Sharpshooter near school may sound worse than it really is

The headline could very well read, "Sharpshooter takes aim outside school," or "Village prepares to kill as students watch." Literally, they would be mostly accurate. Practically, it would be a sensationalized, panic-inducing tactic that doesn't get at the truth of what's going on.

The reason is simple: 2012 is another year in which Elm Grove officials have determined the deer population in the area has grown a little too large and the community would benefit if it's culled.

As in years past, three spots have been selected by Elm Grove police and sharpshooters will be sent out at specific times this week to do what they do: namely, shoot to kill.

Regardless of where that is happening, it will ruffle the feathers of some, who believe the wooded nature of Elm Grove and the potential to see wildlife adds charm to the village named for its trees.

Advocates of sharpshooting will say deer are a hazard to drivers, particularly on dimly lit streets, and could do significant property damage as they make trails through the village.

But when an Elm Grove resident called, extremely concerned that one of the sharpshooter hotspots was near Tonawanda School, those arguments seemed to go out the window.

At first, I was incredulous, saying to myself, "There's no way this could be true." Hearing that an armed person, even a marksmen, was sitting about a football field's distance from elementary school jungle gyms was disconcerting to say the least.

I wanted to see it for myself.

A cursory drive-through yielded no results. Despite the bright sunshine, melting snow and bare trees, I couldn't see far enough into the woods off Legion Drive or Underwood River Parkway to see anything that looked like a deer stand.

To try to get a closer look, I went to Village Park, the land where this deer stand was supposedly set. After making a big loop around the park, the only thing I saw was a bunch of gnarled trees and a slew of residents taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather.

Scoping out Tonawanda

Then, I remembered the reason this was so startling to me was the proximity to students, children. So I went to Tonawanda.

After speaking with the secretary, I found out the school had been notified of the sharpshooter via a letter, and since this spot has been used before, many of the staff were already aware of its existence.

The secretary introduced me to the principal, who admitted she'd never seen the stand but said she was certainly aware it existed. As far as she is concerned, there is nothing to worry about.

I walked the property line, searching, hoping equally to find and not find the stand.

If it's there - and I assume it is because the village, police and school all say it is - I couldn't see it. If you were going to find this spot, you had to be looking for it.

In other words, a second-grader, sick and tired of his same old slide, isn't going to run into this thing by accident. It's well into the woods and well hidden.

Furthermore, the shooting in that particular location happens only between 9 p.m. and midnight, Elm Grove police said. That second-grader should be deep in sleep by then.

Residents of the area were notified along with the school, and while the gunshots may be surprising to an unsuspecting visitor stopping at a dinner party to see friends, the people who spend the most time in the area are aware of what's going on.

"Along with the appropriate approval from the (Department of Natural Resources) to conduct a culling effort, the Waukesha County District Attorney's office has reviewed our practice and found it to be safe and reasonable with respect to the school zone and applicable Wisconsin statute," Elm Grove Police Chief Jim Gage explained in an email.

"This is not a 'hunt.' It is a strictly controlled shooting area, over short distances, at an essentially non-moving target, since the deer are feeding at a bait pile."

Who knew?

My only question now: How will parents react? According to the school, no additional notes were sent home to parents of Tonawanda students. While the times of the culling aren't during school hours, if I were a parent, I'd want to know this was going on.

Letters were sent to neighbors of the school, but plenty of the students at Tonawanda aren't "neighbors" of the school, per se. No, the parents probably shouldn't worry, nor should they be upset that the school is somehow derelict in its duty by not informing them.

All I'm saying is I'd want to know.

Whether you believe in what the village is doing or not, it seems intuitive to let everyone know what is going on. I may choose not to take a walk near there late at night, or I might decide a sharpshooter isn't going to miss - that is, after all, the point.

Arming each resident with knowledge is the best way to make sure, no matter how unlikely they are, that accidents don't happen.