Deer season saves cars

Deer season in Georgias Northern Zone - which includes Columbia County - began for archers on Monday; hunters using muzzleloaders take to the woods starting Saturday, while regular firearms season begins the following Saturday, Oct. 27.

For most Columbia Countians, deer are in season all year; the county consistently ranks as one of the highest in Georgia in numbers of deer struck by vehicles, with more than 300 deer-car collisions reported annually.

Other than inadvertent vehicle collisions, legal, regulated hunting is the only way to trim the deer population. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, hunters harvest more than 400,000 deer every year.

Each humanely hunted deer is one fewer animal to die, often slowly and painfully, after being struck by the cars that fuel the growth of suburbia. So even non-hunters should cheer the beginning of deer season, and hope and pray for the safety of hunters as they take to the woods.