By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
COLTS NECK – The Township Committee has adopted an ordinance that will allow anyone who holds a valid permit from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife to hunt white-tailed deer with a bow and arrow on properties 3 acres and larger in an attempt to control the deer population in Colts Neck.
At its Sept. 14 meeting, the committee adopted the ordinance with a 4-0 vote. Mayor Thomas Orgo and committeemen J.P. Bartolomeo, Edward Eastman and Russell Macnow voted yes. Deputy Mayor Michael Fitzgerald was absent.
Members of the public appeared to have a positive attitude regarding the ordinance, with one resident saying the move was great idea.
The adoption of the ordinance followed a recommendation from the Colts Neck Wildlife Committee to permit hunting on properties of 3 acres or more or on aggregated lots of 3 acres or more with consent from the property owner.
In 2014, officials adopted an ordinance that permits residents to hunt deer on properties of 5 acres or greater in size with the written permission of the property owner. Hunting with a bow and arrow or with firearms is permitted on properties of 5 acres and larger.
The Wildlife Committee recommended changing the existing ordinance to permit bow hunting only on properties of between 3 and 5 acres. Representatives of the committee said the idea behind the recommendation was to permit hunting on more properties as a way of controlling the deer population.
The amended ordinance leaves in place the same regulations as the initial ordinance, which states that no person can possess a loaded firearm within 450 feet of any occupied building or possess a nocked arrow within 150 feet of an occupied building. No firearms or nocked arrows may be possessed closer than 450 feet to any school playground.
The ordinance states that all hunters are required to have written and dated permission from the property owner on their person while hunting.
The ordinance permits hunting on leased farmland by individuals who hold the appropriate permit. Officials said the rationale behind that provision is to permit farmers to protect their crops and to minimize the damage done to agriculture by deer.