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In my book. Backyard Deer Hunting: Converting deer to dinner for pennies per pound. I advocate hunting close to home as well as salvaging road-killed deer. New Year’s day found me processing a road-killed buck that friend Roger Kicklighter had recovered near his house. We decided to go there for an early-morning hunt the following day, with the results shown in the following video. During a period of three days, not only was this buck struck by a car, but a doe was also killed by a vehicle strike very near his house.
I do not know of a more practical demonstration of a statement that I have often made, “We are going to take these deer with our guns and bows or we are going to take them with our cars and trucks. You have your choice.” Over the years I have taken three deer from behind Roger’s house, another of his friends has taken two and now that he has a bow that he can shoot well, I expect that Roger will take some more too.
Georgia allows the use of bows and crossbows when hunting urban and near-urban areas. These instruments are very effective, kill well and when used from tree stands all the shots are directed at down angles towards the ground effectively preventing the arrow from causing danger to nearby residents when used by careful and knowledgable hunters. There is no practical difference between the relative lethality of guns and archery equipment used at close range. In fact, sometimes deer taken with sharp arrows that do not strike bone are not even aware that they have been hit. They feel tired, lie down and die from internal bleeding.
If you are having a problem viewing the video “Urban Deer in a Backyard Setting, GA, 2011” in this post, it is also on YouTube and may be seen by clicking the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvDg9PxHKiU.
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Amen Hovey.
I have forgotten how many road kill critters I’ve picked up and eaten over the years. For sure, I have given away far more of this meat to hungry families than I kept, my freezer being stocked.
Urban deer also do need killing, as you say. I read too many stories of cities hiring pro hunters to come in and thin herds.