WISCONSIN NEWS: Rate of CWD Spread Accelerates

Deadly chronic wasting disease will continue to spread, threatening the state’s deer population and hunting culture for years to come, a national expert said.

“Just from a conservation standpoint, thinking about the deer herd out there, this is not a good thing,” said Bryan Richards, CWD project leader for the U.S Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison.

“People may well choose to go hunting elsewhere.”

The rate of the disease in bucks 2½ years old in western Dane County and eastern Iowa County, for example, was 15.5 percent in 2008, up from 10 percent in 2007, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The prevalence in yearling bucks was 6 percent in 2008, double the previous year.

“I think that outcome was anticipated at least by those of us that have spent time looking at disease trends in other areas,” Richards said.

A gradual increase in the rate of the disease is expected to continue in the future, he said.

In Colorado and Wyoming, CWD slowly increased in deer over time, eventually infecting about 30 percent of deer in some herds, said Dennis Heisey, CWD research biologist for the National Wildlife Health Center.

Wisconsin likely will follow that trend, Richards said.

“In Wisconsin, our state numbers are much lower than that,” he said. “But over time, there is no reason to think we won’t get there.”

If that happens, evidence suggests hunters will go elsewhere, threatening the state’s hunting culture as a recreation and boon to the economy, Richards said.

Although research shows the disease is not threatening to humans or livestock, hunters likely would not want to hunt in areas where so many deer have CWD, he said.

And, if hunters leave, the deer herd would explode, Richards said.

Overpopulation could lead to more deer-vehicle collisions, crop damage and suburban encounters, he said.

“Lots of things go wrong when you have too many deer,” Richards said.

CWD was discovered in southern Wisconsin in February 2002. Nearly 152,000 deer have been tested for the disease, with 1,172 testing positive.

The DNR created a CWD management zone to minimize the spread of the disease. The zone includes all or parts of 16 counties in south-central Wisconsin, including Rock, Walworth, Jefferson and Green counties.

The DNR wants to manage the disease through continued population reduction. The deer population in the CWD management zone is lower than in recent years, but remains higher than population goals, according to the DNR.

Hunters in the zone can use rifles instead of shotguns, enjoy a holiday gun season and kill an unlimited number of bucks for every antlerless deer they shoot first.

Officials reviewing CWD management plan

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has proposed a new chronic wasting disease management plan that aims to minimize the number of infected deer and stop the spread of the fatal disease.

The DNR’s previous goal was to try and eradicate the disease, said Dan Jones, the DNR’s CWD assistant biologist.

The strategy changed after seven years of CWD management failed to prevent an increase in the infection rate and an acceptance that the disease is not going away, according to the DNR.

“It’s become increasingly obvious that this was going to be a long-term management effort,” Jones said. “It definitely won’t be something that just goes away overnight.

“Hopefully, we can reduce it.”

The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board recently tabled the revised plan and voted to appoint a special committee to review it. The committee is expected to report back to the board at its December meeting.

According to the DNR, the CWD management plan’s key strategies include:

-- Preventing new outbreaks of CWD. Stopping CWD from cropping up in new areas of the state is less expensive and less damaging than fighting the disease after it’s established.

-- Responding to new disease locations. Aggressively responding if CWD is discovered in a new area is the best option for control.

-- Controlling distribution and intensity of CWD. This includes reducing the number of deer in infected areas through hunting and other methods.

-- Increasing public recognition and understanding of CWD risks. Residents must be informed of the latest scientific knowledge and recommendations for managing the disease.

-- Addressing the needs of hunters and residents. This includes deer testing, donating venison to food pantries, disposing of deer carcasses, monitoring for human prion diseases and examining potential risk to livestock.

-- Enhancing the scientific information about CWD with research, funding for university research and collaborating in studies conducted nationally and internationally.

How can I get my deer tested for CWD?

If hunters want their deer tested for chronic wasting disease, several local registration stations can help.

Seven stations in Rock, Walworth and Green counties work with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to test deer for CWD.

Mike Foy, DNR wildlife biologist for Rock and Green County, said many local hunters voluntarily test their deer for CWD.

“There are people who do it for health reasons, there are people who do it because they’re interested in the disease, and there are people who do it because we ask them to,” he said.

The World Health Organization advises people to only eat meat from animals that test negative for CWD, Foy said.

Yet research shows the disease is not threatening to humans, said Bryan Richards, CWD project leader for the U.S Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison.

The bottom line is science is in the beginning stage of knowledge and research on CWD, Foy said.

“Why take a chance?” he said. “Let’s err on the side of caution until we know more.”

When you kill a deer, take it to one of the registration stations helping with CWD testing, said Dan Jones, CWD assistant biologist for the DNR.

The registration station will collect your deer’s head and your contact information, he said. In some cases, lymph nodes can be taken from the deer’s neck for testing.

A number is assigned to the deer, and the head goes to a DNR testing lab, Jones said.

The result of the test is mailed to you on a postcard, he said. If the test is positive, you’ll get a phone call.

Hunters can have their deer tested for free, Jones said, and results will be returned in four to six weeks.

Veterinarians will test for a fee.

Testing is voluntary except in mandatory zones, including the eastern half of Rock County and the western half of Walworth County, he said.

Nearly 152,000 deer in Wisconsin have been tested for CWD, with 1,173 testing positive.

In Rock County, 5,917 deer have been analyzed for CWD, with 70 testing positive.

In Walworth County, 5,428 deer have been tested for CWD, with 54 testing positive.

The DNR plans to sample 8,250 adult deer in 2009.



Source: Janesville Gazette

MICHIGAN NEWS: Grand Haven Deer Problem Bigger than Grand Haven

The burgeoning deer population in northwestern Ottawa County is no longer just a Grand Haven problem.

Increasingly, residents and naturalists concerned with the problem are confronting area governmental officials with damage being caused by foraging deer. Most governmental units in this part of the county have discussed the deer situation.

Action plans being considered range from studying the issue further to actively pursuing deer culling this fall.

Grand Haven is planning another deer culling this fall after it hired sharpshooters a year ago to kill 19 deer on Harbor Island and in Lake Forest Cemetery.

And late last month, the Ferrysburg City Council agreed to form a task force to look into the problem of deer damaging the city's fragile dune ecosystem. Area townships, where the problem does not appear to be as bad, are monitoring the deer population issue.

Ferrysburg City Council member Tim Scarpino, who will serve on that city's deer task force along with council members Regina Sjoberg and Dan Ruiter, said he believes area governmental units eventually will have to take a regional approach to the problem.

"We can remove all of the deer in Ferrysburg and they will migrate back," he said. "It's obvious, we're all going to have to work together."

Scarpino said Ferrysburg's interest in the deer problem stems from the increasing number of complaints being received from residents over the damage to plantings and reports by naturalists of erosion and other damage at the city's Kitchel-Lindquist Dunes Preserve.

Scarpino, who also serves on the Kitchel-Lindquist Dunes Preserve Board, said environmental consultant William Martinus recently complied a natural-features inventory of the preserve and reported significant damage from deer.

Martinus said deer slowly have been stripping away plants that grow in the dune understory, the area of ground beneath the forest canopy. In addition, many preserve plants found in great numbers during the 1970s were not found during the most recent inventory. Martinus found little or no regeneration of tree seedlings or saplings, while remaining plants often show few blooms. Deer eat tree saplings and seedlings that are native to Michigan, including maple, oak, beech, cherry, basswood, cedar and butternut.

And these native plants are being replaced by nonnative and invasive species that deer will not eat, including garlic mustard. "There's almost nothing native in the understory," he said. "We don't even know if the seeds of the plants are there any more."

Scarpino envisions the task force reviewing information gathered to date before formulating a response, which could include a regional approach.

"We've been told from representatives that the larger the area you work with, the more options you have," he said. "In my mind, that sets the stage for a regional effort. But that depends on each government."

In Grand Haven, officials once again are seeking a fall and winter deer cull and discussed last week filing an official request with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Sara Schaefer, wildlife supervisor with the DNR, said she does not anticipate any delays surrounding the city's request, which will require specific details as to the number of deer targeted and when and where the hunts will be held.

She said DNR studies have also shown that deer are destroying natural vegetation and are eroding critical dunes.

In Spring Lake Township, there has not been a formal discussion about the deer problem by the township board. Trustee Ron Lindquist believes the issue will be brought up and agrees with Scarpino that there must be a regional approach to the problem.

"I can't speak for the entire board, but I agree there needs to be something done for the region," he said. "Deer don't respect governmental unit boundaries."

Grand Haven Township officials discussed a possible deer population problem last spring and set up a formal system to collect and track property damage complaints involving deer through Geographic Information System maps. Superintendent/Manager Bill Cargo said deer complaints are being placed on a GIS map as they are received.

The township traditionally receives about a dozen deer complaints a year. He said there is no data at present showing the township has exceeded the "healthy" limit of about 600 deer for the township.

