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The C.A.S.H. Courier

ARTICLE from the Spring 2009 Issue

Bella Vista, Arkansas, Passed an Ordinance to Ban Bow and Arrow Hunting

By Jim Parsons

A number of people took the lead in getting the word out and the City council shot down the proposal to change their firearms ban so that the geese could be killed.

Jim Parsons was one of the residents who opposed the property owner’s plan. We contacted him because of a photo of goose who had been shot with an arrow and was living there in spite of it. I asked him to talk about it all.

Jim Parsons is Chairman of the Bella Vista Patriots, a nationally recognized 501(c)4 non-profit organization. We are a public service organization, but along with the many civic and humanitarian services that we have performed, we are a tenacious watchdog group. We have caused several heads of state agencies to be fired and helped to send a few politicians and others off to jail.

Bella Vista is in northwest Arkansas, and pelicans are a rare sight in these parts. However, a few years back, one showed up at Lake Bella Vista with an arrow through his neck. A local veterinarian was able to capture the bird while he was roosting at night, and removed the arrow. He returned the pelican to the lake completely healed. The story in the media was a hit for a week or so and caused a good bit of outrage among the citizenry.

You can see that the arrow goes right through the body and protrudes from the other side.

Then, last year, a Canada Goose showed up with an arrow in his back on a neighboring lake, Lake Avalon. The bird can fly for a few yards at a time and apparently is able to obtain food and remain healthy. A local wildlife restoration veterinarian said that trying to capture the bird might cause more harm than just letting the bird continue her limited lifestyle that she is having now.

Our local newspaper editor is an avid bow hunter. He had stated previously that bow hunters are extremely accurate, and that bow hunting is a humane method of killing animals. I sent a picture of the Canada Goose with the arrow through his back as a letter to the editor with the comment, “Tell how humane bow hunting is to this goose.”

The angst of the people in the area was at a feverish pitch, so the Bella Vista Patriots set up a four day Tent Petition Drive on the shoreline of Lake Bella Vista. The drive offered two petitions, those who were “FOR BOW HUNTING” and those who were “AGAINST BOW HUNTING.” The tally was so weighted against bow hunting that the city council voted for an ordinance to make bow hunting in the city limits illegal and included a fine for violators.

It is great to know that Americans still have some compassion and concern for our feathered friends.

Jim Parsons, Chairman, Bella Vista Patriots.

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