Bloomington Suddenly Loves Hunters! (Cause the deers ate all the gardens...)

[techres]

Biodiversity now includes hunters here in Bloomington. It seems people now realize that too many of one animal is bad for the ecosystem and balance has to be restored. Or, perhaps, people are really angry that the large rats are eating all of the gardens in Bloomington and now Bambi is less cute and Hunters are less ugly:

Petition drive seeks solution to problem of urban deer:
One answer could be expanding bow hunting

A local petition drive asking the city and county to do something about a growing deer population could lead to expanded deer hunting in the surrounding area.

An “Urban Deer Zone,” a plan extending the archery-hunting season on deer by more than two weeks, and allowing hunters to kill four more deer per zone, could be what Bloomington resident Jean Umiker-Sebeok needs to answer her call for officials to do something about deer eating gardens, tangling with cyclists and leaving droppings everywhere.

Petition drive
Umiker-Sebeok and her husband, Mark Day, are running a petition drive in an effort to curb deer overpopulation problems in Monroe County.

In response to several complaints from friends and neighbors, and hundreds of dollars spent in elaborate deer defense in her own gardens, Umiker-Sebeok put together the petitions asking both the city and county councils to study and find a solution to the local deer overpopulation.

“The aim of deer control is not to eliminate deer,” Umiker-Sebeok said, “but to reduce the size of the urban/suburban deer population to a level where biodiversity is protected for the benefit not only of the plants, but of the animals who rely on them, and where the risk of disease and accidents are kept to a minimum.”

At her own home garden, Umiker-Sebeok and her husband have had to construct a series of deer defenses ranging from a shock-producing wireless fence and repellent spray, to a motion-detecting sound system that blares the radio to repel the silent intruders.

Umiker-Sebeok and Day have a table at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. to collect signatures from people who share their concerns.

The petition calls on the city and county councils “to establish a community-based task force to develop a program to control the size of the deer population in the city and discourage the feeding of deer.”

Expanded hunting
State officials say expanding bow hunting in surrounding woodlands may help.

Other urban areas in Indiana have worked with the DNR to get such expanded hunting to keep deer pressure on urban areas from growing, according to state officials.

“Putting a stop to deer feeding and extending the (hunting) season are definitely good first steps to controlling the overpopulation,” said state deer biologist Chad Stewart.

“But ultimately, the solution to the problem still remains a difficult and likely expensive undertaking.”

Stories of frustration
Umiker-Sebeok plans to continue getting signatures on the petition at the Farmers’ Market and on her Web site Biodiversity Urban Defense Society for Bloomington & Monroe County, IN until she proposes it to the city and county councils in the fall.

She estimates that a few hundred have already signed.

“Reactions have been generally favorable, and we have heard people tell their stories of frustration for years,” Umiker-Sebeok said.

“Most people are somewhere in between: They don’t have anything against deer per se and don’t like the idea of hunting them, but they realize that there is a problem that, if unaddressed, will lead to even bigger ones such as the degradation of the environment and Lyme disease infestation.”

For those of you in Bloomington, I guess the deer have come home to roost.

On the other hand, I do plan to sign the petitions and might get a bow as well...

[mettle]

lol! That deer looks to be annoyed at having his picture taken again! by another stupid human.

[joslar15]

To help control the deer population within city limits. A few years ago, I got one in the middle of the afternoon, on Moore's Pike between College Mall Rd and High Street.

[ahighland]

I read about that in the newspaper the other day. I don't see them very much here compared to where I'm from in NE Indiana. I'd be interested in what numbers the DNR might have about the population in the area.

[Hiram2005]

Why do these people need gardens anyway? They can get their food from a grocerystore........

[SC_Shooter]

As a resident of Bloomington for over ten years now, I've got to say that the deer herds are gettin HUGE throughout the town. We have seen as many as 16 in the yard at one time...on several occasions. It is so strange to hear people here calling for some sort of expanded hunting. Most of the time, it's the other way around.

I do miss the good 'ole hunting days in SC, where the season runs from Aug 15 to Jan 1 with no limit on bucks and a dozen or so doe days scattered here and there (always on the weekends). We usually hunted until the freezer was full and then moved on to something else. Even with that, the deer population there is growing more than ever. My dad shot three last season from the front porch!

[closer]

After living in Bloomington for 13 years the only thing that has changed there is it's so far left it doesn't know what's 'right' anymore. Common sense has left the building long ago.

If only Bambi could be fitted with a beret and look like Chea he'd get a pass.

[Thumper]

Are tree huggers finally waking up?