WESTOVER — Archery deer hunting could commence in Westover city limits as early as this fall.
When it meets Aug. 5, Westover City Council will consider the creation of an urban archery hunt similar to the annual hunt held in Morgantown each year since 2011.
Rick Bebout has managed the Morgantown program since its inception. He laid out some of the particulars during Monday’s Westover Council meeting.
“Over the years, we’ve gotten an increasing number of calls from your residents here in Westover who were complaining about deer and interested in instituting your own hunt independent of us,” he said.
Since its inception as a means of deer population control, the Morgantown hunt has resulted in 1,271 animals harvested and more than 13,000 pounds of ground venison provided to area feeding services through an optional donation program.
In that time, Bebout said, the hunt has maintained a perfect safety record while the city has seen a marked decrease in the number of animals being struck by vehicles and the amount of property damage inflicted by hungry deer.
Westover resident Gary Marlin spoke to that point.
“I have four motion detectors around my small yard. Three or four times a week I get woken up in the middle of the night to go chase deer out of my flowers and my vegetables. So, I’m all in favor of it,” he said.
If Westover moves forward with the hunt, the first order of business will be putting together a group of volunteers to essentially run the program, vet potential hunters and work with interested property owners.
“We have some members who hunt with us who are Westover residents who I think would be exceptional leaders of this program,” Bebout said. “They would be able to work with the DNR officer and get the ball rolling.”
The primary concern voiced by members of council centered around the city’s exposure in the event of a worst-case-scenario.
Bebout said that’s not something he even worries about anymore, explaining, “The way we do things in our program, safety is the upmost priority.”
He said West Virginia Code shields property owners from liability if they allow hunting and fishing on their land. Further, he said hunters are selected based on experience and potential deer stand sites are selected to avoid contact with people and pets.
But who would ultimately be liable if someone was shot, Councilor Alli Jackson pressed.
Attorney Tim Stranko said liability would be determined by the details of the scenario, but the list would begin with the person holding the bow.
“Is there civil liability? There is in everything we do — driving down the street included. Can we say this is without risk? I don’t think that would be a fair answer. Can we say we have experience here that says there is no risk to the city? Perhaps that’s what you’d need to decide for yourself.”
