Westlake's growth has led to more deer sightings

When I was 14-15 years old (1949) we moved to Westlake. A big change from Lakewood. I had a .22 rifle when I was 10 years old, and a shotgun when I was 13, and did a lot of target shooting. 

In Westlake, which was still open country, one could go hunting pheasants, rabbits, and even squirrels in season. I became an excellent shot and never missed what I was shooting at. We had many meals of pheasants and rabbits. 

We even were let out of school on opening day of rabbit and pheasant season, Nov. 15. There was one boy in school that day. 

The Westlake Sportsman Club was the biggest thing in town, and hunting was a big thing. After graduation I carried my hunting jacket and a shotgun in my car so I could pull off Hilliard Road where the Recreation Center is now, and go hunting for a few minutes on my way home from work.

Now we have people crying about the deer. Years ago one never saw a deer as they had open land to roam around in. Now people are too lazy or stupid to plant deer proof flowers and bushes, so they cry about the deer eating their plants. Deer proof plants are featured in the seed catalogs I get every year as we have always had a very large vegetable garden. 

I hear some deer are also being shot with crossbows which to me is terrible. According to a friend of mine who has been an avid deer hunter for 65+ years, the deer can sometimes run a long distance before they bleed out from an arrow. I also wonder about the people they call sharpshooters. I am sure I have far more experience than any of them. 

But when one gets down to it if deer are over populated, they can suffer from disease, starve to death, and a smaller herd could be more healthy for the deer. So are the deer overpopulated in Westlake and Bay Village? I don't know that but I do know I enjoy seeing the deer.

– Bob Collins, Westlake

Bob Collins

Westlake resident

Read More on Readers' Opinions
Volume 11, Issue 1, Posted 9:47 AM, 01.08.2019