Bow hunting is cruel. The accuracy range is only about 30 yards. Statistics show that the non-lethal wounding rate of bow-hunting is around 50%, and that to kill one deer, an average of 17 arrows would have been shot, most hitting non-vital parts of the deer . there will be arrow-wounded deer by the dozens staggering around the village when the hunt is over. The deer population here is so tame, why not just walk up to them and kill them with a hammer? it would be more humane.

Who oversees this proficiency test and what qualifies this person? How is the test given? Are ststionary targets used? Most deer I see have 4 legs and move around. Are village residents ready to see wounded deer in their neighborhood? Are the parents of children living in the village aware of what their children may have to witness?

Who will be held libel in the event of personal injury or property damage incurred as a result of deer being chased around the village? The roads in the areas mentioned are narrow and hazardous enough as is. It seems to me that this idea has been pushed forward with many unanswered questions and without input from all village residents.

I never would have thought that something like this could or would happen in the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson. It is a sad day indeed.

I live in the town - and I have posted signs not to allow hunting.
Most of my property is Federally Protected Wetlands and if I find anyone hunting on it - I will press charges and contact the Army Corp
of Engineers who monitor the wetlands. I am a resident on Orr Hatch Drive. This is a warning to the hunters!

I think this is horrendous! I love the deer in the area. They are beautiful to watch, graceful and peaceful animals. I enjoy seeing them daily on my walks or commute. This is a village in a mountainous area. The way I look at it, they can eat all my plants and flowers and enjoy those tasty tidbits as I enjoy watching them.

Let me start by saying that I do not hunt. I have neither the time nor the money for it. I enjoy all wildlife in their natural environment.

That being said, I do not think these comments are informed. There is no more humane way of eating meat than hunting. Seriously, think about it for a second before you respond. You have an animal living it's life, freely, in it's natural environment. Eating, roaming, mating as it was meant to. It spends it's life in blissful contentment. Then in one final moment it is killed and eaten by a predator (a hunter in this case). Compare that to factory farms where the animal inmates are poked prodded and given the least fulfilling life possible. Which meat would you rather have people eat? Which option is inhumane?

I have always found the hunters that I know to be considerate stewards of the land. The DEC has an ongoing extensive deer study program and collects a plethora of valuable information on deer populations. These studies would not be possible without hunters. And "arrows flying through our forests" are you serious? How insulting. You try to insinuate total incompetence on behalf of the hunters. These men and women spend countless hours and money in their undertaking. All in an ongoing effort of honing their skills and proficiency.

We have destroyed the natural balance of predator and prey in our area. There are very few of you who would like to see the number of natural apex predators needed to maintain a healthy ecosystem. God forbid someone sees a bear in their yard, they can't get on the phone fast enough to have the police chase it away.

Truth be told, far more deer will be maimed, disfigured and killed by a certain death machine. This machine is also partly responsible for global warming, countless wasted billion$ and poisoning of our water. It's called your car.

I'm sure I will be promptly crucified by your comments, and I don't mind at all. I have my own experiences and research that supports my informed opinion. Unless you can come up with a "painless magic deer eraser", there IS NO better way.

mmmmmm venison

Oh good now we are going to have kill happy morons running around with bows and arrows in the woods I love to hike with my dog. Might I add my dog resembles a deer the way she runs and frolics. I don't see the deer as a problem. Perhaps if the speeders slowed down and looked for deer, motor vehicle accidents would not be such a problem.

The squirrel keeps dropping nuts on my windshield I think we should target them next.

This comment is for the Editor. Perhaps if you want people to put their full name you should as well.

Too much of a good thing?

According to State Farm spokesman Dick Luedke, there are about 150 fatalities a year in the U.S. due to deer-vehicle collisions and about 10,000 drivers and/or passengers suffer injuries as a direct result. The average vehicle repair cost amounts to about $3,000.

In a sense, the general increase in the number of deer-vehicle collisions is a reflection of the success of deer management efforts in the country. It also raises a question that more citizens are asking these days in a country where there are between 25 and 30 million deer, and counting: How many deer are too many?

Deer hunting was once a major point of contention among hunters, wildlife managers and animal rights groups, with the rest of the population wavering from side to side. Now the general public, or at least that segment that travels by highway and pays insurance premiums, might be rallying firmly to the side of hunting,
especially because the number of deer exceeds the number that existed 100 years ago.

I called my insurance company and they told me to slow down because speed causes more injuries than deer. Good call Ryan stewart! P welch has not a clue.

Dan,

Just posted the facts. Everyone can draw their own conclusions. It's still America right?

What I would like to see is more youth hunts.
Our kids these day's don't know anything about hunting and the outdoors.
Get them away from the computers and vidio games and show them real life.Providing food for familes in need.
Oh good now we are going to have kill happy morons running around with bows and arrows in the woods.
You don't have a clue about Hunting.Do you?

Rick,

That is a Great idea. Your post proves sanity still exists. Some people think their hamburgers and chicken dinners just magically appear. The food chain exists for a reason. There is absolutely nothing wrong with hunting. Venison is quite delicious. Kids can be taught valuable lessons while hunting something they do not learn playing video games. Thanks for a great post. Patrick Welch

Oh I'm sorry I did not realize we didn't live in America. Oh wait we do...and we dont have to hunt to kill our food. I was a boyscout as a youth and I learned to fish and camp. I was also a counselor for youths at a YMCA camp and taught my children plenty of outdoor activities. I also played many sports and video games myself. Which by the way has been proven to increase dexterity greatly.

