02 06:17 PM
Hazel, Thank you for your wise words. I hope they don't fall on deaf ears. I agree that the deer population does not need to be slaughtered en-masse. There are other alternatives, such as luring them to a better location. They do not need to be in urban and suburban areas. They will eventually walk out in front of a speeding car. I see that carnage all too often on the roads around where I live. At least they aren't slaughtering and dumping them. The meat and other products will go to help others -- that is, if you believe the article.
By Hazel Graczyk on 09/02 05:40 PM
Being born and raised in Montana, I found that most people learned to accept the wildlife around them. Here's what I don't understand. Are farmers crops being destroyed, are millions of dollars in damage being caused by the deer? Have wildlife officials been called in for advice and help in eliminating human animal conflict. It doesn't matter that town officials with guns seek to take action. Deer vigilantes? Wasn't there a time when the deer population was on the decline in the state, and studies and work was done in the state to rebuild the population. How come knowledge of deer populations and controls, is being over shadowed by blunt force. Last week in Montana, the largest grizzly bear was found killed by an unknown gunman. Knowledge of deer control is the way to go. Who am I to talk? I was a environmental health inspector in Orange County NY from 1983 - 1988. We had rabies, lyme disease, and my specialty... Rats. We couldn't run around with guns and shoot up public property whenever we uncovered rat nests. Control and species knowledge... Please consider it.
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