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Hunting season nears, but not in one backyard

Gaithersburg man denied neighborhood hunt that experts say is growing more common in deer-thriving suburbia

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006

Ray Swogger wanted to hunt for dinner in his Gaithersburg backyard.

The father of four, who has hunted since he was a teenager, asked for his neighbors’ permission to shoot deer with a bow and arrow on his three-quarter acre plot of land this fall.

He’s seen packs of six or seven of the white-tailed animals roam through his property, he said, and many often end up killed by cars on nearby highways.

His effort to mitigate would also provide meat for his family, he said.

‘‘My property seemed like a good source,” said Swogger, 42. ‘‘I don’t hunt for sport, I hunt for food. I’m not looking to get antlers for my wall.”

Neighbors, including the Town of Washington Grove, denied Swogger’s request last month, citing safety and animal cruelty concerns.

But backyard hunting is not all that unusual, state and county experts said, as more and more deer thrive in suburbia.

‘‘In certain places in the county, there is an overpopulation, where we’re seeing 200 deer per square mile, when, ideally, you’d like to see 20 or 30 per square mile,” said Rob Gibbs, natural resources manager for county parks. ‘‘In neighborhoods, that’s the most difficult place to manage them. So we get a lot of calls from folks who want to hunt on their property, or a neighborhood agrees to allow a bow-hunter hunt in the area.”

In most cases, it’s acceptable.

State law allows a person to hunt with a bow and arrow on his own land if there are no occupied places within 150 yards.

Those who have neighbors within that 150 yards must get their permission.

Swogger, whose land abuts several other properties, including a parcel owned by Washington Grove, went through the request process earlier this fall.

The overpopulation of deer is an ongoing issue. AAA Mid Atlantic reported 2,033 deer-car collisions in Montgomery County in 2000.

Although fencing and crop repellants may reduce some deer-related problems, the methods do little to resolve overpopulation, a problem that can result in crop damage, car accidents, disease and deer starvation.

Hunting has become the best mitigation tool the county has turned to in recent years to keep its population in check — and in some areas, neighbors are stepping up to the challenge.

About 30 percent of the state’s registered hunters live in the Baltimore Washington area, a proportion that has grown over the past 10 to 20 years, said Paul Peditto, director of wildlife and heritage services for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

‘‘It’s a two-part equation. People are growing in these suburban communities while, at the same time, the deer population is thriving in them, too,” Peditto said. ‘‘It’s a difficult problem, but many, many more people have accepted regulated hunting as a solution.”

Over the past decade Montgomery County has held managed hunts in 10 of its parks, resulting in fewer car accidents near the parks and some plant species bouncing back to life, Gibbs said.

The majority of the hunts begin this month.

But while those organized pursuits are reducing the deer population in and around the parks, other areas may still be hit hard by large herds of deer, many of which don’t travel far from their home turf, Gibbs said.

The Washington Grove town council originally granted approval for Swogger’s backyard-hunting request, a move that infuriated some residents who said hunting was cruel and a safety hazard.

The council rescinded its decision last month, and Swogger’s other neighbors indicated they didn’t want him shooting arrows near their properties either.

‘‘He was responsible about it, but the council didn’t realize it would be so controversial,” said Washington Grove Mayor John Compton.

Swogger said he knew the request was a long-shot, but that he didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to help decrease the deer population in the neighborhood while providing some food for his family or for local shelters and food kitchens.

He argued the safety risk is low because he shoots deer from less than 20 yards away, usually at dawn or dusk.

‘‘It was worth a try, but I’m at a standstill at this point,” said Swogger, who has lived and hunted in Texas. ‘‘In Texas, it was much easier to find wide open spaces.”

Gibbs is quick to say that hunting — although the best population control — isn’t the only way to mitigate deer related problems.

In 1993 a citizen task force produced a comprehensive white-tailed deer management plan for the county, which resulted in greater efforts to educate people about how to keep the animals out of their yards.

More fences and deer caution signs have been erected near roads, and county-sponsored workshops teach residents how to use repellants and plant landscape that deer won’t eat.

But there still is a serious hunting need, Gibbs said. As the upcounty continues to change from rural land to housing communities, managing deer in those areas could become more and more difficult, he said.

‘‘It’s still a fairly new problem,” Gibbs said. ‘‘We’re trying to get the word out, education wise. One side is population control, the other side is human tolerance.”