6 things we learned about deer culling
Here’s a brief breakdown of common questions you might have about deer culling at Ohio parks like Mill Creek MetroParks.
What is deer culling?
It is one of many urban deer management programs that helps control growing populations.
Culling is a hunting practice to mitigate and control the overall population of a group of wildlife.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife division controls the population management hunts.
The ODNR doesn’t support culling; they regulate and lease permits to the properties and parks like Mill Creek MetroParks, which allow it.
Why is deer culling happening here?
According to Mill Creek MetroParks, the white-tailed deer population is in “severe overabundance,” meaning there aren’t enough food resources for the growing population.
The plan was proposed on March 14 by the board to reduce the population.
According to WKBN, Mill Creek averages 387 deer per square mile, but the optimum number for sustainability should be between 10 and 20.
Why are too many deer a problem?
According to the Mill Creek Park website, too many deer in a herd harms the health of the animals in the group and other wildlife around them.
They’ll suffer if there’s not enough food for the grazing deer. Grazing on park trees can cause “stunted forest regeneration,” meaning the deer are eating the plants faster than they can reproduce new seeds, Mill Creek Park officials said on the website, adding the overpopulation of deer also impacts available resources for other animals in the environment and stunts biodiversity in the area.
How does deer overpopulation impact people?
Too many deer in one place means insufficient resources, so they’ll start searching for new food sources. These deer often stumble upon roads and highways across the area in search of better environments that are not so crowded.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, “101,912 deer-related crashes have occurred in Ohio” over the past six years.
How are the deer hunted?
According to ODNR, there are two approved practices for parks to mitigate the deer population.
These include hunting and sharpshooting. ODNR controls every hunt and randomly chooses the hunters through a lottery system who will participate at Mill Creek MetroParks.
According to ODNR, safety practices are monitored, and hunting is only done in rural areas.
The teams will implement targeted removals in urban areas closer to residential neighborhoods using traps instead of shooting the animals.
What are other parks doing?
The overpopulation of deer is a statewide issue. Check out deer hunting and management plans at Cleveland Metroparks, Trumbull County MetroParks and more on the Mill Creek MetroParks website.
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This story was originally published April 11, 2023 at 12:55 PM.