One man's bow to temptation recently endangered a homeowner, damaged property and threatened the future of the urban archery deer hunt in Cherokee Village.
Jimmy Eaken, 66, of Cherokee Village was participating Sept. 10 in the annual hunt aimed at reducing deer in that community. At about 8 p.m., Eaken drove his vehicle searching for a deer he'd shot earlier with his crossbow, for which he had been granted permission to use.
Lt. Steve Taylor, a wildlife officer for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said that during his search Eaken saw a huge buck standing in a yard and he shot at with his crossbow. Eaken later told Taylor it was the biggest buck he'd ever seen and that temptation got the better of him.
Taylor said Eaken did not know if he hit the buck. He was also unaware that his arrow hit a house. It struck a window frame and broke a pane. The homeowners were sitting on a couch in front of the window where the bolt lodged.
"There was a lady and her husband sitting on a couch inside the house," Taylor said. "It probably would have hit her had it been a foot higher and there would have been great potential for serious injury."
A surveillance camera on a nearby residence recorded images of Eaken's vehicle. The vehicle was easily identified when Eaken returned the next day to continue searching for a deer. Taylor said Eaken seemed genuinely surprised that his shot struck the house.
"We've never had any complaints about this individual," Taylor said. "Once we approached him, he admitted to it. He was very apologetic. I don't think he knew he hit that house. He volunteered to take care of the damage."
The damage to the house was about $500, Taylor said. He said he cited Eaken for night hunting and hunting from a road. The night hunting charge carries a possible three-year suspension of hunting and fishing privileges. Both offenses carry fines of $620-$1,000. The Cherokee Village city council revoked his urban hunt permit for this year, and it will probably ban him for life from participating in future hunts.
The Cherokee Village City Council met Thursday evening to discuss the incident. Taylor attended the meeting, as did Mike Stanley of Highland. Taylor and Stanley said they were worried the incident would bring about the end of the Cherokee Village hunt, which was established in 2007. Stanley, an avid bowhunter, recommended a lifetime ban for Eaken while defending the competence and ethics of other participants.
"It's not a personal thing at all, but if this was me, one of my sons or a friend of mine who did this, it doesn't matter," Stanley said. "There should be a lifetime ban for any of us who would do something like this from ever participating in these hunts. It's a privilege for us to have these hunts and not something we take for granted."
Stanley thanked the city council for allowing bowhunters to reduce overpopulations of whitetailed deer. He also asked the council to consider the stellar safety record of previous hunts in its deliberations over future hunts.
"At our urban hunt orientations every year, the ABA leadership and wildlife officers make it crystal clear what is safe, ethical, lawful and responsible behavior," Stanley said. "When we sign up for the privilege to hunt in these communities we willingly agree to a higher standard."
Stanley said the council seemed to appreciate that bowhunters addressed the violation proactively.
"Although most [council members] are non-hunters, they recognize how the hunt benefits the community, reduces deer damage, provides recreational benefit and feeds many of our poor," Stanley said.
Taylor said the absence of hunt opponents at Thursday's city council meeting was a pleasant surprise.
"Nobody spoke in opposition to the hunt last night," Taylor said. "A lot of people were against this hunt when they initiated it about seven years ago."
Taylor said that nearly a decade of safe hunts has probably blunted opposition.
One person did voice opposition to allowing anyone to use a crossbow in urban hunts.
"Only a tiny number of the urban hunt participants, out of hundreds of men and women, use crossbows to my knowledge," Stanley said. "This may give pause to their use in the future."
All that aside, we're grateful nobody was hurt in the incident.
Sports on 09/21/2014