Harry Tuttle
Member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2003
- Messages
- 3,093
Controlling deer population
Committee making progress; eyeing quiet shotgun
By KATHIE DICKERSON
Staff Writer
http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B9/20050607/NEWS01/506070301/1002&template=B9
COSHOCTON - It's a prototype that's been used for two years in the Minneapolis, Minn., area.
Members of the Citizens of Coshocton Committee for Urban Deer Population Control heard a demonstration of the Quiet Shotgun, which was developed by Wendell Diller of Minnesota.
Diller is a hunter, and like many rural areas, his game habitat has been invaded by city-dwellers who look for a quiet place in the country to retire, he said.
"When they hear a 12-gauge shotgun go off it freaks them out," he said.
Residents disturbed by the sound of gun shots often call the sheriff, even though Diller isn't violating any laws.
He wondered what sound a bullet would make if it traveled in a longer barrel, and developed the Quiet Shotgun.
Crafted of aircraft aluminum that attaches to a shotgun barrel, the patented design is perforated with holes every few inches, which allows some of the gases to dissipate a little at a time.
{{ Isn't this a silencer???}}} H.T.
It's much like letting the air out of a car tire instead of having a tire blowout, Diller said.
The barrel Diller used at Monday night's demonstration was 50 inches long, however, some of them can be up to 7 feet, according to his Web site at www.dillerdesign.com/quietgun.
A regular shotgun was fired during the demonstration and the sound echoed off the hillsides. The slug traveling through the Quiet Shotgun barrel made a hissing noise, and the sound of it firing was similar to that of an air rifle.
The Urban Deer Population Control committee was formed earlier this year when a number of city council members had heard complaints from residents about deer in the neighborhoods causing auto accidents and foraging on landscape plants.
The committee is still discussing issues like where and when hunters will be able to harvest deer from the city.
Some ideas are limiting hunting to parcels of land that are five acres or more, requiring hunters to take a safety course and obtain a special permit from the wildlife conservation officer.
Even with a more quiet firearm, council is concerned about safety, said Steve Mercer, Coshocton City Council member.
But Diller also addressed that issue.
"If you're going to hunt in urban areas it's also important to be safe," said Diller, who has developed a special slug using bird shot that is designed to shatter on impact instead of ricocheting aimlessly if the game target is missed.
The deer population in Coshocton is reaching the point that it's placing more and more demand on the habitat, said H. Dewey Thompson, an adviser to the committee, a hunter and a wildlife conservationist.
The number of deer living in and around the perimeter of the city is approaching 60 to 100 per square mile, he said. It's leading to an increase in the number of car/deer accidents and to more property damage suffered by landowners.
"Ideally that number should be 20 to 30, and that's a little high," he said.
The Quiet Shotgun isn't being produced at this time, although Diller said he's developed weapons that are used by professionals in Minneapolis parks where about 500 deer will be harvested this year.
Committee making progress; eyeing quiet shotgun
By KATHIE DICKERSON
Staff Writer
http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B9/20050607/NEWS01/506070301/1002&template=B9
COSHOCTON - It's a prototype that's been used for two years in the Minneapolis, Minn., area.
Members of the Citizens of Coshocton Committee for Urban Deer Population Control heard a demonstration of the Quiet Shotgun, which was developed by Wendell Diller of Minnesota.
Diller is a hunter, and like many rural areas, his game habitat has been invaded by city-dwellers who look for a quiet place in the country to retire, he said.
"When they hear a 12-gauge shotgun go off it freaks them out," he said.
Residents disturbed by the sound of gun shots often call the sheriff, even though Diller isn't violating any laws.
He wondered what sound a bullet would make if it traveled in a longer barrel, and developed the Quiet Shotgun.
Crafted of aircraft aluminum that attaches to a shotgun barrel, the patented design is perforated with holes every few inches, which allows some of the gases to dissipate a little at a time.
{{ Isn't this a silencer???}}} H.T.
It's much like letting the air out of a car tire instead of having a tire blowout, Diller said.
The barrel Diller used at Monday night's demonstration was 50 inches long, however, some of them can be up to 7 feet, according to his Web site at www.dillerdesign.com/quietgun.
A regular shotgun was fired during the demonstration and the sound echoed off the hillsides. The slug traveling through the Quiet Shotgun barrel made a hissing noise, and the sound of it firing was similar to that of an air rifle.
The Urban Deer Population Control committee was formed earlier this year when a number of city council members had heard complaints from residents about deer in the neighborhoods causing auto accidents and foraging on landscape plants.
The committee is still discussing issues like where and when hunters will be able to harvest deer from the city.
Some ideas are limiting hunting to parcels of land that are five acres or more, requiring hunters to take a safety course and obtain a special permit from the wildlife conservation officer.
Even with a more quiet firearm, council is concerned about safety, said Steve Mercer, Coshocton City Council member.
But Diller also addressed that issue.
"If you're going to hunt in urban areas it's also important to be safe," said Diller, who has developed a special slug using bird shot that is designed to shatter on impact instead of ricocheting aimlessly if the game target is missed.
The deer population in Coshocton is reaching the point that it's placing more and more demand on the habitat, said H. Dewey Thompson, an adviser to the committee, a hunter and a wildlife conservationist.
The number of deer living in and around the perimeter of the city is approaching 60 to 100 per square mile, he said. It's leading to an increase in the number of car/deer accidents and to more property damage suffered by landowners.
"Ideally that number should be 20 to 30, and that's a little high," he said.
The Quiet Shotgun isn't being produced at this time, although Diller said he's developed weapons that are used by professionals in Minneapolis parks where about 500 deer will be harvested this year.
