A fter reading your Nov. 17 article on the Monmouth County Park System hunting program, it was obvious that it was a one-sided anti-hunting view.
Yes, I am a hunter and an 18- year resident of Monmouth County. I strongly feel that I, along with my fellow residents, enjoy the use of the park system whether it be hunting, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, dog walking or jogging, to name a few. Why should any one activity be denied because a few oppose it?
Imyself have been the victim of two deer-related car accidents resulting in damage to my vehicle in the amount of thousands of dollars. I was lucky to survive with no physical injuries. However, that’s not always the case. Ask any New Jersey resident, and nine out of 10 will tell you they or a member of their family have had a deer-related car accident. My children are becoming of age to drive, and the deer population is growing to the point that in the early morning hours it’s an extreme danger to drive these roads.
As to the League of Humane Voters (and I like that name they have chosen) stating that the park system is managed in a way to increase habitat— that’s a joke. They should look around. Monmouth County is a farmland community. There are farms everywhere which support deer habitat. Should we bulldoze the landscape and stop the farming? Yes, the park leases certain lands to farmers, and why not? It brings revenue. Hunters, along with horseback riders, pay a fee for their park use. But to state that the game agency improves deer habitat is a falsehood. The parks I have seen are left to their natural state except for trail and access improvements.
I would like to know what plant life is being used by the park system that is attracting deer as stated by Miss Russell. In my view, it’s natural to the area. Miss Butler also stated that bow hunting is dangerous because passersby may not recognize the hunt is under way. Well, she must not have ever entered a county park, because the signs are prevalent. The park rangers do a great job with marking the areas.
Bow hunters are under strict rules and guidelines. For example, theymust be elevated in tree stands and they have to be in the woods at least 50 feet from a trail or road. The rangers make sure that these rules are followed or the hunter loses his or her permit. A plaque must be placed in the hunter’s vehicle to identify him or her.
Miss Zolinski said the hunt is held too long. It is in accordance with state hunting laws, and she has concerns of dead deer on her lawn. Who’s to say whether or not the deer are shot in the county park or on other private land? Maybe she should lobby the state to stop hunting altogether.
The part of your article that irks me the most is the statement from Miss Russell that bow hunting is a joke, and that bows are inaccurate and a cruel weapon wounding deer. Bows and archery equipment today is the finest it has ever been. Bows are extremely accurate with better sights and arrows than ever before.
Hunters take a difficult safety course where they have to prove their skill by accurately shooting the bowat a distance and hitting the target in the bull’s-eye. In addition to a written safety test, hunters are morally conscious of the ethical shots they make on deer or other game. Hunters respect the animals as much or more than the average person. The last thing he or she wants to do is wound an animal.
If the hunting is stopped in the park system, the only course of action for the county is to hire an expensive sharpshooter to kill the deer at night. And let’s talk about that safety issue. I don’t want outsiders coming in at night to shoot deer and have to pay for it, causing all of the same concerns that the League of Humane Voters have.
In this county today, it seems as though if you don’t like what your neighbor is doing, let’s make a law to stop them from doing it. Why can’t we all live in harmony with each other and understand that people have different interests than maybe you do. To stop others and myself from using the park (that my taxes also pay for) to pursue my hobby, what’s next? Stop the horseback riding? Stop people from walking their dogs? I also vote!
Michael Barge
Millstone Township