Joplin City Council moves forward with allowing bow hunting for deer in city limits
The ordinance provides for bow hunting within city limits on private land of 1 acre or larger with a recurve bow and permission of the property owner.
The ordinance as proposed required hunters to be 21 years or older. However, councilman Josh Bard proposed an amendment to allow those as young as age 16 to hunt when accompanied by an adult.
One council member opposed allowing deer hunting in the city limits.
'I think this is a crazy idea,' Gary Shaw said. 'I know there are areas where we have deer challenges. But I sit out on my patio and I don't want ... arrows flying by me, my wife and my son.'
Others on the council favored the ordinance for reasons that include culling deer that can become a nuisance by congregating in herds on the city's edges, and because of the need to kill sick deer, such as those that may be suffering from chronic wasting disease, they said.
Bard said that, as deer populations increase, overpopulation or other environmental factors can cause food shortages for the animals. Also, the deer cause collisions with vehicles.
Councilman Mark Farnham said that residents in the city's Zone 4, which he represents, have told him that the deer carry a lot of ticks onto residential properties, where the ticks attach to people.
'It's not only a human risk,' he said of the ticks that can carry such ailments as Lyme disease, but the risk of having deer infected with chronic wasting disease. The Missouri Department of Conservation said three CWD cases have been detected in the Jasper County deer population — two in the 2024-25 seasons and the first one in the 2023-24 hunting season. That first one, northwest of Joplin along Center Creek near the Kansas line, was the closest to Joplin. No CWD cases have been detected in Newton County.
Regarding those who support a city effort for urban hunting, Farnham said, 'The pressure on the city is not from hunters, but from residents seeing the number of deer and disease' in their neighborhoods.
Councilman Doug Lawson said he once had a call from a resident of Silver Creek asking the city for help because there was a herd of 24 deer in that resident's yard.
Deer congregating within the city damage yards by eating both natural and planted vegetation on the properties, he said.
Council member Chuck Copple proposed two amendments to the ordinance. One would require that all those wishing to hunt in city limits go through a hunter safety course offered by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Also, he proposed requiring that arrows be etched with the hunter safety number issued by the department. He also proposed lowering the age for urban hunting to 16 with adult supervision.
Mayor Keenan Cortez said urban hunting has been going on for years. Joplin is not trying to reinvent the wheel, he said, by adopting an urban hunting ordinance he believes it is ethical.
Anyone who violates the ordinance also would have repercussions to face, he said.
The mayor said that last deer season he saw a resident's post on social media asking for someone to come and shoot deer 'that were eating up everything around her house.'
He also said chronic wasting disease is a serious concern among deer hunters.
The Missouri Department of Conservation this spring confirmed 243 new cases of chronic wasting disease statewide from the 2024-2045 seasons. The total includes deer killed by hunters as well as those identified with CWD during targeted removal efforts. Those new cases bring the total number of CWD positives found in the state to 815 across 46 counties since the first positive CWD was identified in wild deer in 2012.
Shaw said he talked to members of law enforcement about the proposal and that he believes most hunters are ethical and abide by the laws, 'but my concern is we're opening the city up to it and how are we going to control it?'
Lawson favors it but prefers to make it available to those age 21 or older.
Copple asked Assistant Police Chief Brian Lewis if the department has seen near misses of vehicle crashes as deer numbers increase. Lewis said that within city limits, there are eight to 10 city crashes a year and that is not an increase.
Assistant City Attorney Andrea Knoblach said Jasper County reports 60 to 70 vehicle crashes a year with deer as well as incidents of damage to vegetation, gardens and transmission of diseases.
Copple asked about the penalty section. Knoblach said that is going to be standard of any violation ranging from a fine to incarceration. Lewis said it would be a misdemeanor and trespassing if they don't have property owner permission.
Cortez does not expect a lot of hunters, but rather people on edge of town might ask people to harvest deer.
Cortez added: 'If this gets off the rails, guess what we can do? We can shut her down.'
At the conclusion of the discussion, Copple made a motion to amend the council bill on the age requirement to stipulate minimum hunting age as 16 years old with a deer tag. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by a licensed adult. That motion carried with six in favor. Shaw voted against it, and two council members, Doris Carlin and Josh DeTar, were absent.
