Residents cry foul as hunters blast fowl

Waterfowl hunting on a small island on the east edge of Lake Murray is becoming a hazard for nearby homeowners.

Geese and ducks are roosting on part of the unnamed island, luring hunters there as well, say some residents of the cove in which it sits.

The mix is becoming dangerous as overzealous hunters sometimes meander in boats, firing at fleeing birds near docks and passing boats, they say.

“When you’ve got gunshot pellets hitting your dock, it’s ridiculous,” said Erik Doerring, a hunter who lives on a peninsula south of the island.

So far, nobody in his family has been on the dock at the time, he said.

Parts of the island are just beyond the 350-yard limit on hunting near homes in the area close to Irmo, according to measurements he has taken.

The island also sits along the main boating channel of the cove south of Salem Church Road.

State Rep. Chip Huggins, an Irmo Republican who hunts, wants to allow state natural resources officials to ban hunting anywhere on the lake where they determine it’s unsafe.

His proposal, pending in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, would allow the state agency to enlarge areas off-limits for waterfowl hunting.

Currently, hunting on the lake is banned within 200 to 350 yards from residences and marinas depending on location.

“I’m a supporter of hunting, but not when it puts people at risk,” Huggins said.

Hunting there is out of season until this fall.

No one has notified state wildlife officers about problems with hunting around the island and in the cove, agency spokesman Mike Willis said.

“No complaints, as far as we’re concerned, means no problem,” he said.

Officials at the state chapter of Ducks Unlimited likewise are unaware of trouble there.

But as more homes rise around the 47,500-acre lake, room for hunting is reduced, said Doug Saunders, regional director for the organization in the Columbia area.

“As development continues, there’s less habitat and folks have less places to hunt,” he said.

Reach Flach at (803) 771-8483.