Source: MLive

OHIO NEWS: Oxford to Establish Deer Harvesting Pilot Program

More than a year after first trying to tackle Oxford’s deer surplus, the city is considering the establishment of a deer harvesting pilot program for later this fall.

City Manager Doug Elliott said the tentative plan is to send 15 local hunters onto specific city-owned properties to eliminate up to two antlerless deer each. Hunters will be able to use either a bow and arrow or crossbow, but will be required to hunt from tree stands as an added safety measure.

While 30 deer might seem like a small drop in a rather large bucket, Elliott said his goal is to restore a healthy balance of deer to the area over the span of several years rather than eliminate as many as possible in one shot.

“I don’t think it will have much of an impact in the first year,” Elliott said. “I think after two or three years residents will hopefully start to notice that the deer aren’t as frequently in their backyards.”

With the state deer population reportedly surging from 17,000 in 1970 to more than 700,000 in 2005, Elliott said Oxford citizens have been voicing concern over the increasing number of deer sightings within city limits. Elliott said recent years have seen Butler County ranking among the top 10 counties as it relates to deer-vehicle collisions. His hope is to not only help lower that number, but also reduce damage to vegetation and prevent the potential spread of Lyme disease.

“We feel like we need to do something to restore a more natural balance,” he said. “We don’t plan to eliminate all of the whitetail deer in town. Our goal here is to put forth this pilot program and see how it works, what kind of reception we get from the public and how successful we are.”

City-approved hunters will be able to harvest as many as two antlerless deer, but Elliott said the first deer taken by every participant will be donated to the Community Meal Center in Hamilton. Processing fees for the donated deer will be covered through a grant secured by the Community Meal Center, with Schaefer’s Deer Processing in Trenton handling the donated meat.

Costs for the program will be minimal, with Elliott predicting less than $1,000 needed to cover permits for the donated deer.

One area resident who doesn’t seem thrilled with the idea is Jeff MacDonald, owner of Ace Hardware. MacDonald first broached the concept of thinning the local deer herd to City Council members last summer, but said he isn’t convinced the proposed program will put an end to deer-related problems.

“I don’t think hunting in the Oxford acreage is going to be effective, but at least it’ll be an experiment,” MacDonald said. “We’ve got to get in town and create a safe, acceptable, citizen-approved way to control deer. And that’s a goal that I’m more than willing to work for.”

Source: Oxford Press

MICHIGAN NEWS: Grand Haven Ponders More Culling

Grand Haven officials will hold a conference call with representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources today to discuss details of proposed deer culls this fall and winter.

City officials have made a verbal request with the DNR to resume hunts using certified sharpshooters to thin the urban deer population.

Sara Schaefer, a wildlife supervisor for the DNR, said she told city officials to file an official request in writing. That request would include specific details, such as how many deer would be targeted and where the hunts would be held.

Schaefer said the conference call will give the city direction in applying for the permit. She said the city's application will be approved because the DNR believes Ottawa County's deer population has grown beyond acceptable levels.

She said investigations into several habitats in Grand Haven have proven deer are destroying natural vegetation -- such as the flowering trillium -- while causing erosion to critical dunes.

The areas of the city with the most deer are near Lake Forest Cemetery and Harbor Island -- both on the city's west side. Deer also have been spotted on the city's east side.

Schaefer said city officials have indicated they would like to resume culls as early as this month.

Supporters of city-authorized sharpshooters thinning the herd say deer populations have escalated to unhealthy levels. They say deer are destroying private property, especially gardens and expensive landscaping. They add that deer have moved closer to the city center, causing public safety threats to drivers and residents.

Others fear the deer will bring disease-carrying ticks into the city, making it a public health issue as well.

"As far as the DNR is concerned, this is not about flowers in people's yards. This is about protecting natural resources -- especially the critical dunes, forest areas and green space," Schaefer said.

Last fall, sharpshooters killed 19 deer on Harbor Island and in Lake Forest Cemetery during separate hunts. The city's public safety department closed both public areas during the hunts.

Still, opponents say the hunts aren't safe because of nearby residential neighborhoods. In an attempt to save the deer during last year's hunt at the cemetery, several residents showed up banging pots and pans and honking car horns.

Source: MLive

VIRGINIA NEWS: Municipal Bow Hunt Debated

Tired of the damage and disease associated with an exploding white-tailed deer population, a Leesburg neighborhood will begin allowing bow hunting of deer when hunting season begins this month.

Homeowners in Beacon Hill, a sprawling neighborhood of more than 200 houses, have long complained of deer trampling manicured lawns, eating flowers and ruining community landscaping. They also have expressed concern about the spread of deer ticks that carry Lyme disease.

The board of directors of the Beacon Hill homeowners association voted Monday to permit bow hunting of deer in four wooded common areas during the legal hunting season, from Sept. 5 to Nov. 13.

But a neighboring equestrian center, which shares a trail and common space with Beacon Hill, has expressed concerns about safety. The owners and clients of Clairvaux at Beacon Hill said they fear that horses could be mistaken for deer.

"I envision little girls on little ponies getting shot at," said Terri Young, the owner of Clairvaux. "Or what happens if a hunter misses and there is a deer running around with [an arrow] stuck in it to horrify the kids?"

Beacon Hill is one of a number of Washington area communities that permit bow hunting to control the growing deer population. Montgomery County, for instance, last year relaxed its rules on bow and shotgun hunting.

Beacon Hill is negotiating with Suburban Whitetail Management of Northern Virginia, professional bow hunters who have worked for other communities and private landowners, said Pia Trigiani, the association's attorney. The company's hunters would shoot deer from elevated tree stands, she said.

The tree stands would be at least 150 feet away from any private property not participating in the program and 30 yards from the shared equestrian trail. Hunting would be limited to the four areas, where deer tend to gather, Trigiani said.

In looking at the four areas, the board has considered safety, the proximity to other lots and "where the thinning would be most productive," she said.

Trigiani noted that the association held a community-wide meeting in March at which professional bow hunters briefed residents. Since then, she said, the board has listened to supporters and opponents of bow hunting and has carefully considered the issue.

"This is a last resort for the association," Trigiani said. "It's a measured response. It's not a knee-jerk reaction."

The vast majority of Beacon Hill homeowners support bow hunting of deer. But residents who oppose it said the community could be sued if a hunter accidentally hits a person or a horse.

"We're just concerned about the liability . . . and the safety of the kids, the horses and anybody else," said Lisa Thompson, a Beacon Hill homeowner and mother of two teenage girls who ride horses that are boarded at the equestrian center.

Young, the owner of the equestrian center, said she is concerned about the effect bow hunting will have on her business. "I don't know what our options are at that point," she said. "I have already spoken to our attorney about it."

Trigiani said the board weighed the risks associated with bow hunting on residential land and spoke with three Fairfax County homeowners associations that permit bow hunting.

"They have to balance all of the sides of the issue and come up with the best decisions," Trigiani said. "I think this board has done that, and I think it will stand judicial scrutiny."

Beacon Hill homeowner Stephen Cloud, who supports bow hunting of deer, said that he has tried spraying his flowers and plants with deer-repellant chemicals but that the effectiveness doesn't last.

"I don't plant many flowers anymore because [the deer] eat them all," he said.

Source: Washington Post

RESEARCH NEWS: Four-Posters Reduce Numbers of Lyme-Carrying Ticks 71%

A device called the "4-poster" Deer Treatment Bait Station, developed and patented by scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), was highly effective at reducing the number of ticks infected with the Lyme disease bacterium in a six-year U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study in five Northeastern states—Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island—where the disease is endemic.

In the $2.1 million USDA Northeast Areawide Tick Control Project, investigators noted a 71 percent overall reduction in the number of ticks infected with the Lyme disease bacterium during summer months when most people get the disease. If the 4-poster is used in areas where the disease is endemic, this should translate to a corresponding 71 percent decrease in Lyme disease cases, according to Durland Fish, a professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health and principal investigator for the project. The effectiveness of the 4-poster ranged from 60 to 82 percent among the seven individual 2-square-mile study sites.

The device is a bin that contains corn, with insecticide-laden paint rollers mounted at the bin's corners. When a deer-the primary carrier of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which carries the Lyme disease bacterium—inserts its muzzle into the bin to feed, it must rub its head, neck and ears against the insecticide-treated rollers. When the deer subsequently grooms itself, the insecticide is spread enough to protect the animal's entire body.

Developed by ARS scientists at the agency's Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville, Texas, the 4-poster's efficacy could be boosted to more than 90 percent by using newer, more effective insecticides that were not available at the start of the USDA study, according to J. Mathews Pound, an entomologist at the Kerrville laboratory and a co-investigator on the study.

The results of the study have been published in a series of 11 papers in the August 2009 issue of the medical journal Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases. The articles are available free online.

Source: USDA-ARS

MICHIGAN NEWS: Deer Populations Grow, Native Plants Disappear Garlic Mustard Invades Dune Ecosystem

A burgeoning deer population is threatening the delicate ecosystem of a protected, 115-acre dunes area in southwestern Michigan.

