CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Channel 9 found out that Charlotte is thinking of legalizing bow hunting in the city limits.
The city is growing and that means more people and maybe more traffic run-ins with deer.
Some people want to hunt in the city limits to keep the deer population down, like Jessie Smith, who owns an archery store.
"It would be a great opportunity to let some bow hunters get out there and thin the herd out some," he said.
But some people are worried. Residents of a southeast Charlotte neighborhood had a close call recently.
Someone shot deer near their homes and children, so they weren't crazy about the idea when Channel 9 told them about it.
"You can go out in your back yard and shoot a bow?" asked Jennifer Diaz.
And at least one city leader, Patrick Cannon, isn't sold, either. "There are buildings. There are homes. You run a risk of being able to hit a human being," he said.
If the city does allow bow hunting, it could still put restrictions on the practice, such as when you can hunt or where you can do it.
Channel 9 learned that other large southeastern cities allow bow hunting in their city limits, including Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
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