AR-News: "Dangerous Dogs" Debate / Pro-Hunt LTE

Tue May 4 00:11:03 EDT 2004

Hey all,

On Tuesday night, I will be on CN8 debating whether or not to outlaw certain breeds of dogs.  I believe you can watch this on the internet (www.CN8.com) if you do not get this cable channel, which is carried from Maryland to Maine.  The show starts at 9 P.M.

The Asbury Park Press ran a pro-hunt editorial in response to the mine, which was published a couple of weeks ago. If you live within the APP's area, please consider writing a letter to the editor in response to this. Since I had the original editorial, I doubt they will give me another opportunity.   

I am sending out the bowhunter editorial. It reads like it was written by someone in the parks department, or at least they filled this guy with numbers and the such.  The whole thing is a bit ridiculous, but with only 250 words to reply, there isn't a great deal of room to include everything.  

Send to:      yourviews at app.com

A few points:

*Note that they state they were "instrumental" in getting hunts at Monmouth Battlefield State Park and Great Swamp.  The battlefield hunts have been going on for 14 years and Great Swamp is in its third decade.  Of course they are a huge success to hunters; they get to slaughter deer every year there.  This also gives credence to the fact that they were behind the  9 park Monmouth County hunts.

*This is a quote from the Erie Insurance Group: "Not surprising, the daily number of deer claims increases during mating season in late October to early November and with hunting season in late November to early December. Last year, Erie Insurance received an average of 34 deer claims a day. That number rose nearly five times on the first day of buck season and doe season for 157 and 160 deer losses, respectively."

So, the two days you are most likely to hit a deer were on the opening day of buck and doe seasons. You can't make a better case than this that hunting directly causes these accidents. 

*For info to use on just how barbaric bowhunting is, visit this page: www.honorandnonviolence.com/bowhunting.html

The APP has been very good about printing letters on this issue, so please write and hit the bowhunters hard!

Stu Chaifetz

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County park hunts are wildlife success stories

Published in the Asbury Park Press 5/02/04

By JACK SPOTO

I am writing in response to Stuart Chaifetz's April 16 commentary "Park hunts expose public to deer-car accidents." Chaifetz's first point about "deer reduction hunts" failing miserably is not correct.

The Monmouth Battlefield State Park hunt is a huge success and very popular with Monmouth County sportsmen. Deer-car collisions around Monmouth Battlefield have been significantly reduced since the inception of the hunt.

The United Bowhunters of New Jersey and the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen Clubs were instrumental in getting the hunts at Monmouth Battlefield and the Great Swamp started, and both hunts have been hailed as wildlife success stories.

Chaifetz states that "the Erie Insurance Group of Pennsylvania discovered that accidents increase during hunting seasons." That's true, but it has nothing to do with hunters being in the woods. It has to do with the deer's breeding season occurring at that time of the year. Bucks chase does in an attempt to mate; some does are not receptive at that time and may cross a road in an effort to elu de the buck. Other bucks searching for does to mate with may increase the size of their territorial domain, and in doing so may cross more roads and highways.

Why do deer-car collisions happen at night and on Sundays when there is no hunting? Last week, we made a call to the Erie Insurance Group, which told us that its statement was in no way anti-hunting. It was simply stating a fact -- that deer-car collisions increase during the breeding season. Any knowledgeable wildlife biologist will tell you this.

Animal-rights activists always point out how bowhunting is cruel and ineffective. Bowhunting is an efficient, ethical and humane way to harvest deer. Bowhunting is one of the safest sports. No nonparticipant has ever been killed or injured by a bowhunter in New Jersey. Fish and Game departments all over the country use bowhunting as an urban deer-management tool because of its effectiveness, sho rt range, quietness and proven safety record.

The animal-rights organizations are fond of saying they'll put up the funding for deer sterilization studies or for SpayVac vaccines. They did contribute money to carry out the White Buffalo immuno-contraception study at Princeton. The White Buffalo Study so far is proving that immuno-contraception is impractical on free-ranging deer and will be tremendously costly at more than $1,000 per deer.

Chaifetz says he read on our Web site that there was a secret meeting between the Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners and United Bowhunters. Despite what he read, there were never any meetings with anyone associated with the Monmouth County Parks System. We did meet with a Monmouth County homeowners association about trying to gain access to properties around the parks that were in undated with deer. We attended every one of the parks system's public meetings, where pro-hunt sentiments outweighed those of the anti-hunters, 10-1.

I have to applaud the parks system for doing such a thorough job at formulating its deer management plan. It sought the advice of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Morris County Parks Commission and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. It listened to the general public, sportsmen, park users, neighbors and those opposed to hunting. It evaluated its land, set season dates and provided maps to ensure that the hunt would be performed in a safe manner with little conflict between hunters and normal park users. It answered everyone's question in a sufficient manner and it adequately explained the reason for having a hunt and the consequences of not having a hunt.

When deer are allowed to proliferate unchecked, it can have an adverse effect on their well-being and health of other plants and animals that share the habitat with them. The parks system is taking the necessary steps to begin to control the deer in and around the parks with these hunts.

Deer have ravaged the parks and surrounding areas with agricultural crop damage, ecological damage and ornamental plant damage. Motor vehicle accidents are an almost daily occurrence around the park. The parks system had to install a fence around the perimeter of Deep Cut Gardens in 2003, just to protect a collection of ornamental plants with a replacement value of more than $5 million. The cost of the fence was in excess of $111,000.

All the nonlethal options have been explored. Contraception is costly and ineffective. And even if it did work, it would take decades to reduce the deer herds to manageable numbers. Trapping and translocation is very costly. Studies show that 50 percent of all relocated deer die within a year, due to the stress of relocation. Fencing is also very expensive and does nothing for the neighbors of the parks who still have to deal with deer overpopulation and damage.

We are left with a deer management plan that includes hunting as a viable tool for management of wildlife. It costs nothing to the taxpayers and it helps alleviate millions of dollars of damage. Sportsmen will help reduce the size of the herd and use the deer for their own consumption. Hunters who are allowed to hunt will contribute to the local economy, become recreational users of the parks an d perform a valuable public service to the citizens of Monmouth County.

Jack Spoto, Freehold Township, is president of United Bowhunters of New Jersey, which represents 53,000 licensed bowhunters.
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www.HonorAndNonViolence.com