Hunter reportedly kills deer with bow, arrow near south Charlotte park

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Someone is reportedly shooting deer with a bow and arrow near James Boyce Park off Sardis Road in south Charlotte.

[ALSO READ: Wildlife officers cracking down on illegal hunting near neighborhoods]

"It's a little unsettling for arrows to be going through the air in your neighborhood – absolutely,” resident Penelope Wilson said.

Someone posted a sign with a photograph of a dead deer. The sign read it was found dead a week ago at the park.

"Everyone is on alert, trying to find out who this hunter is," Wilson said.

Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation officials said their staff doesn't know if the illegal hunting is happening in the park or close by.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officials said they received a report of someone trying to harvest a deer in the area, which is illegal in the city limits.

"It just comes down to public safety,” said Sgt. William Laton, who is with the N.C. Wildlife Commission. “It's not as much about the resource or a lack of having the resources. It is just simple public safety."

Boyce Park connects to the McAlpine Creek Greenway where families walk, run and bike.

"There's a lot of wooded space right next to houses where kids play,” Wilson said. “They could easily miss the deer and hit a child."

Hunting is listed under prohibited activities on the sign when you come into Boyce Park.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Facilities Ordinance reads, “No person within the confines of any park shall hunt, pursue, trap, shoot, injure, kill, harass or molest in any way, any bird or animal except by permit.”

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Cox Media Group