By KEVIN YOUNG
GLASGOW — Kentucky’s modern gun deer hunting season begins next Saturday, so local solid waste officials are bracing for a rise in hunters dumping deer carcasses improperly. When dumped on the side of the road, the carcasses can cause a hazard to motorists and can raise quite a stink.
Shannon White, solid waste coordinator and code enforcement Officer, says improper disposal, such as along roadsides, attracts other animals to the roadsides where they could then run into traffic.
“We’ve got some good hunters out there and some others who just take what they want and leave the rest on the side of the road somewhere,” he said.
White said the deer removal costs taxpayers and takes time from the officials’ work elsewhere. He said the proper way for hunters to dispose of bodies is to bury them or take them to the city landfill.
Jack Chadwell, Glasgow Public Works superintendent, said he wasn’t aware of any deer carcasses coming to the landfill yet this season, but those who bring them don’t need to call ahead.
“They can just go to the scalehouse at the landfill and the scalehouse attendant will give them directions on where to take it to dispose in the landfill worksite,” he said.
Modern gun hunting season is split into four zones across the state, and the zones encompassing Barren County, as well as Hart, Metcalfe, Monroe and Edmonson counties, beginning Nov. 14 and lasting through Nov. 29. Archery and crossbow hunting season is currently ongoing.
White said anyone with information about illegal disposal sites should call his office for removal. Many times it is White himself going to clean up the area.
“You just follow the smell. Most cases these are three or four days old and not in the best condition,” he said.
Not only is the disposal a hazard, but it is also illegal and will bring some hefty fines from law enforcement citations if the perpetrators are caught.
“Anybody can call to let us know where these dumps sites are and those spotted dumping will be cited with improper disposal of a carcass and criminal littering,” he said.
It comes down to decency, White said, and being aware of the potential risks the hunters are placing on drivers.
“Nobody should have to go out to deal with those things,” he said. “You’re going to have accidents from time to time where the car and an animal just collide. We can go clean that up real quick. But these are people just dumping them for someone else to deal with, and that’s different.”
