Deer found hurt in Charlotte were hit with arrows. Is it legal to hunt wildlife in the city?
Spotting seriously injured deer is becoming the norm for residents of a neighborhood in south Charlotte.
A deer found near Huntingtowne Farms was reportedly struck by an arrow. The animal is expected to make a recovery.
It is the second deer to be discovered in the Charlotte area with similar injuries.
Another deer was euthanized earlier this year after it was found by an officer with an arrow through its neck, WSOC reported. According to wildlife officials, there have been three injured deer spotted in the Huntingtowne Farms area this year. They all seemed to be critically injured by a hunter’s bow and arrow.
Residents say they have found stray arrows throughout the neighborhood. The situation has prompted discussions about the legality of hunting in the Charlotte area.
According to North Carolina hunting regulations, it’s not illegal to hunt using a bow and arrow, although when you can hunt, where you can hunt and the specifications of the weapon are restricted.
Can you hunt deer in Charlotte?
As stated by the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department, hunting is generally not allowed in county parks, except within specially permitted hunts each fall.
Hunting season has not yet started and hunting is not allowed within Charlotte city limits.
The individual responsible for the injured deer in the Huntingtowne Farms area not only broke the law by hunting within city limits, but also by hunting outside of North Carolina’s hunting season.
When does hunting season in NC begin?
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says the earliest that North Carolina hunters are allowed to start hunting deer this year is Sept. 10.
Even the hunting season known as Urban Archery Season (archery only), which allows cities throughout North Carolina to hold archery seasons in their jurisdictions, doesn’t begin until January 2023.
Charlotte is not a participating city in that season, although some municipalities in surrounding areas, like Belmont and Concord, do.
Municipalities that allow hunting in urban areas often restrict hunters to private land and require them to abide by very specific regulations put in place by corresponding townships.
Weapons that are legal to hunt with in North Carolina
Hunters are permitted to use a bow and arrow for deer hunting in areas of the state that allow it as long as it is within season limits and the specifications of the weapon meet certain requirements.
For instance, longbows and recurve bows must have a minimum pull of 40 pounds. Compound bows must have a minimum pull of 35 pounds and crossbows must have a minimum pull of 100 pounds.
Additionally, only arrows and bolts that have a fixed minimum broadhead width of seven-eighths of an inch can be used. Mechanically-opening broadheads with a width of at least seven-eighths of an inch in the open position are also permitted for hunting in North Carolina.
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
