Montgomery tackles deer explosion

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Montgomery County Councilman George Leventhal found himself facing a tough question about objectivity on the county’s deer policy late last year.

Specifically, had his hospitalization from a deer collision on the Capital Beltway in November, in which the animal came through his window and struck him in the face, deprived him of his ability to fairly reassess the county’s hunting guidelines?

In other words, did he subconsciously have it in for deer after the accident?

“That came up, and I searched my conscience to determine whether my view had been in any way biased,” Leventhal said Wednesday.

Facing thousands of vehicle collisions each year, destruction of vegetation and crops, and the ever-present threat of Lyme disease, the County Council voted in December to loosen guidelines on shooting deer.

The measure allows hunters on private tracts of at least 50 acres to shoot deer without a state permit or permission from police, though authorities still would need to be notified of a hunt. The bill also shrunk the no-hunting buffer zone around houses from 200 yards to 150, and around roads from 100 yards to 50. The vote was unanimous.

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