By Bob Walter Last September, I received a phone call from a constituent about a request by a bow hunter to shoot a deer in his yard in Eatonville. The citizen refused the hunter's request, but was concerned about what could happen if another property owner allowed the attempted "harvest.GÇ¥ This was in the early bow hunting season; there are currently two each year. During that early season, there were also bodies of deer, in three different locations, found dead in town, shot with arrows. This indicates at least three deer killed and not used for food. On Oct. 6, the Public Safety Committee (PSC) of the Town Council held a meeting where the safety of bow hunting was discussed at length. The late bow hunting season, Nov. 25 to Dec. 31, loomed, when mechanical broadhead arrows (which open additional blades on impact) would be allowed in our town limits, and one important issue was whether the wheels of local government would move quickly enough to protect the public safety. I researched this issue thoroughly. I listened to the audio recording of the first PSC meeting where safety was discussed. It was at this meeting that police chief Jim Heishman and stet Fish and Wildlife agent Dennis Flowers answered questions from the 11 citizens present and explained the laws and jurisdictions relating to hunting issues. No one in the audience spoke in favor of allowing bow hunting; most were very concerned and were against it. "Damage hunts" conducted by state agents were not a contested issue. Agent Flowers explained how no-hunting zones are created through municipal measures, and where the state would need to step in, is if a deer is wounded and goes to a neighbor's property. Having injured the deer does not give the hunter the legal authority to trespass onto a different property the deer has run to. The state then has to be called in to mediate. All this time, a wounded animal could be suffering. I studied numerous local town codes from other small communities and the RCW Ch. 9.41 regarding hunting and dangerous weapons. I sent a request to the Municipal Research Services Center for sample laws addressing weapons and hunting in similar communities, got a very helpful, annotated response describing a host of municipal laws in Washington, and forwarded it to the PSC and council, between the first and second Public Safety meetings at which they discussed the issue. It was obvious most citizens who spoke up were not happy bow hunting was occurring in town, and time was of the essence. That is why I repeatedly asked about it at each council meeting in November and December, as it sat in the Public Safety Committee. I had received an e-mail from the town clerk saying the issue to ban hunting in town would be on the Oct. 26 council agenda. This did not happen. When Ordinance 2015-20 was finally presented, "making it a gross misdemeanor to hunt within town limits,GÇ¥ my first thought was this is misleading. The ordinance states it is unlawful to hunt any animal or bird on public property, then, in one of the exceptions, allows "huntingGÇ¥ (there's no mention of bow hunting anywhere in the ordinance text) with a property owner's permission, and "not closer than 500 feet from any dwelling or access way on adjacent public or private property.GÇ¥ So, on the several dozen larger properties mostly near the perimeter of the town limits, with permission, a bow hunter could conceivably take his or her compound bow, shoot a deer legally during bow hunting season, and use a mechanical broadhead. All of those properties are near denser residential streets and yards. So the original concerns I heard are still a concern for many neighborhoods. Therefore, I feel the ordinance fell far short in protecting the safety of people and pets in town, let alone the almost tame deer who wander trustingly through town. Council member James Schrimpsher, chair of the Public Safety Committee and an avid bow user, tried to make it appear as if I was pushing for a complete ban on the use of bows and arrows in town, including target shooting with a backstop, which was not the case. I voted "NoGÇ¥ because this was not a total ban on hunting in town. I voted "NoGÇ¥ to prevent the risk of some person or pet being injured or killed by an errant arrow during a hunt, and to prevent the eventuality of an injured deer, shot with an arrow inside the town limits, racing in panic into yards in residential neighborhoods, with all the possible conflicts and emotional upheaval that could result.
Bob Walter is an Eatonville Town Council member and an animal welfare activist.
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