The city of Ferrysburg has formed an ad-hoc committee to look into the problem. Councilman Tim Scarpino, a committee member, said he wants all options -- including culling the herd -- left on the table.

"The less that is done now, the more that will have to be done later," he said.

There appear to be more deer than ever roaming the Kitchel-Lindquist Dunes Preserve, which is in the neighboring city of Grand Haven but owned by Ferrysburg. The animals are feasting on several rare, native plants and their paths are eroding the landscape of the dunes, Scarpino said.

Deer have been slowly stripping the plants that grow in the dunes' understory, the area of ground beneath its forest canopy, said William Martinus, an environmental consultant who has compiled natural-features inventories for the preserve.

Many plants found there in great numbers during the 1970s were not seen during a recent search, Martinus said. There is little to no regeneration of tree seedlings or saplings, while remaining plants often show few blooms.

"There's almost nothing native in the understory," he told the Grand Haven Tribune for a story published Monday. "We don't even know if the seeds of the plants are there anymore."

The deer eat tree saplings and seedlings that are native to Michigan, including maple, oak, beech, cherry, basswood, cedar and butternut, he said.

The native plants are being replaced by nonnative and often invasive species that the deer won't eat. Species that are moving in include garlic mustard, a plant that stifles tree growth, Martinus said.

Reducing the herd is one way to help native plants return to the preserve, he said.

There are several ways to do shrink deer herds but the most effective can be some combination of methods that include fencing, scent repellents, scare tactics and a controlled hunt, said Nik Kalejs, a wildlife habitat biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Source: Chicago Tribune

NEW JERSEY NEWS: Newark Considers Urban Deer Cull

Newark soon might follow in Granville and Heath's footsteps and establish a program to eliminate deer within the city.

Monday, Newark City Council's Service Committee listened to a presentation by Granville Clerk of Council Mollie Prasher to stimulate ideas.

"It has become an issue not just of inconvenience but of appropriate stewardship. My personal opinion is we are being good stewards of the earth by addressing this issue," Prasher said referring to the overpopulation of deer because of a lack of a natural predator and the resulting possibility of disease.

The council has heard complaints from Newark residents for several years about the number of deer and the resulting damage to property and car crashes. Many council members have wanted to approve bowhunting within the city but have been met with resistance from residents who don't want hunting near their home. The discussion never has moved into a solid proposal, however.

No specifics were discussed Monday, but Newark residents have been encouraged to add their name to a list if they are willing to allow hunting on their property.

Granville will enter its third season permitting bowhunting within the city this year. Last year, 95 deer were recorded as killed as a result of the program, 20 of which were shot on a single property.

One of the keys, Prasher said, is the hunters and property owners always have contact with one another before the hunter enters a property. Many owners ask for specific hunters.

"You have to know who is coming on to your property with a weapon," Prasher said.

Before hunters are approved, they must pass a background check and pass a proficiency test.

Prasher said she has developed zones, made up of groups of property owners, and each hunter is assigned to a zone for 13 days at a time. Hunters are provided with a parking permit, an aerial map of the area, a plat map and a card to identify themselves.

"I have had no residents call in to complain," Prasher said. "I don't think everyone (in Granville) is happy we are hunting, but they are tolerating it."

Granville also pays for the meat to be processed and donates any the hunter does not wish to keep.

Several Newark residents also supported action because of the property damage they had experienced or because of the effects on the deer of overpopulation.

One resident said he has seen as many as 23 deer in his yard at one time.

Source: Newark Advocate

VIRGINIA NEWS: Seasonal Deer Feeding Ban Begins

Starting today, it is illegal to feed deer in Virginia, according to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The annual prohibition, part of a 2006 regulation, is part of an effort to keep Virginia's deer population in check. The no-feeding rule will remain in place through the first Saturday in January, according to the department.

The regulation does not restrict the planting of crops, wildlife food plots or backyard and schoolyard habitats. Rather, it is aimed at the artificial feeding of deer, which can unnaturally increase the deer population.

Deer will take advantage of birdfeeders and will eat spilled seed. Individuals who inadvertently feed deer through their birdfeeders may be asked to temporarily take their feeders down, according to a department release.

An overabundance of deer can lead to damage to natural habitats and inappropriate "taming" of wildlife. It also can lead to increased human-deer conflicts, including vehicle collisions and disease transmission, such as tuberculosis and other deer ailments.

Many people feed deer because they believe it will keep them from starving, but deer die-offs due to starvation are practically nonexistent in Virginia, said Matt Knox and Nelson Lafon, VDGIF Deer Project coordinators, in a statement.

"We do not need more deer in Virginia," Lafon said. "In fact, we need fewer deer in many parts of the state."

Harrisonburg has used police snipers to thin the city's deer herd. Recently, city officials said they are considering allowing archery on a limited basis to control the deer population.

Based on a 2007 survey, most Virginians would like to see deer populations decrease through much of the state, the release said.

Source: Rocktown Weekly

MICHIGAN NEWS: Bill Introduced to Expand Damage Shooting Permits

One of Michigan’s top industries is taking a hit from a growing problem, and state Rep. John Proos is working to address the issue.

Proos has introduced House Bill 5309 to allow farmers to address the increasing deer population and take more nuisance deer that disrupt and destroy crops.

“Michigan farmers are facing unprecedented struggles in this rough economy, and this simple preventative measure will go a long way in protecting crops,” said Proos, R-St. Joseph. “This is both a local issue and a statewide economic issue, and here is a simple fix for a growing problem.”

Proos said that current law still leaves crops largely unprotected. Under current law, farmers are able to obtain a deer damage shooting permit as a result of nursery or crop loss, which allows them to take nuisance deer responsible for damaging crops.

Proos’ legislation increases the number of authorized shooters that may be included under a deer damage shooting permit from three to 15.

Source: WLKM

WASHINGTON DC NEWS: Hunt in Rock Creek National Park Considered

The National Park Service is eyeing the use of sharpshooters and other lethal action as the most effective means to quickly cull the growing white-tail deer population in Rock Creek Park.

Hundreds of deer -- roughly 82 per square mile -- roam the 2,900-acre park, the park service reports in a 400-page environmental impact statement, which sets out the lethal and nonlethal options for controlling deer numbers. The herd often wanders off the reservation, onto neighboring roads, into residents' yards and occasionally through plate glass windows.

The park service is lobbying for immediate action as white-tail deer are fast becoming the dominant force in the park's ecosystem. The deer are destroying native vegetation, competing with other wildlife for limited food resources, and increasingly are posing a hazard to drivers.

The EIS, the subject of a scheduled public meeting Wednesday, offers four alternatives for reducing the deer population:

» A do-nothing option
» Surgical and chemical sterilization and "large fenced areas"
» Sharpshooters and euthanization
» A combination of the latter two choices

Killing deer via sharpshooting and euthanasia would allow the forest to regenerate, "improving habitat and reducing impacts of overbrowsing," according to the park service document. The hunts, performed primarily at night during late fall and winter months, would entail "trained sharpshooters" using rifles or bow and arrow.
The meat, the NPS said, would be donated to local charitable organizations for consumption "to the maximum extent possible."

Opinions vary on controlled hunts as a viable practice inside the District.
Though killing deer is a "heart wrenching decision," an overpopulation of any single species "wreaks havoc in so many ways," said Jane Solomon, a conservation biologist who lives just west of Rock Creek Park.

"It's unpopular," said Solomon, a Forest Hills advisory neighborhood commissioner. "They're beautiful animals. We all love them, but the population's too large. I wouldn't be opposed to either some form of euthanization or lethal means."
Deer are a "nuisance and vexatious," said D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson. But sterilization, he said, is the best practice.

"It's not hard to find them to do the sterilization," Mendelson said. "It's certainly a more humane approach and far less controversial than sharpshooting."

The park service "is looking to hunt" rather than investigating options like reflectors, flashing lights, controlled vegetation and devices that scare deer away from roads and residences, said Scott Giacoppo, chief programs officer with the Washington Humane Society. Deer kills, he said, are "proven not to work."

"I personally wouldn't get involved in something like that," said Charles Rogers, president of the Woodbridge-based National Sportsman Association. "It's sort of like shooting fish in a barrel."

Source: Washington Examiner

NEW YORK NEWS: High Price Tag for Urban Deer Management

The draft deer plan adopted by the village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees could cost $470,000 in the first three years and almost $1 million over 10 years.

"It's a very sobering number, but it appears as though this would be what it costs," Mayor Jim Gilmore said.

Late Monday night, the board adopted a draft deer plan that would sterilize 30-60 does and cull or kill the rest, estimated to be 100 to 200 other deer.

Trustee David Donner was the only vote against. Donner said he supported culling but not sterilization.

"Horses and deer are creatures that panic. To trap and hold them for hours or days in cages or nets is inhumane. To subject them to an unnatural and unnecessary surgery is also inhumane," he said. "I ask for a swift and honorable death for the deer, just as I do for horses."

