Area drivers are accustomed to watching carefully for deer on the highway, especially in the morning and evening.

Thursday, September 06, 2001

Area drivers are accustomed to watching carefully for deer on the highway, especially in the morning and evening. Local pilots have had the same concern, according to Jim Hanson, manager of the Albert Lea Airport.

&uot;Those deer live out there in the trees, and they’d venture out onto the runways. That can present a real problem if you’re landing or taking off,&uot; Hanson said.

To avoid the dangers of deer on the runway, the city is allowing bow hunting on the 116 acres of the airport for the fourth straight year. Engineer Steve Jahnke said the program is paying off, and area hunters continue to participate.

&uot;Just the presence of hunters seems to be keeping the deer out of the area,&uot; he said. &uot;The hunters aren’t getting many, but the deer haven’t been as much of a problem since we started this.&uot;

The city drew about 40 names of licensed bow hunters Wednesday to participate during the normal season from Sept. 15 to Dec. 31, Jahnke said. The Bancroft Park area is also included, but not until Nov. 1.

As word gets around about the program, more bow hunters are hoping to participate.

&uot;The interest is there every year. We had over 60 applications this year,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ve heard a lot of positive comments about it.&uot;

The program is limited to bow hunters because the airport land is bordered by homes and businesses.

Jahnke said the city council determined firearms would present a danger to the public.

&uot;We’re making sure the program is safe, and not a nuisance of any kind,&uot; he said.

Though hunters bagged only three deer last season under the program, Hanson said the potential is much greater. He thinks the deer population is considerable.

&uot;We’ve counted as many as 28 of them,&uot; Hanson said. &uot;Allowing the hunters access to the land makes more sense than trying to put up a 14-foot fence around the whole area.&uot;

Airports have always dealt with animal problems, Hanson said. Besides deer, seagulls and geese have been a chronic problem.

&uot;It comes with the territory, I guess. We’re bordered by all that open land, so it’s no surprise that animals are in the area,&uot; he said.