Crow shoot generates outcry against local business owner

A crow shoot planned for central Vermont, in which teams of hunters compete to shoot the most birds, has sparked outrage on social media and generated a backlash against a local business, Lenny's Shoe and Apparel.

The hunting and fishing club that organized the April 7 contest met Wednesday and plans to make a public statement on its Facebook page next week that it feels is a compromise.

A co-owner of Lenny's Shoe and Apparel, Mark McCarthy, is the president of the hosting Boonie Club in Williamstown. McCarthy used his Lenny's email address on flyers advertising the crow shoot, which caused some to believe the retail store was a supporter of the event.

"It's the only email address I have," McCarthy said. "I'm a simple guy."

The controversy fueled hundreds of posts on a variety of websites, including Lenny's Facebook page. Vermont Wildlife Coalition launched a petition on Change.org that had collected more than 7,800 signatures as of Friday. The petition asks the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to ban events like the crow shoot.

"I’m not against hunting for food, but I am against wanton killing," wrote Hilary Shadroui Cornet. "Crows are an important part of the ecosystem in Vermont. They are smart and social animals, they do service by eating carrion, and they count for a lot of us. It’s a mistake to have this sort of a contest—whose only aim is to kill for killing’s sake."

Some called for a boycott of the retail store. Others urged restraint.

"I don't see where it says 'Sponsored by Lenny's' so what's the rush to condemn the business?" wrote Ken Ballard. "These folks do outstanding charitable work!!"

McCarthy said he's not too concerned about the calls for a Lenny's boycott.

"Obviously it's easy for people to shoot emails off saying they're not going to shop at Lenny's any longer," McCarthy said. "It's hard to tell if they are truly customers."

The Boonie Club has sponsored the crow shoot for "a number of years," McCarthy said, and has never gotten any feedback.

"I don't hide the fact that I'm an active sportsman," he said. "I'm 52 years old, born and raised in Williamstown. I've hunted all my life."

He said shooting crows has a history in Vermont's agricultural landscape.

"Dairy farmers grew a lot of corn. They had to manage the crows because they would eat the seed as it was planted," McCarthy said.

The flyer for the event says there is a $40 entry fee for teams of no more than four hunters each, and that cash prizes will be awarded.

Before the Boonie Club met on Wednesday, McCarthy said the contest won't be discontinued, but that the club will likely eliminate the admission fee and prize money, which have generated the most push back.

Vermont's crow hunting season runs from Jan. 15-April 11, and Aug. 19-Dec. 19, and includes no limit on the number of birds that can be taken. Hunting is limited to Friday through Monday.

Scott Darling, wildlife program manager for Vermont Fish and Wildlife, confirmed that the crow shoot is legal as long as it's within bounds of the hunting season. Darling said the wildlife department changed the crow season a few years ago to avoid the bird's nesting periods.

Crows are increasing in population in Vermont, according to Darling, who said the crow hunting season has "no biological impact" on the population.

Darling acknowledged there's a history of crow hunting in Vermont to fend off damage to agricultural crops, and that it's still going on. He said he hears "anecdotally" from farmers that because crows are "rather intelligent," they stay away from fields where hunters are present.

"I would still argue that there's a role for crow hunting in Vermont with benefits like that," Darling said.

Darling and the Fish and Wildlife Department do not see a role, however, for events like the April 7 crow shoot.

"We do not support organized shoots like that simply because we think it sends the wrong message for our traditional hunting values," Darling said. "I think hunters need to be cautious about trying to create tallies of dead animals. We in the department always promote the respectful harvest and utilization of animals."

Craig Newman, director of Outreach for Earth Stewardship, based at Shelburne Farms, posted a message about the crow shoot on Facebook and has had more than 40,000 views and more than 500 shares.

Outreach for Earth Stewardship is an environmental group that uses non-releasable raptors for education in schools and events at Shelburne Farms.

Newman said his organization is not opposed to hunting, but is opposed to the "wanton waste" the contest encourages.

Newman told the Free Press he has debated whether to pull his Facebook post on the "very polarizing" subject of the crow shoot.

"Maybe this was crazy but I thought there would be civilized discourse," Newman said. "It's been very taxing on my part. I have to keep reading to filter out the death threats, homophobic slurs and profanity."

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.