[ back ]
Pepper Pike to continue deer culling
(by Sali McSherry - October 22, 2008)
Pepper Pike to continue deer culling
By SALI McSHERRY
Pepper Pike City Council agreed last week to continue the city's deer-culling program, which uses clover trapping and the captive-bold method of euthanizing the animals. It will run from Dec. 1 through March 31, 2009.
City Council will study using crossbows, as requested by Councilman Clevis Svetlik, and the issue is to be discussed at the Nov. 5 road and safety meeting.
Mayor Bruce H. Akers said Gates Mills, Hunting Valley and Orange allow the use of crossbows, and those villages have had successful programs. He proposed that, if residents want deer hunting to be done by professional sharpshooters on their property, they must receive permission from the Pepper Pike Police Department and approval from immediate neighbors on all sides of the property. No permit is required by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Mr. Svetlik said the areas where professional sharpshooters hunt would be baited. It is a form of deer control that's used in Independence and Brecksville, he said. The problem with trapping is the expense, he said. The city spent about $8,500 for the program last season.
Councilman Frederick Taft, who opposed the use of crossbows last summer, suggested that police Lt. Terry Pristas and a representative of ODNR give an overview of the concept, including the risks involved.
Mr. Akers agreed and said he would speak with mayors from Gates Mills, Hunting Valley and Orange about how their crossbow programs have fared.
Councilwoman Gail Mayland said the city should check with communities with lot sizes similar to Pepper Pike, one acre or smaller, instead of large-property communities like Gates Mills and Hunting Valley.
Residents in those areas must follow specific guidelines concerning the minimum number of acres required for the purpose, according to community regulations.
Mr. Taft previously said it wasn't "physically or politically" a good idea to begin a bowhunting initiative.
Council members expressed concerns over the proximity of neighbors in a city of mostly one-acre lots, the potential for accidents involving people and wounded deer.
Police Chief Jack Crivel spoke with area police chiefs, who reported no problems with their communities' bowhunting programs, except a deer dying in a neighbor's yard, he said. That is a rare occurrence, he said.
Last year, 55 deer were culled in the city through the trapping program, according to city records.
The city had requested from the Ohio Division of Wildlife permission to remove 75 deer last year. In 2006-2007, 41 deer were culled, in 2005-2006, 38 were culled, and in 2004-2005, the first year of the program, 99 were culled, Mr. Akers said.
Pepper Pike pays $300 of the $400 cost of a trap, while the resident requesting the trap pays $100. The city leased 10 traps last year and paid an additional $100 per deer for handling the carcasses. That cost will increase to $115 this year due to the rising cost of fuel. The meat was donated to the Cleveland Food Bank.
The culling of deer is controlled by the number of permits the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, issues, Mr. Akers said.
The traps are chain-link cages, 8 feet long, 6 feet high and 2.5 feet wide.
Residents who were interested in the culling program had to prove to ODNR that their property had suffered damage from deer, such as a garden that had been destroyed. The process also includes ODNR making an on-site visit before making a determination. A survey among neighbors is also part of the application process.
[ back ]