Gilmore and the other five trustees voted in favor of the draft plan, arguing it would be the fastest and most effective way to reduce the village's deer population. Sterilization is intended to reduce in-migration by other deer when village deer are killed, according to the village's plan.

The proposal was submitted by the village's deer-remediation advisory committee in June. Since that time, the village has held two regular evening meetings, during which the majority of speakers -- who were from Cayuga Heights, Tompkins County and central New York -- have spoken against killing the deer.

Deer were the major issue in both of the last village elections. The village had not seen a contested election for 22 years prior to the two in the last two years.

In the March elections for three trustee positions, the Community Party candidates -- who said they would be willing to consider culling -- won with 414, 405 and 380 votes. The Open Government candidates -- who said they opposed culling at this time -- gained 170, 166 and 153 votes. Voter turnout was 28 percent, according to the Board of Elections.

Trustee Robert Andolina created the financial forecast based on the deer committee's recommendations. He noted that unlike other municipalities that control the deer population through hunting, the village will not get any hunting permit revenue to offset costs.

"I think we have to think seriously about the price tag here," Andolina said.

Village Treasurer Jeffrey Silber said the entire village budget for 2010 totals $2.07 million, meaning the average $100,000 per year on deer control would be equivalent to a 5 percent tax levy increase.

Trustee Bea Szekely said the board could pare down its plan before adopting a final version or actually allocating any money, but that the board should push hard to reduce the number of deer.

"I think we had a strong mandate from the recent election to remediate the deer herd," she said.

The board is undertaking a state-mandated environmental review of the proposed plan. State law does not require a public hearing in conjunction with such environmental reviews, but it's common for municipalities to have them. The village board chose to wait until its next meeting to decide whether to hold a public hearing on the proposal.

The board's next meetings are scheduled for noon Sept. 14 and 7 p.m. Sept. 21 in Marcham Hall, 836 Hanshaw Road.

Source: The Ithaca Journal

PENNSYLVANIA NEWS: Deer Hunt Considered for Tyler State Park

Officials are proposing allowing bow-and-arrow hunting of deer in a suburban Philadelphia park this fall and early winter.

More than 100 people packed a Bucks County meeting room Saturday to weigh in on the proposal for Tyler State Park in Newtown Township.

If approved, the archery hunt would be in addition to an annual shotgun hunt scheduled for Dec. 9 this year. As many as 10 hunters would be allowed to hunt each day in a northern section of the 1,711-acre park for several weeks.

Officials say the one-day shotgun hunts aren't sufficiently reducing the number of deer.

Some of those attending expressed concerns about the humaneness of archery hunting. Others said they were concerned about the safety of allowing archery hunting over an extended period when the rest of the park is still open for general use.

Source: Lebanon Daily News

IOWA NEWS: Town Enters 4th Year of Culling

As set by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the City of Ottumwa’s deer season for bow hunters will begin on September 12, 2009 and will run through January 31, 2010. The City’s deer hunting program was implemented in 2005 as a method to safely reduce the deer population within the city limits of Ottumwa. Last year, seventy-eight (78) deer were harvested as a result of the program. Since 2005, the program has successfully reduced the deer population by four hundred twenty-seven (427) deer.

Hunters interested in participating in the City’s deer season must possess a State of Iowa hunting license, a DNR Ottumwa deer tag from the Wapello County Recorder’s Office, and register with the City of Ottumwa through the Ottumwa Police Department. Hunters are required to pass an annual shooting proficiency test at Whitetail Archery in Agency, Iowa with the bow they will be hunting with and must follow all rules and regulations prescribed by the DNR and the Chief of Police.

Source: HeartlandConnection

NEW JERSEY NEWS: Deer Census A Likely Prelude to Deer Cull

The white-tailed deer population in the township could soon find themselves being watched. This week the Township Committee unanimously approved a resolution encouraging Union County to study the number of deer that live in the parks and wooded areas in Cranford.

The move comes after a discussion in July when members of the Cranford Environmental Commission, Hanson Park Conversancy, the Tree Advisory Board, and the Union County Board of Agriculture called for the committee to act on the issue. Making their case, residents said last month that white-tailed deer had crowded into wooded areas of Nomehegan Park and the grassy land of the Lenape Basin before moving into the surrounding residential areas, crossing major roads such as Springfield Avenue and Kenilworth Boulevard along the way.

The Township Committee members agreed with the idea of helping to thin the herd, passing the resolution that mentioned a visual inspection of the areas the deer frequent that showed a clear loss of the understory of vegetatrion in the parkland.

The move has drawn comments on both sides of the issue, with some residents supporting a deer hunt as a humane way to deal with a deer population that is out of control, while others have objected to any attempts to thin the herd as a cruel reaction to animals forced out by of their habitat by suburban sprawl.

According to the Cranford Police Department, there have been few accidents involving collisions between a deer and a vehicle, however, the accidents have been reported on Springfield Avenue, Kenilworth Boulevard and Orange Avenue.

While Union County allows a deer hunt in the area around the Watchung Reservation, usually once each year, such a measure has never been held in the area of the township.

Even with the resolution seeking action with regard to the white-tail deer population, the committee members said they would encourage efforts to thin the herd, such as trapping and relocation, or birth control measures.

"We'll make it clear that we want a shotgun hunt to be a method of last resort," Mayor David Robinson said this week of the efforts.

Source: NJ.com

NEW JERSEY NEWS: Denville Approves Deer Hunt

The Denville Township Council voted in favor of a deer hunt and will meet next month to discuss how to institute it in a safe manner.

"Initially I was opposed to the deer hunt," said township councilwoman Deborah A. Smith. "But after hearing testimony on the state of deer in Denville and how unhealthy they are, I am in support of the culling of the heard."


Denville's 11 square miles can not sustain the 2,000 deer that populate the area (182 deer per square mile!), according to Smith, who said that having a hunt will preserve both the deer and local vegetation which deer are eating due to lack of adequate food supply. The vote was taken Tuesday night.

The manner in which the hunt will take place and when will be discussed at the next meeting, which will be held on Sept. 1 in the municipal building at 1 St. Mary's Place.

In response to concerns about safety, the town will publish the locations and dates of the hunts, which will likely be done by bow hunters. The town will also require hunters go through a training program to learn how to hunt in as humane a manner as possible, Smith said.

Some Denville residents oppose the hunt, which would be the township's first in recent memory.

Wendy Bozzolasco, a concerned Denville resident and Morristown attorney, said she has researched the implications of deer hunts extensively and opposes them because they will exacerbate some of the problems they are intended to solve: automotive collisions and ticks among humans.

Citing a study from the Erie Auto Insurance Group, Bozzolasco said that insurance claims often increase during deer hunting seasons because deer, fleeing hunters often enter the roadway. Moreover, killing deer, Bozzolasco said, can increase Lyme disease among humans because deer do not spread the disease. Rather they act as hosts for ticks, she said.

"Deer are not a vector species for Lyme disease. A white tail mouse is the vector species," Bozzolasco said. "Ticks need a large bodied warm host," and when there are less deer, ticks seek out people, she said.

Bozzolasco said there are legal implications to moving forward with the proposed deer hunt and the town's plan to donate excess venison to a charity in Paterson.

"There are repercussions in terms of liability if people are injured or property damaged and specifics of that have not been discussed," Bozzolasco said. "What liability would there be if toxic meat would be donated."

Smith said the council has considered the legal implications of allowing a hunt.

"We're always concerned about those things. The group we're talking to carries their own liability. It's been done in Mountain Lakes and in Randolph," said Smith. "This is not a new thing."

Denville resident Genie Cisti, 48, suggested other alternatives include installing roadside reflectors that would discourage deer from entering roadways and encouraging residents to plant deer resistant plants.

Source: DailyRecord

MARYLAND NEWS: Community Fights Lyme with Four-Posters

'Faced with the highest number of reported Lyme disease cases in the state, Howard County officials have expanded a program to combat the disease.

The county has installed four new "Four-Poster" devices, which coat deer with pesticide that kills the ticks that cause Lyme disease, in Schooley Mill Park in Highland, said Philip Norman, deer project manager for the county Department of Recreation and Parks.

"That area of the county had an extremely high incidence of Lyme disease," Norman said. "The primary concern we have here is Lyme disease carried by the black-legged tick, also called the deer tick."

The devices, installed at the beginning of July, joined six others in Blandair Park, in Columbia, which were installed in 2005, Norman said. They consist of a dish of corn surrounded by four rollers, which roll pesticide onto the deer's head and ears as it noses toward the food.

Norman noted that ticks tend to concentrate around the head and ears, plus the deer then uses its head to groom the rest of its body, spreading the pesticide.

The United States Department of Agriculture developed the device in the 1990s and they are manufactured in Ellicott City, Norman said. "It's amazing in its simplicity," he said.

Howard County had the highest number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the state in 2008, according the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

There were 369 confirmed and probable cases reported in the county in 2008, the department reported last month, up from 358 in 2007. Statewide, the total decreased from 2,576 cases in 2007 to 2,216 in 2008.

