Not Just Deer: The Human Cost of Urban Hunting
Urban hunting ordinances in Joplin, Missouri expose a hidden danger homeless encampments in wooded parcels where poachers and bowhunters operate. This article reveals the human cost of policy gaps, forged permission slips, and silent hunters in shared spaces. As Joplin’s urban bow hunting ordinance takes effect, a quiet danger grows in the woods one that few officials are willing to name. It’s not just about deer. It’s about people. Local advocate Brian Evans recently shared photos and commentary on his public Facebook page, documenting homeless encampments in wooded areas across Joplin . His post, titled Joplin’s Homeless Crisis: The High Cost of Enabling , describes how public spaces and private parcels have become informal shelters for unhoused individuals many of whom live in tents, brush shelters, or abandoned structures near creeks and rail lines. These same wooded parcels may be to bow hunting under Joplin’s ordinance, which allows harvests on private land of one acr...