Crime & Safety
Hunter Near School Prompts Safe Hunting Reminders In Manchester
A man with a weapon seen 3/4 of a mile from Whiting School has sparked discussions of how close hunters can be to homes and schools.
MANCHESTER, NJ — Manchester Township police are reminding hunters to be cautious and aware of the safety zone requirements, after a hunter seen with a crossbow prompted a brief delay in sending students home from school on Tuesday.
A passerby reported seeing a person with a weapon near the Whiting Assembly of God Church on Lacey Road at 3:25 p.m. Tuesday, Manchester Capt. Vincent Manco said. While police were responding, a precautionary delay was put in place at Whiting Elementary School out of what Manco said was "an overabundance of caution" even though the person was nearly three-quarters of a mile away from the school. (See the distance between the two sites in a map at the bottom of this article.)
Manco said police determined the man was a licensed hunter with a crossbow. There was no indication given of whether he was simply walking in the area or had an arrow in his crossbow ready to release.
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There is a 450-foot safety zone around buildings or school playgrounds for hunters using a firearm, whether the building was occupied or not. For bowhunters, the safety zone is 150 feet around buildings, but 450 feet from a school playground.
"Development and other human encroachment on the forests and fields of New Jersey has changed both wildlife habitat and land suitable for hunting, such that SAFETY ZONE awareness is even more critical for hunters," Manchester police said.
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The hunter seen Tuesday was more than 3,900 feet away from the school.
Fall bow hunting season for white-tailed deer opened Sept. 1 and closes end of the hunting hours on Oct. 28. Manchester police reminded hunters to check the regulations closely and make sure they are following the restrictions, including bag limits and reporting rules.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has an interactive map showing which hunting zones encompass which addresses, to ensure seasons and bag limit rules are followed.
Additional information about deer hunting regulations is available on the state's website.
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