Officials have attributed the increase here to increased development.

Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria transmitted by an infected tick. If not detected and treated, it may cause chronic symptoms that can include joint pain, heart palpitations and neurological problems, according to Howard County health officials.

Norman said treating the deer is key to combating the disease. "After several years of treatment in any given area you can greatly reduce the prevalence," Norman said. The white-tailed deer is the primary host of the adult tick in the county, Norman said.


The Four-Poster devices are manufactured by C.R. Daniels Co., an Ellicott City-based firm.

Andy Szulinski, a vice president at C.R. Daniels, said the company manufactures about 400 Four-Posters a year, serving 20 states, Canada and Scotland. Each unit sells for about $800 and services between 50 and 100 acres, he said.

Szulinski said the company collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on designing the devices and is the only company in the country that sells them.

Deer host more ticks than any other animal, Szulinski said, making the device the most effective way of combating Lyme disease.

"You're going after the source of the adult ticks," he said.

All of the Four-Posters are made in the company's Ellicott City manufacturing plant, he added.

C.R. Daniels was established in 1918 and makes a variety of products, from carts used by the U.S. Postal Service to lawn and garden equipment, he said. The company has a 180,000-square foot plant in Ellicott City and a 100,000-square foot plant in Tennessee, he said.

Source: ExploreHoward.com

KANSAS NEWS: Police Officers to do the Shooting at Shawnee Mission Park

The Lenexa City Council on Tuesday cleared the way for police officers to significantly reduce the deer population in Shawnee Mission Park this fall.

The council unanimously approved a special event permit to allow a deer harvest in the southern half of the park, which is within Lenexa’s city limits. The park’s northern half is in Shawnee.

The permit, which costs $75, runs from Oct. 1 to Jan. 31 and was sought by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.

Lenexa Mayor Mike Boehm said approving the permit wasn’t a matter of passing judgment on the deer program. He said that issue had been settled by the county Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners.

“It’s on parkland owned by the county. It’s their jurisdiction,” Boehm said. “They can lock down the park and do it in a safe manner. We believe it should be allowed.”

Vicki Charlesworth, Shawnee’s assistant city manager, said her city has an ordinance allowing law enforcement officers to shoot within the city limits, and that park officials did not need a special permit.

The park district is recruiting volunteer police officers to reduce the herd from about 200 deer per square mile to 50 — a 75 percent reduction. The culling could begin as early as October.

If shooting the deer doesn’t kill enough, the park district plans to bring in bow hunters to finish the job.

The park covers 3.5 square miles.

Park officials have said factors influencing their recommendation were statistics on deer-vehicle accidents, complaints from homeowners and commercial businesses about increased plant and landscaping damage, and concerns about diseases associated with ticks carried by deer. They added that the deer population also was affecting the ecology of the park.

Animal-rights activists have argued that overdevelopment in the area has destroyed deer habitat and have urged implementation of nonlethal methods of deer control.

Source: Kansas City Star

MONTANA NEWS: Helena Deer Cull Expanded Again

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has given tentative approval to allow an additional 150 mule deer to be killed in Helena between November and March.

As part of its proposal, Helena officials promised to further monitor the urban deer population and to look at the effects of a previous effort that removed 200 deer from the city limits. They also will tally how many deer live in the city and determine what the human tolerance is for them.

Some of Helena’s 30,000 residents like the animals’ presence but others complain about property damage, traffic obstruction and risk to people and pets.

Source: Great Falls Tribune

MARYLAND NEWS: National Park Considers Cull to Combat CWD

The spread of a disease fatal to white-tailed deer has prompted the National Park Service to endorse a lethal response at two Civil War battlefields in western Maryland.

The agency is seeking public comment through Sept. 18 on its preferred option of potentially slaughtering hundreds of deer at the Antietam (an-TEE'-tem) and Monocacy (mah-NAH'-kah-see) national battlefields if Chronic Wasting Disease is found within 20 miles.

Both parks are within 60 miles of confirmed cases of the brain disease in West Virginia.

The park service says killing large numbers of deer could prevent the disease from becoming established among the overpopulated herds within the parks.

The contagious illness is fatal to deer but poses no apparent risk to humans.

Source: WJZ

WEST VIRGINIA NEWS: Urban Bowhunting Approved in Charleston

Bow hunters will be able to stalk deer in Charleston two weeks early, but will want to take special care not to violate the rules of the hunt.

The Charleston City Council voted Monday to start the hunting season September 19 and to increase the bag limit from two to seven.

It also voted to institute penalties of up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $500 for violating the ordinance.

Councilman Jack Harrison says the new penalties will address the concerns of residents who say deer hunters stray from designated hunting areas and onto property where hunting isn't permitted.

Harrison hopes the new rules will attract more hunters, since the Charleston season will start earlier than other cities with urban hunts.

Source: WHSV

DELAWARE NEWS: Some Residents Not Receptive to Deer Hunt in Wilmington

The feedback from the public was both pro and con Thursday at a forum to consider permitting bow hunting of deer within the city limits of Wilmington. But more residents spoke against the idea than in favor.

Wilmington Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Mike Wallace, at the close of the forum, said he thinks city officials need to keep the issue on the table. He proposed holding a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting to discuss the matter further, but added he doesn’t know when the committee would have some sort of deer control program to present to the full council for consideration.

Larry Reinsmith, who lives in the Timber Glen subdivision in the southern part of town, said the key to success for residents who are unhappy about deer feeding on flowers and other plants in their yards is “to understand deer are here to stay and property owners have a responsibility to take steps that will ease conflicts with them.”

Last year, there were eight deer crashes in the city, said Reinsmith, down from 16 the year before.

He also said there has been material distributed regarding Lyme disease and deer “trying to instill fear into the public.” But he said Lyme disease is easily treatable and moreover, there has been no reported case in Clinton County since 2004, when there was one reported incident, citing data from the Clinton County Health Department.

Barb Wells said her family is not opposed to hunting but is opposed to hunting within the city limits.

She feels hunting should stay outside the city limits “where it has traditionally been for years.”

“After living in the south end of town for more than 40 years, I haven’t noticed an increase in deer problems,” Wells said.

Hunting “domesticated” deer that have become accustomed to humans “doesn’t seem like much of a sport to me,” Wells said.

Bob Thobaben, who is not a resident of Wilmington, said, “If you allow nature to take its course, there is no control.”

Nick Babb, who is safety director for Wilmington, said “you can’t legislate where arrows go.”

Greg Keeton said staff at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are the wildlife population management professionals. Other residential communities have utilized bow hunting of deer within town “with great success.”

Bob Schaeffing said he has planted flowers that deer aren’t supposed to eat, but they did.

Deer will multiply, said Schaeffing, adding he is “really concerned” about the issue. Permitting bow hunting would help, at least in part, because “deer will move away from pressure.”

Cathie Spilker said she takes her dog out to the woods on walks and she doesn’t want it to be struck by an arrow. Deer move, she said, but an arrow continues on its same trajectory.

Wilmington City Council needs to be concerned that it could be opening itself up to liability and a lawsuit if there were an accident, Spilker said.

Scott Kirchner said he is “not even sure” the deer population in town is a problem. He said he has lived on South Mulberry Street near the bike path and Sugar Grove Cemetery and he hasn’t seen a “grand increase in deer.”

But Kirchner said he’s aware people need to be cognizant of managing the deer herd.

There are no safe answers in addressing the deer population growth, said Kim Hilderbrand of Wilmington.

At the conclusion of the forum, Wilmington Mayor David Raizk said the administration’s number one concern will be the health and safety of the citizens, and that this concern will come before property concerns.

Source: Wilmington News Journal

KANSAS NEWS: Animal Rights Group to Defend 200 Deer Per Square Mile

A new animal-rights group is pledging to defend the deer in Shawnee Mission Park.

Jason Miller, founder of Bite Club of KC, recently asked to meet with the staff of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District to discuss their concerns. Miller said that request was turned down.

So, he and his group plan to show up at the next park board meeting Aug. 19 and present those concerns during the public comment portion of the meeting. A demonstration is also planned.

In a unanimous vote last month, the board approved a plan to employ sharpshooters and bow hunters to solve the problem of too many deer in Shawnee Mission Park.

The board wants to reduce the herd from about 200 deer per square mile to 50—- a 75 percent reduction.

“If the deer herd in Shawnee Mission Park is not culled or reduced as humanely as possible, Mother Nature will do so,” said Michael Meadors, park district director. “And I believe it will be less humane—through starvation or worse, disease that could wipe out the entire herd.”

The Bite Club, on the other hand, said the park district’s plan amounts to animal cruelty.

“We have several serious concerns about the legality, not to mention the ethics, of the board’s decision to slaughter deer in Shawnee Mission Park,” Miller said in a recent e-mail.

The group’s motto: “Activism with a bite.”

Miller is also a press officer for a national organization, North American Animal Liberation.

