Debates hunting Island County
October 18th, 2005 by Administrator
Debates hunting Island County
Many on Camano Island don’t believe proposed restrictions are strict enough.
As more people move in, Island County commissioners are grappling with what to do with hunters.
The commissioners are scheduled to discuss two proposals today that would put a range of hunting restrictions - some minimal, plus one outright ban - on four county-owned properties.
Many Camano Island residents do not think the restrictions go far enough at their local sites. Their concerns, voiced at public meetings, could end up scuttling both proposals and impelling the commissioners to try something else, Public Works Director Bill Oakes said.
“I think the board (of commissioners) indicated at the last Camano meeting they have an option to reject both ordinances,” Oakes said.
The proposed restrictions vary. On two of the sites - Camano Ridge atop Camano Island and Deer Lagoon on south Whidbey Island - the restrictions would be limited.
Both proposals would allow hunting on the 400 acres at Camano Ridge from Sept. 15 to Nov. 30. That means deer hunters with guns would not be affected. The rules would only affect bow hunters, who get an early deer season starting Sept. 1 and another in December.
That’s not good enough for many of the people who live nearby. Almost all the Camano residents who testified at public meetings wanted stricter restrictions, said Elaine Marlow, the commissioners’ clerk.
Jerry Rusher, 64, lives next to the county’s Camano Ridge property and opposes allowing hunting there.
“I think it’s too highly populated an area to be hunting deer,” Rusher said. “I enjoy hunting. I don’t think this is the place for it.”
Both proposals also would continue to allow duck hunting at Deer Lagoon on Whidbey Island. The only changes would be to create no-hunting buffers of 100 feet from the dike and 150 feet from the rest of the 379-acre property.
The area has homes nearby, and residents like to walk the dikes, but it’s also ideal for duck hunting, Oakes said.
At the county’s 191-acre north end of Greenbank Farm on Whidbey Island, both proposals would ban hunting because of the area’s heavily used trails, Marlow said.
That leaves the question of what to do with the 243 acres of mountain bike trails and deer hunting land at Kettles Trails, north of Coupeville.
One proposal would ban hunting altogether, while the other would restrict it to the same six-week period for Camano Ridge, effectively cutting into the archery season for deer.
Ruth Milner, a biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the Kettles area is complicated. It is next to Fort Ebey State Park, and thus gets used by hikers and mountain bikers but also by some off-islanders for deer hunting, she said.
“This conversation has been going on for a number of years: Where is it safe to hunt in Island County?” Milner asked.
As more people move in, the answer could get tricky.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com
By Scott Morris
Herald Writer