Nov 18, 2015 2 min read

As a resident of Mt. Lebanon, I have been watching this archery thing spin out of control. In the past two weeks, I have seen so many hunters in my community that I am wondering if they turned it into the State Gamelands. In addition, there are camouflage ATVs being used to chase deer as well. Last Saturday, I saw the ATVs on Cochran Road turning onto Cedar Boulevard. If that doesn’t pose a safety risk, I don’t know what does.

Two days ago, I went for a walk, and I have to mention, I have not gone for a walk since the archery started Sept. 19. Along Cedar Boulevard, there was a blood trail on the sidewalk that stretched from the Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center all the way to Bird Park Drive on Cedar. Certainly if I saw this, kids on the way home from school saw it as well. The spatters of blood were about two-feet apart and went for about a mile, which would be consistent with a wounded deer running for its life.

I also have been hearing reports of people hunting at night, and on Sunday. I myself heard gunshots on the Friday night before Halloween, which woke me up. There is a paranoia that is developing among residents – people are afraid to leave their homes, afraid of what they might see, and with good reason.

At the Nov. 9 commissioner’s meeting, they indicated that they don’t know how many deer were in Mt. Lebanon to start with (and they are unwilling to do an aerial survey). They don’t know how many have been killed (they claim they won’t know that until January), and they don’t know how many archers, authorized or unauthorized, are in our community. Why isn’t anyone monitoring this? Just about every resident I have spoken to has said that they do not see any deer anymore. How can this be allowed to happen?

Lets be clear on this – this is not hunting. It’s a downright slaughter of tame animals. What type of person can stand there and shoot a deer that is looking right at them, not running away – entire families of deer, fawns. To cause them pain and terror is reprehensible.

Jan Seybold

Mt. Lebanon