Source: Kansas City Star

WISCONSIN NEWS: Prevalence of CWD Jumps Up

The rate of chronic wasting disease infection in Wisconsin's white-tailed deer herd increased last year.

The prevalence rate for adult bucks 2 1/2 years or older in the first epicenter of the outbreak, which covers mostly western Dane County and eastern Iowa County, increased from 10% in 2007 to 15.5% last year, according to figures released Tuesday by the Department of Natural Resources.

The infection rate for yearling bucks increased from 3% to 6% in the same period.

Chronic wasting disease was first discovered in Wisconsin in 2002. Since then, DNR officials have analyzed almost 152,000 deer, with 1,172 free-ranging deer testing positive for the always-fatal nervous system disease.

"Five to 10 years in the future, we will know better whether this was just a one-year blip on the chart or the beginning of a trend of increasing disease prevalence in Wisconsin," population ecologist Robert Rolley said in a statement.

Researchers used sophisticated statistical techniques that adjust for factors such as age and gender to estimate infection rates, which appear to vary randomly from one year to the next. But evidence points to a general trend of a 4% infection increase each year in Wisconsin.

Chronic wasting disease has been discovered in wild deer or elk herds in 11 states and two Canadian provinces. All of the infected free-ranging deer in Wisconsin have been found in two areas: the south-central region of Dane and Iowa counties, and a spot in southeastern Wisconsin that's part of a chronic wasting disease area in northern Illinois.

Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

MIDWESTERN US NEWS: Lyme Disease on the Rise

MINNEAPOLIS - Deer ticks are expanding their range in the Upper Midwest, increasing the threat of disease to hikers and others tramping through the region's woods.

Public health officials say it's happening in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and southern Canada. The number of Lyme disease cases has been growing with the expansion.

No one is sure why the range is growing, but there's growing suspicion that subtle changes in the climate are tipping the ticks' complicated ecosystems toward expansion.

Health officials in Minnesota and Wisconsin are trying to get funding to test that theory.

Officials agree that it's not enough to keep people out of the woods, but they say outdoors enthusiasts should be smart and take precautions against tick bites.

Source: Chi Tribune

UZBEKISTAN NEWS: Bukhara Deer Reintroduced Along Syr Darya River

For almost half a century, the Bukhara deer -- a species endemic to Central Asia -- had not been seen in the wild in the forests along the Syr Darya river. But the species has now returned to Kazakhstan's southern Turkestan district with the recent release of ten deer into their traditional habitat.

The animals, bred in a pen set up in 2001, were released in late May by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and local conservationists.

Olga Pereladova, the director of WWF's Central Asia Program in Moscow, explains that the last of the Bukhara deer in the Syr Darya valley were killed in 1962. “Since then, there have been no deer at all. It was not only a problem of the animals' elimination, but a problem of destruction of habitats because a lot of riparian forests were cut down," Pereladova said.

The deer will continue to be fed for several months to help them adapt to life in the wild, their new territory, and a change in diet.

Pereladova says the sanctuary offers good protection during the adaptation period. The territory forms a peninsula surrounded by the waters of the Syr Darya and is fenced off from people living on nearby farms.

During the eight years of preparation for the release, funding of up to $15,000 a year was provided mainly by WWF Netherlands. Norway's government and the Kazakh regional government have also been contributing.

The Bukhara deer (Cervus elaphus bactrianus) is ash gray, with yellowish highlights and a grayish-white rump patch. The male deer have antlers. The animals’ habitat includes Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The WWF has been working since 1999 to save the species in cooperation with local communities and officials across the region. Pereladova says the population has since increased from only 350 to 1,300.

Successful Strategy

That's partly thanks to a series of successful reintroductions.

In 2007, a group of deer was released in Uzbekistan's Zarafshan Nature Reserve. The animals, raised in nearby pens, were the second group to be set free in the reserve, following a successful release in 2005.

A similar release took place in 2007 in Kazakhstan's Altyn Emel National Park, on the right bank of the Ili River. The animals came from a game reserve located on the other bank of the river.

"In Zarafshan, they're reproducing very well and the released groups are already contacting the group of deer in the Tajik part of the [river] valley,” Pereladova said. “So we hope for the sustainable establishment of the population. But new releases are planned because we again have extra animals in the pens. In Altyn Emel, newborns were seen."

Pereladova says a transfer of deer was also planned in the lower regions of the Amu Darya River in Uzbekistan.

"The Badaitugai Nature Reserve is overpopulated, [while in] downstream Amu Darya, new sites of riparian forests have developed, and [deer] can be released there,” she said. “There is now a UNDP [United Nations Development Program] project ongoing in a system of protected areas of development of the Amu Darya Delta. Together with them, we are planning these translocations."

The Bukhara deer lives in Central Asia's riparian forests, which are characterized by thickets of trees and grassy clearings interspersed with wetlands. These forests, locally known as tugai, are located on the floodplains of rivers.

Overgrazing, agriculture, and illegal logging have contributed significantly to the destruction of the tugai. The problem is particularly acute along the Amu Darya River in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Pereladova says, however, that riparian forests are recovering fast along the Syr Darya, which lies primarily in Kazakhstan.

A number of protected areas have been established to preserve tugai ecosystems across the region.

One of them is the Beshai Palangon (which means "the forest of tigers" in Tajik) Nature Reserve in southern Tajikistan, between the Vakhsh and Pyandj rivers.

The reserve's chief, Nuriddin Saifulloev, told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that the Bukhara deer population there has increased to 18.

"When I was appointed head of the reserve [three years ago], we brought in 14 deer,” Saifulloev said. “They were very little. Now they are living freely in the reserve. Their life is very good. Some of them gave birth to fawns, so there are baby deer now."

Unbroken Habitat

Late last year, 100,000 hectares were included as buffer zones around the reserve. Pereladova calls the move "very important," saying it unites a previously fragmented protected territory.

Since 2007, WWF says that thanks to funding from Norway's government, it has improved the water drainage system in the reserve and surrounding areas. Canals were cleaned to ensure water flow from rivers to the tugai lakes and allow the recovery of the lakes, forest, and populations of various species.

But Saifulloev warns that the Bukhara deer and its habitat still need better protection. He says that the population has disappeared in Tajikistan's Romit Nature Reserve, while only a few animals remain in the Qarotogh Nature Refuge.

Pereladova says Central Asian states have demonstrated their commitment to preserve the Bukhara deer and tugai, despite often limited resources.

Central Asian governments are “doing what they can and sometimes even more than they can, initiating activities for which they don't have enough funding, but anyway trying to do what is possible; and applying for support,” she said. “So it's not that we're coming and doing something from outside, but we are combining our efforts."

But she says education among the local populations and winning their participation in nature conservancy work is crucial, and begins with educating children.

"When we started work, the habitats suffered from illegal logging, grazing, etc. And people didn't know what Bukhara deer was. They had forgotten it. Now all of them know it,” Pereladova said.

“Children participated in special actions, collecting winter forage for our deer, and they transferred this knowledge to their parents,” she continued. “In Turkmenistan, go along the border of the [Amu Darya Nature Reserve and] talk to people: they know what the [Bukhara deer] is, why it is protected, and [they say] it is an honor for them that they have saved their national heritage."

Source: Radio Free Europe

IOWA NEWS: Marshalltown to Begin Urban Deer Hunting

The city of Marshalltown is reminding those interested in the upcoming deer hunt inside the city limits that some safety classes are coming up that are required for participation.

Permits will not go on sale until Aug. 26, but bow hunters wanting to hunt within the city limits will be required to take the Bow Hunter Safety Education course as well as pass a proficiency test. All classes being offered are between Aug. 15-25.

These are the only classes available for bow hunters between now and the beginning of the city's hunting season.

Because this is the first year bow hunting will be allowed, Terry Gray, director of the Marshalltown Parks & Recreation Department, said the city will be watching the entire process very closely.

"We really don't know what to expect," she said.

There are two ways to take the safety education course. The whole class can be taken on site or a portion of the course may be taken online and the second portion, the field day, can be taken at the on site class. A listing of the classes available can be found at www.iowadnr.gov.

None are available in Marshalltown at this time, and Gray said that might hurt participation a little bit. Most of the classes being offered are only the field day portion which requires the participant to take the online bow course. Early registration is recommended.

Any proficiency test by a certified International Education Foundation (IBEF/NBEF) instructor will be accepted. Proof is required. At this time, no test is available in Marshalltown.

Once a hunter has completed the course and proficiency test, a permit to hunt within the city limits must be obtained at the Marshalltown Parks and Recreation office. The permit fee costs $10.

The permit will then enable the hunter to get an urban hunting license available at the General Store, 116 E. Church St. There are 75 licenses available.

Additional deer hunting licenses will also be available around Marshalltown's perimeter.

The goal is to reduce the deer population inside the city.

"One thing we are doing is antlerless deer only," Gray said. "The bucks are the prize, but we are doing this to control the deer population. It's not for sport."

