By The Archery Wire

After years of discussion and debate, the city of Cape Girardeau, Mo. will not implement a bowhunt to control a problematic deer population, after a ballot measure put forth by an anti-hunting group successfully repealed an ordinance that created the hunt for deer inside the city limits.

Fewer than 10 percent of the eligible voters repealed the bowhunting ordinance by a 1,485 to 1,279 margin, or 53.73% to 46.27%.

The initial Cape Girardeau urban bowhunt was originally scheduled to begin Sept. 15, 2012. On Friday, Sept. 7, the Cape Girardeau City clerk announced the anti-hunting group Keep Cape Safe had gathered 3,911 signatures of legally registered voters, well beyond the minimum of the 2,446 necessary to qualify the measure for ballot.

In December and January, a study conducted by the Missouri Department of Conservation determined the city has an average density of 37 deer per square mile, similar to densities in other state communities where bowhunts have been implemented to reduce the herd.