Deer solution triggers outrage

EAST GOSHEN, Pa. - July 15, 2008 Neighbors say a planned deer hunt is dangerously close to their homes and property.

Residents of an East Goshen neighborhood are afraid they'll be prisoners in their own homes if the township goes ahead with its deer hunt plans.

The township wants to hire professional archers to kill deer in the 17 acres of woods behind their homes and in other areas of open space.

"I have a young son, we come out and we walk these woods, and it's perfect for him to see all the animals and learn about nature and we can't do that anymore," Ellen Sinclair of East Goshen said.

The township says it has twice as many deer as it should have.

For the chairman of the board of supervisors, Marty Shane, it's personal due to two close encounters with his car.

"One hit me dead head on, and the other one jumped over the car, and caught me on the right side with my wife in the car, and I would say, one second sooner, it would have probably gone right through the windshield and killed us," Shane said.

The township started looking for solutions three years ago.

Ellen Sinclair was on the committee, but quit after, she says, it was clear they were only interested in having a deer hunt.

Suzanne Bernhard says hunters would be allowed within shot of where her children play in the back yard.

She says leave the deer alone.

"Why would you live here? Move to the city if you don't expect to have wildlife on your property," Bernhard said.

The township says the archers will be in tree stands shooting down on the deer with a range of just 30 yards from the tree.

The supervisors expect an earful from opponents at tonight's supervisors meeting.

They're talking deer, but they're loaded for bear.