Source: Times Republican

INDIANA NEWS: TB Found in Captive Deer, Wild Deer Tested

The Department of Natural Resources has collected around 30 white-tailed deer in Franklin County this past week. The concern? The spread of tuberculosis into wild populations.

So far, three facilities in southeast Indiana have captive deer that have tested positive for the disease. After the deer‘s carcasses are collected they will be transported to the animal disease diagnostic laboratory at Purdue university.

There is only a remote chance of humans contracting the disease from animals, and the risk decreases further when proper food handling and cooking procedures are used.

Source: WCSI Radio

NEW YORK NEWS: Deer Management Options Mulled for Green Lakes State Park

Deer here, deer there -- deer everywhere.

That's one thing that most people seem to agree on when it comes to the deer at Green Lakes State Park in the town of Manlius.

But are there too many deer? And should hunting be allowed to reduce their numbers?

It's an emotional issue and some people tie both topics together. Others feel they should be handled separately. The question about what to do with the deer is being discussed now because the state is currently formulating a new, 25-year master plan for the park and is seeking input.

A recent public hearing brought out strong feelings about the park's deer, and in particular the hunting issue. Nothing's been decided yet.

Among the key, deer-related discussion points are the high number of deer/motor vehicle accidents around the park, the fact that the park has been identified as ground zero in Central New York for the deer-carried Lyme disease tick and the fact that many surrounding homeowners are tired of having their shrubs and flowers munched on by deer.

And the most emotional: Are park users who hike, bike, bird, shoe and cross-country ski in the 1,900-acre park willing to share its use with hunters?

But first, just how many deer are there at Green Lakes State Park?

That's right. And that figures into the state parks department official position.

A total of 24 were spotted along roads in the park and just off Route 290 during a recent, early morning, one-hour visit by this reporter. Park officials said it's not uncommon to see herds of 10 to 20 deer in the late fall, winter and early spring.

"How many deer? That's an honest question that we can't answer," said Jim Semar, the park's manager for 19 months. "What we need to do is have a deer count."

His boss, Robert Hibrandt, assistant regional director for the state park's Central Region, agreed. "Everything is moot until that question, 'Are there too many deer?' is answered. And only then will we have the discussion whether we have hunting or not."

A wildlife survey was proposed several years ago by the town of Manlius, in conjunction with SUNY ESF officials. It never happened.

David Riehlman, a senior wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said "something" has to be done to manage the park's deer.

"There's certainly evidence of a high number of animals in there. Most anyone looking at the park grounds would say deer are having some impact on the vegetation in the park," he said.

But will a study answer everyone's questions? Probably not, said Brian Underwood, a wildlife biologist with the United States Geology Survey who has looked at this issue at national parks across the country. He said the answer comes down to a mix of scientific and social concerns.

"There's no magic number. The truth is there's plenty of food there for the deer. If there wasn't there wouldn't be that many deer there," he said. "I've seen 300 deer per square mile supported by mowed lawns. The question is do you want to have that many deer?

A host of accidents

The town of Manlius, which includes the villages of Manlius, Fayetteville and Minoa, is a fast-growing residential area. As undeveloped land disappears, the deer in the area continue to gravitate to the park and other open land, officials said.

Captain Jason Cassalia of the Town of Manlius Police Department acknowledged his municipality has "a lot" of deer/motor vehicle accidents.

"Last year of the 842 total accidents in our town -- which includes the town and the village of Manlius, Fayetteville and Minoa -- 114 of them were car/deer accidents," he said.

On the highly traveled roads surrounding the park (Routes 5, 257 and 290), he added, there were 33.

Along one stretch of Route 290, the state has put up Swareflex reflectors, which are supposed to reflect car lights off the road and into the woods into the deer's eyes.

"Basically, they don't work very well," said Underwood, who recently oversaw a SUNY ESF graduate student's study on deer car accidents in Onondaga County.


Nuisance permits, sterilization

Private landowners with excessive deer problems can get "nuisance permits" issued by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to bring in sharp shooters, or that allows them to take the multiple deer out themselves over a short period of time. Such a permit has never been issued for a Central New York park, state park officials said. Other areas have tried the sterilization approach to reduce deer numbers. "To date, none have proven to be practical or effective," a DEC official said.

Lyme disease

It's not news that county health department officials, doctors and veterinarians have essentially tagged Green Lakes State Park as "Ground Zero" for Lyme Disease in Central New York. The tick-borne disease moves from area to area carried by deer.

This year appears to be the worst deer tick and Lyme disease seasons yet in Central New York. A local dermatologist was quoted recently by The Post-Standard as saying he had 10 patients with Lyme disease, with seven believed to come from Green Lakes State Park.

Last year, a state Health Department study found that 63 percent of the deer ticks collected from Green Lakes in the summer of 2008 were infected with the bacteria, compared to an infection rate of 30 percent earlier in the year.

Typical symptoms for humans include fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash. If left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system. Most cases can be treated with antibiotics.

In dogs, symptoms include lameness, fever, swollen joints, anorexia and kidney failure and can be fatal. Dogs can be vaccinated. There's nothing on the market, though, for humans.

Will it do any good now to take out a sizeable chunk of the park's deer herd?

Experts say it's too late. The ticks have established themselves by using all available, warm-blooded hosts, including small rodents, rabbits, skunks and raccoons. The best tool in controlling the disease at this point, officials said, is education -- specifically, taking the proper precautions when recreating in the area. Warnings are posted throughout the park.

Managing the munching

Anybody living next to Green Lakes State Park is aware of the large numbers of deer that wander into nearby residential areas throughout the year to munch on shrubs, small trees and flowers.

Town Supervisor Mark Tetley said his house borders the park.

"My neighborhood is frustrated," he said. "It's difficult to have any shrubs or plantings out. It's a difficult problem. You have so many people on different sides of it."

However, Tetley, who's been in office for two years, said he "hasn't seen a groundswell yet," of residents demanding something be done about the deer."

Sister Margaret Patrick, administrator at the Spirituality and Nature Center at Alverna Heights -- a 160-acre Catholic spiritual retreat center that's embedded on one side of the park -- said they've had to put caging and tubing around many of the retreat's "memorial trees."

"And we spray garlic spray on the trees, that seems to protect them," she said. "They (the deer) are not super destructive for us. We don't have massive gardens like people in some of the houses (surrounding the park)."

So, what about hunting?

Outdoorsman Charlie Pace successfully lobbied for bow hunting at Selkirk Shores State Park in Oswego County. He and others would like to see Green Lakes State Park opened up as well.

"The argument is not about deer management," he said. "It's about providing another recreational opportunity at the park."

He said parks officials should not be so concerned about managing the deer numbers, adding that their job is to provide recreational opportunities and to protect the fauna and flora of the park. Managing deer numbers, he said, is the DEC's job.

He pointed out Bowman Lake State Park in Chenango County, and the county-run, Highland Forest in Tully both allow hunting. Specific accommodations have been made to appease other park users, such as restricting it to a specific area, special hunting days, no permanent tree stands and no ATVs.

"Say you only opened it up for three weeks (for hunting). Had a permit system. Only 10 to 30 guys. Or maybe just handicapped guys. Or even one guy. Either way, it would be an increase in the recreational use of that park," he said.

He said park officials and other critics point to safety concerns. He bristled at comments made at the recent public hearing that high school cross country runners training in the park might be injured themselves by a misdirected or stray arrow.

"If safety is such a concern ... you have cross country kids in shorts and T-shirts running through there all the time. Are they taking all the precautions (for Lyme Disease)?," he said. "And show me where there's been such accidents in state parks (involving hunting)."

Semar, who manages the park, has a unique perspective. Before coming to Green Lakes, he managed Bowman and Selkirk state parks.

He acknowledged none of them had any problems with hunters. He also noted that each park is different because of its layout, its use and access points to various areas.

"The areas open to hunting in Selkirk and Bowman, they weren't used that much in the first place," he said. Those two parks, including Highland Forest, are in more rural areas, often bordered by undeveloped land where hunting is allowed."

At Green Lakes, the park is surrounded by a great deal of residential development, with various communities having directed access through public and privately owned trailheads.

If hunting was to be allowed, Semar said, it would make sense to have it on the park's undeveloped, 500-acre, western half. However, that area contains a number of trails used extensively by hikers, joggers, bikers, birders, cross country skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts.

Semar said the public's input on the park's use carries a lot of weight in regard to what's to be done with the deer and whether hunting should be allowed.

"It's their park. It's a big issue," he said. "People are pro-hunting, but there's a lot of people who use the park who don't want hunting.

Source: Syracuse.com

MALAYSIA NEWS: Hunting Moratorium on Sanbar and Barking Deer

PETALING JAYA: The hunting of sambar and barking deer will be stopped for two years, in a move to safeguard their numbers and ultimately, that of the Malayan tiger.

Wildlife and National Parks Department enforcement director Saharudin Anan said the two-year moratorium on hunting will start this November, when the annual one-month open season for both game species usually kicks off.

