Deerhunting Tactics Targeted: Creve Coeur Council Hears Citizen Concerns

Less than a month after city council enacted legislation legalizing , the way the ordinance is being carried out has members of the public and city council members looking for clarification.

The city began accepting bowhunting permits November 1. According to chief Glenn Eidman, there have been seven approved requests and a total of two deer have been killed as a result of the hunts.

Tammy Walsh, a resident in the Twin Creek subdivision, contacted the city late last month and appeared before city council members Monday to express her concerns that prospective hunters are actively soliciting residents door to door, and that provisions regarding public notice of a potential hunt did not go far enough.

City Administrator Mark Perkins told council members that the deerhunters are not defined as solicitors under the ordinance, but rather as peddlers, and as such don't have to apply for a soliciting permit. While there were open questions on the council about the quality of the information being passed on by some hunters to residents, as well as the extent to which residents understand the new ordinance, Perkins added that property owners still have to sign a notification of intent to hunt before any action is taken.

In the meantime, the city is going to take steps to inform residents about the ordinance via the city's website and monthly newsletter. The city will review the policy and consider potential tweaks at the end of the bowhunting season in January.