A Sad Weekend in the Woods: Joplin Hunting Disrupts a Shared Space
Over the weekend, gunshots rang out in the night across the 29-acre wooded corridor many of us walk daily. By morning, we found hunter blinds, game cameras, and deer attractant. The soil showed fresh deer prints. We called the police. The responding officer himself the hunter confirmed he had permission to hunt there. He said people had been confronting him, telling him he shouldn’t be hunting in a space used by families, dog walkers, ATV riders, and even homeless individuals. But he did not stop. This raises serious concerns. There are no posted “No Trespassing” signs. The property owner lives elsewhere and may not know how many people use this land daily. Hunting in such a heavily trafficked area is a liability, plain and simple. Just last week, I watched seven deer. This week, they’re gone. I believe the shots we heard, the blinds we found, and the attractant placed were part of a harvest that wiped out the entire herd of late season fawn doe and one first season buck. ...