The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has pitched the creation of an urban archery season for towns that have a problem with deer populations.

An urban archery season is voluntary but would be an option for any city, town or village that submits a map and a letter of intent to participate in this new type of hunting season.

“Numerous landowners, community leaders, legislators, and hunters are interested in reducing deer populations within many urban and suburban areas across the state,” according to the N.C. Wildlife Commission. “This regulation change gives municipalities another tool with which they can reduce deer/human conflicts.”

The proposed urban archery season would open the second Saturday after Jan. 1 and run for five weeks. It would allow hunting of male or female deer. Hunters would need to seek permission from private property owners before hunting on private property.

Another proposal aimed at reducing the deer population would lift the hunting limits on female deer during the “either-sex” deer season on private property. The daily bag limit of two deer would not change, but there is no season limit for the female deer during the “either-sex season.”

“As local deer populations continue to increase across the state, current bag limits may restrict the adequate harvest of antlerless deer in some areas.

“Statewide, the deer population can tolerate the additional harvest offered under this proposal,” according to the Wildlife Commission.

The proposal is one of several in the new hunting and fishing regulations for 2007. The Wildlife Commission will hold its annual public hearing on the proposed changes on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center.

Here are some of the changes that apply to Western North Carolina’s neck of the woods. For more, go to www.ncwildlife.org.

Fishing

• Valley River in Cherokee County: Designate the lower boundary of the trout waters as the U.S. 19 Business bridge in Murphy.

• Big Snowbird Creek in Graham County: Designate the lower boundary of the trout waters as the S.R. 1127 bridge. In both cases, the bridges provide a better stationary demarcation for the trout water boundary.

• French Broad River in Henderson and Transylvania counties: Establish a 46-inch minimum size limit and a one-fish-per-day creel limit for Muskellunge from Wilson Road bridge at Pisgah Forest to the U.S. 64 bridge near Etowah. Re-establish the statewide regulation of a 30-inch minimum size limit and two-fish-per-day creel limit upstream and downstream of this section. This proposal allows anglers to keep one trophy-sized fish in this section of river.

• Exempt individuals who participate in organized fishing events held for educational purposes from recreational fishing license requirements for the duration of the event. This proposal exempts adults who assist children and persons with disabilities learning how to fish at educational fishing events from fishing license requirements.

Deer

• Allow hunters to use bow and arrow on private lands during the Muzzleloader Season. This regulation change was requested by the N.C. Bowhunters Association and would increase hunting opportunity for archers.

Bear

• Establish better and clearer guidelines prohibiting hunting bear with the aid of a baited site. This proposed change should clarify some issues related to bear baiting.

Raccoon and opossum

• Open raccoon- and opossum-hunting seasons on the portions of the Nantahala Game Land in Clay and Cherokee counties that are presently partially closed.

• Open raccoon- and opossum-hunting seasons and dog-training season in parts of the Pisgah Game Land in Madison County that are presently closed. Keep Harmon Den and Sherwood Bear sanctuaries in Haywood County closed to hunting raccoon, opossum and wildcat.

Miscellaneous

• Prohibit horseback riding on Green River Game Land. The highly erodable soils on these areas are not appropriate for horseback riding. These areas also lack suitable roads for riding.

• Allow placement of traps closer than 15 feet on game lands. Trapping beaver, muskrat and nutria will be more effective with closer trap sets. There is no longer a biological reason to have this restriction.