Hunting recommendations presented to town officials

By JACK MURTHA
Staff Writer

COLTS NECK — The township’s wildlife committee has recommended that bow hunting be permitted on privately owned tracts of land that are larger than 2 acres, in order to trim the deer population and to prevent a potential legal battle.

Members of the wildlife committee made the presentation — which was based on their findings and the opinions of residents who completed surveys regarding deer — at the Oct. 30 meeting of the Township Committee.

The committee did not take any action on the proposal that evening. It is unknown when, if or how the members of the governing body will address the recommendations.

“After much discussion, the [wildlife] committee determined that expanded stateregulated bow hunting and shotgun/muzzleloader hunting represented the most efficient, cost-effective and viable solution to the deer population problem in the township,” said Greg Wolff, who sits on the wildlife committee. “It was further recommended by the wildlife committee that the township proceed to repeal the no-discharge ordinance, which is superceded by state law.”

Should the Township Committee put the recommendations into law, hunting would not be allowed in designated “safety zones,” which include neighborhoods with parcels that are smaller than 2 acres, said Bryan Grant, a wildlife committee member.

Hunting would still not be permitted on land that is owned by Colts Neck, on or near school properties, in parks, or on parcels that are owned by the New Jersey American Water Company, he said.

Hunters who wish to engage in the sport on eligible pieces of land would need written permission from the property owner, Grant said.

“We feel doing that will allow for a significant decrease in the deer population if [hunting] is allowed by these landowners,” Grant said.

Wolff added that the amount of land that would be set aside as safety zones would be greater than the space that would be opened to hunters.

Colts Neck could face legal challenges from sportsman groups if the township does not align its hunting restrictions with state law, Wolff said.

Mayor Michael Fitzgerald formed the wildlife committee earlier this year after the governing body considered an ordinance that would have permitted bow hunters to discharge their weapons as close as 150 feet from a building, instead of the existing 450- foot minimum distance. Colts Neck officials had received notice that the township’s law was out of sync with that of the state.

Following a public debate, the Township Committee eventually voted to kill the ordinance until further consideration was given to all sides of the issue.

Late this summer, the wildlife committee released a survey to residents to gauge their thoughts on the size of the deer population, concerns regarding deer-related incidents, attitudes toward deer and acceptable management techniques. The committee received about 225 responses, Wolff said.

A total of 75 percent of responders said they observed an increase in the number of deer in Colts Neck, and 72 percent said they worried about automobile accidents involving deer. While 55 percent said they were concerned about the associated problems, only 33 percent viewed deer as a “nuisance,” Wolff said.

Although a larger number of responders said they favored nonlethal population management techniques, more than half pushed for expanded state-regulated hunting, he said.

A handful of residents who spoke after the presentation said they believed the survey was unscientific and skewed in support of hunting. They said the Township Committee should not base a decision on the views of such a small number of residents, and said a better questionnaire should be distributed.

Other residents echoed concerns about the dangers that could arise if hunting was allowed on additional properties.

Several residents said they approved of the extended hunting grounds.

Kathleen Schatzmann, the state director of the Humane Society of the United States and a former wildlife committee member, read her letter of resignation from the panel during the meeting.

“It has become clear that the wildlife committee is overwhelmingly biased, with the primary intent of expanding the hunt areas in our town,” Schatzmann said.

Committeeman Thomas Orgo, who is the liaison to the wildlife group, said claims of bias are untrue. He said Schatzmann stopped attending meetings of the panel months ago.

Fitzgerald said he appointed individuals with “the loudest voices” from the debate earlier this year to the committee.

“We are not going to make everyone happy. We are trying to find the appropriate balance,” he said. “We are trying to comply with state law because we believe we have an obligation to do that, as committee people, and to try to do that which is in the best interest of the town.”