Whidbey Island deer hunters will have a hard case to make when the Island County Commissioners hold a public hearing on hunting the Kettles Trails area on Monday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Coupeville Performing Arts Center.

The network of Kettles Trails is located between Coupeville and Libbey Road, adjacent to Fort Ebey State Park. Although once it was common to see deer hunters parked in the area in the fall, in recent years the trails have largely been taken over by hikers, joggers, bicyclists and equestrians.

Hunters make some reasonable arguments in saying the Kettles areas should be kept open to hunting. Deer hunters on the island are limited to shotguns, which have a relatively short range, and there are far fewer non-hunters using the trails in the fall than in the warmer months.

However, the preponderance of facts suggest that the days of hunting in the Kettles area should be numbered. The fact is, there are so many trails that hunting the area is already technically illegal because of the 150-yard setback required of hunters. You simple can’t get that far away from a trail in most of the Kettles area. And the idea of having armed men mixing with joggers, bicyclists and equestrians is absurd.

Hunters should adjust to the fact that times change, uses change, and that hunting is a diminishing form of recreation on the island while other form of recreation are booming.

While we respect hunters, their traditions and their dedication to the environment, they have to face the realities of today. Next time you go deer hunting, try some place other than the Kettles Trails.