Jun 23, 2009 7:40 am US/Pacific
Placer County Town May Allow Teens To Hunt Deer
AUBURN (CBS/AP) ―
Parts of Placer County have a deer problem. The deer population is way up and so is the number of deer being hit by cars. Now Placer County officials are considering allowing teenagers to use bows and shotguns to thin the herd in residential areas.
Deer strikes in Placer County have gone up ten-fold in just two years. "It indicates that a lot more deer are being hit by cars, and that's what we know right now," said Josh Huntsinger of the Placer County Agriculture Department.
Now, the Placer County Fish and Game commission is considering issuing 25 extra tags to be issued in hunting season to help control the deer population. But it is who will get them that has some people questioning the plan. One proposal would open the hunt only to children ages 12 to 17. The tags would be good for deer in residential areas like Loomis and Granite Bay meaning that hunting could only be done with a bow or shotgun.
"They probably should thin them out because they are over populated in this entire area," Placer Sportsman President Ron DeMello. "I don't think 25 tags will make one bit of difference. I don't really have a number to give you that would make a difference."
This issue will be considered Wednesday night at a meeting of the Placer County Fish and Game Commission. If it's approved there, the Placer County Board of Supervisors will consider it next. And then the California Department of Fish and Game will have final say.
But many say people who live in deer country should learn to be aware of the animals.
Other alternatives include traffic controls or putting up more deer crossing signs at a cost of a few hundred dollars a piece. The hunt is thought to be more cost effective because people have to pay to take part.
If approved, the deer hunt would happen late next year.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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