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Leaves will soon be raining down from the trees in Peachtree City, but sadly, so too will deadly arrows fired at dozens if not hundreds of the city’s native deer. The City Council recently approved weekend archery deer hunts starting Sept. 13 as a deer “management” program aimed at reducing traffic collisions and assaults on azaleas. However, this lethal approach is both cruel and ineffective, and ought to be stopped.
The hunts come after the city authorized $25,000 for a study to determine just how many deer there are. But counting deer is notoriously difficult since they move around a lot, and the pro-hunting company that conducted a drone survey admitted in its August report that “the conditions for this initial study ranged from fair to poor due to dense foliage in heavily wooded areas,” and an accurate census could not be determined.
The hunts will take place Fridays-Sundays through January in the Flat Creek Greenbelt at the southern end of the city, which makes no sense given that large tracts of woods are exactly where most people would expect and want the deer to live. It is nowhere near the 10 subdivisions the survey company identified as having higher concentrations of deer. But hunting near homes is problematic both for obvious safety concerns and because many city residents enjoy having deer around—some even feed them—and object to the bloodshed.
And let’s not pretend that all of these targeted deer will die quickly and painlessly from perfect shots. Bowhunting wounding rates can be as high as 50 percent, and city officials have already warned residents that they might find wounded deer in their yards. The Peachtree City hunters, who will be chosen by lottery and not proficiency, are not allowed to retrieve wounded deer on private property without homeowner consent. Imagine sitting on your porch with your morning coffee or sending the kids out to play, only to find a suffering animal bleeding out.
The city is billing this experiment as “an archery program for a healthier ecosystem,” even though there has been no evidence of starvation or illness among Peachtree City deer and most foliage remains quite green. The plan also ignores the other factors that contribute to deer collisions, such as long stretches of dark roads (Peachtree Parkway, Robinson Road, Hwy. 74 and others) where trees have been allowed to grow as close as six feet from the pavement. The combination of low visibility and exceeding speed limits is no doubt why deer and many other species of wildlife regularly perish. Better lighting, pruning and speed mitigation would help reduce such accidents, especially during the unfortunate combination of darkness falling at rush hour just as the autumn rut increases deer activity.
As for deer eating landscaping, the use of fencing, motion-activated sprinklers, chemical deterrents and plants that deer are less likely to eat can all reduce snacking. Local wildlife is still being displaced by residential and commercial development. Where do people expect these animals to go when their habitat is clearcut for yet another store, school, subdivision or office building?
The City Council no doubt feels pressure to do “something” in response to citizen complaints about deer. And yes, car collisions are scary and expensive. But it would be best for everyone if the city started with humane measures and left killing as a last resort. Concentrated hunts like these can create a vacuum that actually stimulates the deer birth rate, creating a continuous supply of prey for the selfless sportsmen who would be more than happy to have this free opportunity year after year.
Perhaps, if this is such a great idea, Peachtree City should film the hunts and show the pictures on social media, at council meetings, and on the tourism website. Maybe then The Bubble won’t be known so much for its golf carts as its cold hearts. The choice is theirs.
Jill Howard Church
Fayette County, GA
(Jill Howard Church is a writer, nature photographer and wildlife rescue volunteer who has worked for state and national animal protection groups since 1987.)
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