Copple also made a motion to amend the ordinance to require that all who wish to participate in an urban hunt attend a hunter safety course. That motion passed with seven in favor and two absent.
Copple also made a motion to amend the ordinance that young hunters without hunter safety numbers because of their age be assigned a permit to attach to the arrows they shoot. That amendment also passed with seven votes.
Bard made a motion to allow the right of retrieval if a deer goes onto someone else's property after being shot. The council voted 5-2 in favor, with two absent.
The amended ordinance will require second and third readings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Why are tick bites sending so many people to the emergency room this summer?
While working as a youth camp doctor in upstate New York earlier this summer, Dr. Matt Harris noticed he was removing a dozen ticks from campers each day, more than in years prior. Harris, an emergency medicine doctor at Northwell Medicine, said summer camp isn't the only place seeing a surge of tick bites: He and other doctors have been seeing more people coming into the ER because of ticks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this July has seen more ER visits for tick bites so far than the past eight Julys. Tick-related hospital visits typically peak in May. This May, tick bites accounted for 134 out of every 100,000 ER visits, the highest level since 2019, the CDC says. Rates were highest in the Northeast and the Midwest. Harris and other doctors said this rise in ER visits may be due to increased awareness about ticks. 'I think because there's so much out there in the media about this, people are coming in before they get engorged,' Harris said. 'So they're coming in when the tick is small.' Thomas Mather, an entomologist at the University of Rhode Island who researches ticks, attributed the trend to the migration of ticks to more heavily populated areas. Warmer temperatures and more intense humidity mean that ticks are found in a wider geographic area and tick season lasts longer. Tick bites tend to happen more in the spring, summer and fall, when people are outdoors. May and June are the most troublesome months, Mather said. Although everyone is susceptible to tick bites, small children account for the greatest proportion of ER visits. Mather and Harris both said this is because kids are more likely to be in outdoor environments where ticks are present. What diseases do ticks cause? Different species of ticks carry different diseases. The most common tick-borne illness is Lyme disease, Mather said. The infection — which can cause a bull's-eye rash — is spread by the black-legged deer tick and caused by Borrelia bacteria. Nearly half a million people are diagnosed or treated for Lyme disease each year, according to the CDC. Other diseases spread by ticks include the heartland virus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Not all tick bites result in infections. The longer a tick stays latched to skin, the higher chance that harmful bacteria can lead to infection, said Dr. Daniel Solomon, an infectious disease doctor at Brigham and Woman's Hospital in Boston. But doctors say that people are often seeking care because of the tick itself, not because of any symptoms of illness. Dr. Meredith Porter, medical director at Inova-GoHealth Urgent Care in Virginia, said she commonly sees patients without any symptoms come in with the tick still attached. 'That's why going to get the tick off early on with recognition is important,' Harris said. 'It's not a 2 o'clock in the morning emergency, but it's within the next couple of hours.' What to do if you get a tick bite Symptoms vary depending on the type of tick, but markers for many tick-borne illnesses include flu-like symptoms like a fever and body aches. These symptoms can take several days to weeks to manifest. Solomon said that for people without symptoms, a trip to the emergency room is not necessary. Visiting urgent care or even a simple phone call to a doctor will suffice, he said. 'This is not a 911 emergency — we should be really clear,' Harris said. 'Do not call the ambulance for this.' To prevent tick bites, use bug spray and wear long pants and long sleeves, especially in grassy or wooded areas. After spending time in an area where ticks are found, people should do a self-check for any ticks attached to their skin. Ticks should be removed as soon as possible. Porter recommends using tweezers to gently grasp the tick close to the skin. Harris said to avoid squeezing the tick tightly during removal, because it may increase the risk of infection. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
Hamilton Spectator
15-07-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Ticks and Lyme disease rising in Halton: report
