Paintball guns to control deer

Submitted by John Lonetto, Airfield Foreman, Duluth International Airport

The Duluth International Airport maintenance staff uses paintballs to scare the deer off their airfield. They stress using a CO2 powered gun or a recommended paintball gun to fire the paintballs at the deer because other types of guns are too powerful. The paintballs are enough to sting the deer and show them they are not supposed to be at the airport. The paintballs also mark the deer, which is a good way to get an estimate of the population of animals on the airfield and to see if the same animals keep returning. If trying this method, the Duluth staff recommends obtaining a state permit, even for paintball guns.