Glut of deer a problem

This is a response to Michael Murphy’s Dec. 21 letter complaining about a neighborhood poacher. Although I agree the poacher’s activities are illegal, and he should be caught, I can understand his temptation.

The neighborhood of 15th Street and Lakeview is absolutely overrun with deer. They have found an ideal breeding ground where feed is abundant and they know they cannot be hunted, resulting in does often giving birth to triplets.

They feed on people’s lawns and plants, and defecate. What hunter hasn’t driven through that neighborhood and thought to himself, “Oh, please let me take a potshot at one or two of those,” but we don’t do it because it’s against the law. However, this huge herd needs to be culled before it causes more problems.

Perhaps Fish and Game can arrange a limited hunt that requires drawing a tag, where only bow-hunting could be allowed (firearms are illegal and too dangerous to shoot in a residential area), to bring the deer population down to a reasonable number.

It also sounds like the poacher is a bad shot; if you can’t hit a deer in the heart or lungs with a bow at point-blank range, it’s time to stop hunting.

Kathy Evans

Coeur d’Alene