Wildlife roaming through town is nothing new to anyone who's familiar with any mountain communities.  Certainly, if the population of elk, deer, and other large, wild animals is getting to the point of making day-to-day life difficult, or worse yet dangerous for the masses, it would seem something needs done; and since people routinely eat elk and deer meat, increased hunting of these creatures could be the answer.

Does this mean if you see a tasty-looking animal in a residential or commercial district, it should be okay to whip out your gun, shoot it, and take it with you?

In Canon City, the answer is yes for many locals.  The town is considering allowing "urban deer hunts" within city limits, as deer are wreaking havoc like messing up people's landscaping.  City council there is hosting the debate, and if this passes, the first in-town deer hunt would likely commence next year.

I'm pretty sure there needs to be some regulation on this, regardless of your feelings about guns and our right to use them!  With recent reports of bullets flying through people's campsites in Poudre Canyon and other areas, including at least one random, tragic, freak fatality that I can remember, is it really a good idea to let every beer-guzzling dude out for a little fun start snappin' off shots where people are living and doing business?

Another way to handle this might be to allow a few trained professionals to handle routine thinning of the herds of these animals.  One of the great things about living in Colorado - am I wrong? - is the fact gunshots aren't being heard all around us when we're going about our days!

 

 

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