Article Courtesy of WINK NEWS

Published July 20, 2014  

       
COLLIER COUNTY -- A Southwest Florida neighborhood is overrun with wildlife, and something has to be done.

As a solution, the HOA wants people to go hunting...but not everyone likes the idea of taking aim in a gated community.

A community newsletter, sent to WINK News by a distraught homeowner, says the affluent North Naples community of Mediterra is being overrun by deer and community leaders want them hunted. Instead of using a gun, their hunter will use a bow and arrow.

Homeowners are so concerned they contacted wildlife group PETA. A spokesperson for the group said culling is a cruel and ineffective way to kill deer, and will likely not work, but WINK News found out hunting the deer with a bow and arrow is legal in Florida and in most other states across the country.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officers say deer carry lyme disease, but the most common problem homeowners have is when deer eat ornamental landscaping.

Michael Spencer is a landscape architect and said that killing deer by a bow and arrow to protect the plants is too drastic.

"There's 3,000 commonly available plants. You can find something else. There's also deer repellant that works pretty well," said Spencer. "It's stunning really."

Florida Fish and Wildlife officers say hunting deer with a gun is dangerous near homes because a bullet can typically travel 3.5 miles.

Bow season starts in August.