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Council declines request to allow deer baiting on town-owned Greater Woods
Summary
After public comment and questioning from councilors and the conservation commission, the council declined a petition to allow deer baiting on town-owned Greater Woods property, citing safety, precedent and ecological concerns.
The Merrimack Town Council on Aug. 21 declined to approve a request from resident Haiyang Zhang to bait deer on the town‑owned Greater Woods property.
Zhang (speaker 7) told the council he had mapped a proposed bait site and said it was ‘‘360 feet from the nearest trail,’’ a distance he said met state requirements. He said he has tried hunting in other public areas and hoped baiting would increase his success.
Councilors and Conservation Commission members pressed several concerns: Councilor Peter Albert (speaker 4) warned that approving baiting on town land could set a precedent and draw multiple similar requests; other councilors cited safety, disease transmission and proximity to trails and residences. Nancy Murphy (speaker 12) asked why town land was chosen rather than private land, and a conservation commission member urged the council to refer the request to the Conservation Commission for further review. One councilor called baiting ‘‘cheating’’ in a policy sense and others questioned the public‑safety tradeoffs.
No member moved to approve the request; the chair concluded there was no support and the applicant was thanked and dismissed. Councilors asked staff and the Conservation Commission to review similar requests and the town’s policy regarding hunting and baiting on town property.
