WESTOVER — An uncharacteristically large crowd was on hand Monday evening as Westover City Council passed on first reading an ordinance authorizing an urban archery deer hunt.
The vote went 6-1 with Randy Barnett voting in opposition.
If adopted, the new code section, 505.09, would mirror the law passed by Morgantown City Council prior to its first urban hunt in fall 2011.
Rick Bebout, who’s managed the Morgantown hunt since its inception, was on hand to answer questions. He was joined by Westover resident Benjamin May, the proposed coordinator for Westover’s hunt.
May said he’s participated in multiple urban hunts, including Morgantown’s.
“Not just anybody can hunt this hunt. There is a process you’ve got to go through. You’ve got to complete the National Bowhunter Education Foundation course, and you must pass a proficiency test, and it’s going to be a strict proficiency test,” May said. “Much more strict than a lot of urban hunts.”
According to Bebout, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources would support Westover conducting its first hunt this fall, if approved by council.
The hunt would run from Sept. 7 through the end of the year then reopen from Jan. 14-31.
City residents spoke on both sides of the issue.
Matthew Starsick said he’s in support of the hunt, explaining the deer make gardening, or keeping any vegetation, increasingly difficult and expensive for him and his neighbors.
“These are deer we are talking about. Yes, they are cute. They are cuddly. They are docile – a little bit too docile in this town, but it’s not the California condor we’re talking about. They’re not endangered,” he said.
“It’s not just my yard that’s getting attacked. People’s plants are being eaten off their front porches; all their flowers are getting eaten off. I mean, I’m not comparing them to locusts, but it’s not far from it.”
Hunters would be limited to elevated, fixed positions on land vetted and approved by hunt coordinators and with the permission of the landowners.
Councilor Alli Jackson said he’d like to see the city consider limiting the first hunt to the city’s park, then potentially expand it based on that experience.
He went on to say the deer in his First Ward neighborhood are not afraid of people or cars, explaining he recently followed a group of six deer up West Street in his vehicle.
“They’re not afraid of you,” he said. “They’ll just stand there and look at you.”
City resident Steve Solomon was one of two speakers opposed to the idea.
“There’s four to five deer that hang around my house. I just love them. The deer were here before Westover was here and I love to see those deer. I don’t want to see them killed somewhere else, let alone on my property,” he said. “These people want to come in and kill them because they want to kill them, not because they want to do us a favor.”
