The County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday voted 3-2 to approve an annual two-day youth wild turkey hunt in the Santa Ysabel Preserve.
Supervisors Bill Horn, Dianne Jacob and Greg Cox voted to amend a County ordinance to allow the hunt. Chairman Ron Roberts and Supervisor Pam Slater-Price opposed the action.
About a dozen public speakers at the Wednesday Board meeting were also split in their position on the hunt.
Supporters, including the three supervisors, characterized the hunt as a positive way for young people to practice a legal hobby under the mentorship of experienced adults. The hunt’s limited duration and small number of participants, along with County staff’s plans to set rules and boundaries for the hunt on the 3,800-acre space preserve that has no camp sites or residences, make the hunt a reasonable use of County land, supporters said.
Opponents of the hunt, including Slater-Price and Roberts, said it was not appropriate on land that has been set aside for the public to enjoy and to preserve plants and animals.
The hunt, this year scheduled for March 24 and 25, for a maximum of 10 youth each day will be organized and supervised by the San Diego Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. The preserve will be closed to the public during the hunt.
The San Diego Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will pay the County an estimated $2,500 to cover the cost of two-day hunt and will enter into a formal agreement with the County on the exact details and rules of the hunt.
The youth wild turkey hunt is subject to annual review by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