Check your legs after walking through the tall grass in Halton. According to a report presented to regional council at its July 9 meeting, Lyme disease from blacklegged ticks is expected to rise in the region, with the percentage of blacklegged ticks carrying it having greatly increased in recent years. Twice a year, a tick dragging exercise is conducted at roughly 10 wooded or brushy sites across Halton, allowing the region to count both the prevalence of ticks and the Lyme disease positivity rate. In spring 2025, the first of the year's two surveillance exercises, 61 blacklegged ticks were collected. Of those, 23 tested positive for Lyme disease — a 37.7 per cent positivity rate. Coun. Rory Nisan of Burlington said he has personally witnessed an increase in the arachnid. 'All the data is showing that things are worse, but I didn't see something in the report showing how Halton is going to up its game, try to do more. Maybe there isn't more that we can do other than communicate and try to work with people. But, is there anything more that we could be doing given the significant increase and the dangers,' said Nisan. Dr. Deepika Lobo, commissioner and medical officer of health, confirmed there isn't much the region can do. 'We are doing everything we can at this time. The focus now is on educating people to prevent tick bites or ticks on them, because most of the ticks now are due to climate change, so not much we can do,' said Lobo. 'The focus is on what you can do around your property, what you can do personally to prevent. But we're also hoping that eventually there might be some vaccine that can come, that we can promote.' Public health uses a variety of approaches to respond to vector-borne diseases, including a larvicide control program to reduce the numbers of the disease-carrying creatures, public education, personal protective measures and monitoring. Anyone looking for more information on ticks in Halton can visit the region's information page on the topic at . The site includes a guide for removing a tick safely, as well as tips to reduce the number of ticks around a person's home. Coun. Paul Sharman of Burlington said he has personally witnessed the harm these diseases can do. 'I know so many people who have been bitten by them, so many people who have become seriously ill by these things — it's not something anybody wants,' said Sharman. 'I found one on my back just walking around my garden — it really ticked me off.' Lyme disease is not the only vector-borne illness currently being found in Ontario. In 2023, the province declared anaplasmosis, babesiosis and powassan virus as three new reportable tick-borne diseases of public health significance. There have been no human cases of these confirmed in Halton Region. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
The Hill
13-07-2025
- The Hill
Tick-related ER visits are spiking this summer: How to protect yourself
(NEXSTAR) – Visits to the Emergency Room for tick bites this summer are spiking well above those of previous years, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data (CDC) shows. CDC statistics, compiled in collaboration with local and state health departments, show that this summer's visits are higher than every year except 2017, the earliest year in the CDC tracker. The majority of cases have been recorded in the Northeast, followed by the Midwest and Southeast, respectively. Data shows that children under 10 and adults over 70 had the highest rates of ER trips for tick bites. 'Humans are outside more in summer so we hear about more tick infections,' said Sam Telford, an infectious diseases expert at Tufts University. But he urges caution year-round because 'every season is tick season.' While tick populations vary a lot regionally, some Northeastern states including Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are seeing 'above average' numbers of American dog ticks this year, said Telford. And New York state is seeing a higher number of reported deer tick bites this year than last year, said Saravanan Thangamani, who studies tick-borne diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University. While tick bites are potentially dangerous, it doesn't mean people need to stop enjoying the outdoors. 'There are a number of things we can do to help prevent potential contraction of Lyme disease and prevent [a] tick bite,' according to Dr. Christopher Bazzoli, an emergency medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic. 'We start with clothing, making sure the clothing is tucked in, good fitting socks, pants, long pants, long sleeve shirts, and then repellents are very effective.' Bazzoli says ticks are attracted to moist, warm areas like under the arms or behind the knees. When checking for ticks, however, every inch should be examined, including one's head. Should you find a tick, Bazzoli recommends using tweezers and getting them as close as possible to the skin before pulling the tick straight up. If it doesn't come out clean, tweezers can be used to take out the rest. 'After we remove a tick, there's now a break in the skin, and just like any other break in the skin, we need to be careful to prevent a secondary bacterial infection. And so, washing that area with warm and soapy water is really important,' according to Bazzoli. Symptoms that should be checked out by a doctor include rash, fever, headache or fatigue. Finally, don't forget your furry friends, Bazzoli said. Make sure to check them thoroughly, including under the collar and between the toes. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
