Human-deer interactions are increasing each year as deer continue to lose habitat to residential, commercial and industrial development.

According to the UNC Highway Safety Research Center there were more than 15,000 collisions with deer in 2004 and of those nine people died.

Between 2004 and 2006 deer caused over $107 million in property damage. Ordinances such as those in Durham that prohibit hunting within city limits have created giant sanctuaries where deer thrive unregulated.

Archery deer hunting is the quietest and most effective way to reduce deer numbers in areas like Durham. Many landowners have acres or more within the city limits that cannot be hunted due to local ordinances which do not permit the discharge of any weapon including bow and arrow.

Urban archery programs such as those already implemented in Midwestern states and West Virginia have reduced vehicle collisions and property damage. Atlanta has an urban archery program which has held deer-car collisions steady as opposed to North Carolina, where collisions have increased at a yearly rate of 8 percent, according to State Farm Insurance. Not only would such a program reduce deer numbers but it also would provide hunting recreation in areas close to the city for people who might not otherwise have that opportunity.

Critics might suggest innocent deer will be killed. However, these deer will be killed one way or the other, either by hunters, your car, or possibly starvation. As a whole, deer hunters are the world’s largest group of conservationists and contribute more to wildlife and land preservation than any other organization. Contributing billions of dollars, all publicly owned land is funded by hunters through the Pittman-Roberson Act, an 11 percent excise tax on license fees and game tags. Without hunters, there would not be nearly the amount of land for non-hunters to bird watch, hike, and play. Hunters as a whole are a respectful group that love the animals they harvest and use the meat they obtain either through personal consumption or donating it to programs like Hunters for the Hungry.

Is it safe? Yes.

In Atlanta, not one person has been harmed from bow and arrow, and no pets have been mistaken for a deer. Hunting from elevated stands with equipment such as bow and arrow that have a range of only 30 to 40 yards, and having required training from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission before even being able to obtain a hunting license, the chances of anyone or anything being injured are almost zero. Concord, N.C., just implemented the program last year, which allows hunting on properties two acres or more and requires hunters hunt from elevated stands 10 feet or higher and 250 feet or more from any building.

I implore City Council members and the Planning Department of Durham to consider registering for the Urban Archery Program (Jan. 15-Feb. 19, 2014) through the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which must be done prior to April 1, 2013. Currently, 34 other municipalities in North Carolina have done so, including Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Concord, and likely this year, Wake Forest. With one female deer easily producing two fawns per year and a state population around 1 million, deer numbers will continue to grow exponentially even in urban environments.