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Hunters help thin deer herds in parks
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - January 07, 2009)
Hunters help thin deer herds in parks
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Geauga Park District officials are awaiting results of the second year of hunting on park grounds to reduce deer herds, although early indicators show an increase in kills.
"We continue to improve with the harvest of more deer," said John Oros, park operations director.
While the district opened parkland to local bowhunters in the first year, Mr. Oros said, a change to allow firearms this year should produce a higher number of kills.
The park district began the hunting program as a means to keep the deer population in check, he said. Overpopulation takes a toll on the bio-diversity of plant and animal life in the parks, he said. There are indications that grazing deer are impacting plant life, and, in turn, animal life, in the parks, he said.
While some communities have waited until the deer population exploded, the park district is attempting to cull the numbers before they become unmanageable, Mr. Oros said. Parks around Columbus and Cleveland are dealing with populations of 200 and 100 deer per square mile, respectively, he said.
At the Rookery in Munson Township, an area of concern, the population is at about 70 deer per square mile, Mr. Oros said. In Big Creek Park in Chardon Township, the deer number about 43 per square mile, he said. The district has set a goal of reducing herds to about 10 per square mile, he said.
Unlike communities that have hired sharpshooters to reduce their herds, Mr. Oros said, the park district has sought to save money by using local hunters at no cost.
The district conducted firearm hunting this year at the Rookery from Dec. 1 to 3. Those reporting their kills noted 23 deer culled, he said.
Mr. Oros said a similar hunt held at Big Creek Park, however, only reported seven deer kills.
Park officials had hoped to see more hunters turn out, he said. "The hunters did not show up. We anticipated 15 and saw six."
He said a variety of reasons may explain why hunters shied away from the Big Creek hunt. He said officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported a downward trend in the number of hunters in the state. Or it could be that hunters already have their freezers full and have no need to hunt more deer, he said.
The Geauga Park District also conducted hunts at the Rookery, Burton Wetlands in Burton Township and Observatory Park in Montville Township from Dec. 27 to 30. Mr. Oros said this week that hunters have yet to report their kills.
Hunters can hunt parklands through a lottery conducted each year by the park district. He said one hunter is assigned a 50-acre plot to hunt.
Mr. Oros said safety is first and foremost for park officials in conducting hunts. Hunters are encouraged to use tree stands to ensure the gunshot does not travel long distances, and they are urged not to shoot at running deer, he said.
More parklands were opened to the hunting this year, and those with high pedestrian traffic were closed to allow the hunt. He said there were no conflicts between passive users of the parklands and hunters, as ample warning through signs and newsletters provided most people with sufficient notification of the closings.
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