You are saying childhood hunting proves sanity? In what reality are you living? Where did you grow up? The world population exploded when hominids developed cultivation skills. Not nomadic hunting. Perhaps you should teach your children the world of botany and the responsibilities of LIFE not DEATH.

I would urge anyone who finds this hunt an unwise decision to call the Black Rock Forest Consortium and find out what kind of condition the deer population is in. We have deer that are malnourished (Starving) tick ridden and a host of other problems.

PW,
I grew up in Cornwall running around the woods in question and we saw very few Deer back then.there were more Hunters to keep them at a controled population.When you were in the Boy Scouts they should have taught you to be an outdoorsman and how to use a weapon the correct way.I use to be a Bow Hunter.I would start shooting in the Back yard in July so when the season started I wouldn't be slinging arrows through the woods. Hunters take more pride in there sport than most of you think.Bow Hunting is more stalking and waiting for your game.Most shot taken are with in 40yards.Not across roads.
Good luck Hunters. I might have to come back to Cornwall and take up Hunting again.

Rick,

Couldn't agree with you more. Excellent post.

Wow i didnt relize how many left wingers we had inthis town. I bet most of the people complaing on this page have just moved to cornwall in the last 10 yrs to get away from the "city life" i bet these are the same people that complain about the fire siren being to load or some stupid purposal i heard that people should not have ac units hanging out windows in their house that are visble from the road.Prob the same people for voted for the hippie mayor who swims in the hudson river....give me a break

Thank you J Klein for your most intelligent comment on 10/22. There IS no more humane way of eating meat than hunting. And aren't there a lot of hungry Americans these days? Thank you Black Rock Fish and Game Club and Jim McGee for attempting to help us villagers with this problem. And, yes, it IS a problem. I've lived here 25 years and seen it worse every year. Our "healthy balance" is gone. Traumatize my children? Please! They're more disturbed with all the blood and guts all over the road - and God forbid - being in a vehicle that HITS one. Good Luck to the Hunters... and THANK YOU!!!!!

Inexperienced bow hunters - this can be very inhumane. Yes, animals living in freedom compared to farm factories is a plus, but what parent wants to teach their child the act of killing - not I.

I hope your child isn't protecting our freedom.
I agree with Murphy.People move to the country from the city for a change of life style and before you know it change comes and there right back where they started.We grew up with the siren.That told us no matter where we were in town it was time to get home.The honking of the horns told us we were the best team that day. This was the way of life.Now I can't come visit my home town and go park at the river front with out a parking pass.Thanks to all the folks who moved into town for a better life.
Take a child Hunting he might enjoy it.
I'm done

Thank you

If we can't learn to co-exist with deer, we have major problems. We don't have huge problems with deer ticks, we don't have any deer attacking humans, what's the issue? It's lovely to see them walking around, my son loves to watch them and learn. Why are we doing this?

Rick - I guess you and your children hunt? That is an individual decision. This is America. Not everyone enjoys or should be exposed to the act of killing - that is my point - you just don't get it.

I hardly think that allowing bow hunters to cull the over population of deer on a few relatively isolated tracts in our village is "exposing your children to killing". Remember - there are rules around this folks. It's not like your neighbor (for most of us) is going to standing on your front porch and shooting bambi in your front lawn.

But perhaps those who oppose this are right. I would like to propose that we re-introduce the natural predators into the town/village. THAT's the real natural solution. Let's bring in some mountain lions and wolves to foster a greener more natural environment where our children can witness natural selection first hand instead. No?

Then maybe a few certified and licensed bow hunters culling a few deer for the food pantries isn't such a terrible idea.

Just a thought.

I was responding to the statement "Take a child Hunting he might enjoy it."
Ha, it is funny how some interpret things!
I think the town already has the natural predators.

You're right Linda. I miss read your comment. That's what's so challenging about online communications. And no - not everyone HAS to teach their child the act of killing. But neither should those who choose to do so be looked down upon. There have been many solid arguments made here for the legality and ethics of engaging in hunting. Whether or not it is "needed" could be and has been argued until we're blue in the face. Personally - I like to see the deer walking around, but I also like to eat it, and I also would like to not have herds of them decimating our every attempt to garden (even the varieties they supposedly don't like), or dashing in front of my car as I drive down Main St in the Village. (which has happend several times) The fact is - they are WAY overpopulated and there AREN'T any real natural predators around.

So as long as they are complying with the law, and not endangering anyone by hunting too close to housing, then I say let em hunt in peace in this handful of relatively isolated areas. No big deal.

RE: R. Stewart's comment of 10/25; when you say we don't have to hunt to kill our food, but you say that you learned how to camp and *fish*, do you mean that it's ok to eat fish (which have to be hunted and caught unless you are at Sally's Fish Market)? And of course you don't have to *hunt* your meat you can get it from the supermarket which obtains meat from the meat fairy, you know the industrial meat production industry , which as we all know,(sarcasm here)is totally all about humane treatment of it's 'product'. Then you say that the human population didn't explode until we became farmers, so that right there is a good reason to go back to hunting; population control!No, really, my point is that too many people respond to this topic from an emotional perspective without all the ecological and economic facts. If you are vegetarian and you oppose the hunting, well, sorry, but that's not my lifestyle. I will continue to eat meat, whether from the farm or the woods. But if you are opposing it because dear are 'gentle, pretty animals' you need to look at the whole picture, not just the Disney ones.

...and, not to get of topic, I thnk pple should rstric thmslefs to too beer or less wen postign
;-)