He said no hunting licences will be issued for deer this year and next, to allow the declining deer population to rebound and provide a food source for wild tigers.

Wildlife scientists have said that tiger densities depended very much on the abundance of large preys such as the sambar and barking deer, but they have been overhunted in recent years.

Sambar deer numbers have plunged drastically, prompting the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to list the species as endangered last year.

The Perhilitan 2007 annual report revealed that 221 sambar deer and 315 barking deer were captured by licensed sports hunters that year, the bulk of them in Pahang.

The department issued 574 hunting licences for both species that year, which brought in a revenue of RM81,500.

The licence costs RM200 for the sambar deer and RM100 for the barking deer, and permits the capture of one animal.

In Kuala Lumpur, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas said the ministry has sought military assistance to help curb illegal wildlife trade in the country.

“The border is so long and the areas are so wide. And many people realise that our jungles are rich in resources and all kinds of flora and fauna.

“But all hope is not lost. We are working with the military to come out with more effective enforcement,” he said when launching the forum, Mainstreaming Biodiversity with a Focus on the National Tiger Action Plan yesterday.

“We have a masterplan and our commitment is to achieve that plan,” Uggah said.

He added that a task force, consisting of enforcement agencies, would also be formed to look into matters pertaining to wildlife poaching and smuggling.

Source: The Star

MICHIGAN NEWS: Ferrysburg Discusses Deer Management Options

While the debate over what to do with deer living in the city limits may be old hat in Grand Haven, the discussion is just heating up across the Grand River.

Ferrysburg officials have received complaints about deer destroying landscapes in the city, prompting City Council to hold a work session on the issue Monday night to discuss options for controlling the herd — including the possibility of a hunt to thin it.

The area surrounding Ferrysburg is largely undeveloped and agricultural, making it ideal for white-tailed deer, Mayor Pro-Tem Tim Scarpino said. And while the city has received complaints about the deer, he said he was concerned about their effect on other parts of the city.

Deer feed on and damage local vegetation, Scarpino said, including some protected plants at the Ferrysburg-owned Kitchel-Lindquist Dunes Preserve in Grand Haven. Something needs to be done about the deer in order to protect the plants, he said.

"You can't simply value one species of plant or animal over all the others," Scarpino said. "The deer are creating damage to plants that are rare and endangered."

Councilwoman Regina Sjoberg said she wants to look at alternatives to a cull involving sharpshooters — similar to the two conducted in Grand Haven earlier this year — including the possibility of a coordinated bow hunt during hunting season in the fall.

Councilman Chris Larson echoed Sjoberg's idea, suggesting it could be open to local hunters.

Ferrysburg currently bans hunting within 450 feet of an occupied dwelling, but those who live on more than 30 acres and meet certain other criteria are allowed to hunt on their own property.

Sjoberg also suggested attempts at deer contraception, which she said could reduce the herd by 50 percent in six years. [Rooney: This seems far-fetched. I am unaware of any study that has achieved deer reductions with contraception-only as rapidly as they suggest. Fifteen to twenty years is more realistic, assuming annual management of individuals entering the population from elsewhere.]

But one councilman said the decision shouldn't rest with the city. The state gave control over deer hunting and regulation to the Department of Natural Resources, Councilman Thomas Spoelman said.

"It shouldn't be an emotional issue for us — it should be an issue for the DNR," he said. "It's not Ferrysburg's call."

Council directed City Manager Craig Bessinger to stay in contact with Grand Haven about their own deer issues. Council also floated the idea of a possible deer management meeting or group with representatives from Ferrysburg, Grand Haven and Spring Lake.

Source: GrandHavenTribune.com

PENNSYLVANIA NEWS: Mansfield Council Grapples with Deer

As if it didn't have enough to worry about, borough council can add marauding, shrubbery-eating deer to its list of problems.

Council recently heard from resident Robert Smith of South Academy Street who said deer have eaten most of his outdoor shrubbery. To keep them out of his garden, an electric fence is the only thing that does the job.

Borough manager Ed Grala said Smith is not alone in his problems with the prevalent animals.

"It is a difficult problem, because it's where we live," he said, referring to the rural nature of the area around the borough.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service biologist Jason Wood told borough council that before anything can be done, "they really need to quantify the problem first."

Wood said once that happens, a "management plan" can be developed.

Wood said a survey could be taken by the borough, or the agency could do a high-tech survey to observe the offending behavior at night, when it happens most.

"For us to come in to do a population survey with infrared camera surveys at night to document it could cost as much as $6,000, but if we got the job done for $2,000, that's what they would be billed for," Wood said.

The agency then would use that information to develop a whitetail deer management plan.

"In order for a municipality to proceed with special permits for a controlled hunt or other methods, they have to have a management plan in place. That is the key piece. It is really hard to tell until the counts are done and we assess the problem for what it is. It could be one or two people suffering the damage from a few deer," he added.

Wood said some people put out food for deer and that may be exacerbating the problem.

Grala agreed, adding that some people like to watch deer feeding in their yards.

"Deer are going to come where they can get food. The other thing is, and we didn't even ask the question, if we did eliminate this herd, how long would it take before we have the problem again," he asked.

The problem does appear to be seasonal, peaking in mid- to late summer when maturing vegetable gardens attract deer that seem to have no fear of humans, Grala added.

Grala said one suggestion, which council intends to follow up on, is to see if Mansfield University would like to take a survey on as a class project.

As far as keeping people from deliberately feeding deer, Grala said an ordinance prohibiting that could be passed, but "how would you enforce it?"

Though Grala said he didn't think more urban areas experienced the same problems, Wood disagreed.

"It is a pretty common problem throughout the state, but more of a northeast, southeast situation. It can be urban. It's all relative to the deer population," he said.

"Roughly 99 percent of the calls we get are more urbanized where hunting is not allowed, like big subdivisions, and the deer population hasn't been controlled," Wood added.

Source: Williamsport-Sun Gazette

OHIO NEWS: Dayton Metroparks to Bowhunters: We Need You

Skilled area bow hunters looking for places with plenty of deer should consider taking part in the sixth annual Five Rivers MetroParks controlled deer hunt.

Hunters 18 and older must sign up by Aug. 9 and enter a lottery for the opportunity to hunt deer in selected remote, nonpublic areas of the MetroParks. There is a $5 application fee.

The annual controlled hunts are conducted to manage the size of the herd, minimize deer damage and prevent disease.

“Last year we had 450 apply for 270 spots,” said Michael Enright of the MetroParks. “This year we estimate we’ll have 600 to 800 apply for the same number of spots.”
He said 49 deer were taken last year, and that’s about the number his staff would like to see harvested by this year’s hunts – between 40 and 60.

Interested hunters, who must have a current Ohio hunting license and deer permits, can obtain more information and register online at www.metroparks.org/bowhunting.

After hunters have been picked by lottery, they must pass both a shooting qualification test and orientation, scheduled for Aug. 22-23 at the Gander Mountain store, 8001 Old Troy Pike, Huber Heights. Hunters must have proof they have passed a hunter-education course or may take a test provided by the MetroParks.

Those drawn will be allowed one month to hunt in a selected area and must take an antlerless deer before an antlered deer. The hunting will be scheduled between October and January, and all deer killed count toward a hunter’s annual state bag limits.

Several of the MetroParks hunting areas are within the state’s urban hunting zones.
For more information, contact Enright at michael.enright@metroparks.org or call (937) 277-4109.

“This is a good program for people who are looking for a good place to hunt that’s close to home, and at the same time, it helps us control the size of our deer population,” Enright added.

Source: DaytonDailyNews

OKLAHOMA NEWS: Near Record Deer Harvest in 2008

Oklahoma’s deer harvest numbers from last season have finally been tabulated and hunters had a very good year.

In fact, it was the second highest ever with a total of 111,427 deer taken in the state by hunters. That number is 7,922 shy of the state record in 2006 of 119,349.

Bow hunters had a record year. More deer were checked in last season by bow hunters than ever before in Oklahoma, a total of 17,784.

Oklahoma deer hunters also set a record for the number of antlerless deer that was harvested with 48,358.

The total number of deer checked in by all hunters increased by 16 percent increase from the previous season.

The top producing counties were Osage (4,409), Pittsburg (3,839), Cherokee (3,402) and Atoka (3,062).

Source: NewsOK

OREGON NEWS: Deer Deaths Spread

Black-tailed deer are turning up dead in several rural Jackson County communities in what wildlife officials fear is a new outbreak of a disease associated with backyard feeding that killed hundreds of area deer earlier this decade.

Confirmed and suspected cases of the adenovirus have been found recently outside of Ashland, in the Colestine Valley, rural Gold Hill and outside of Jacksonville, in the highest numbers since 2002, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The highly contagious, quick-killing disease killed "easily hundreds, probably over 1,000" blacktails that summer and fall alone, but no exact estimates of the die-off were known, said Mark Vargas, the ODFW's Rogue District wildlife biologist in Central Point.

"We've seen more now than we've seen since 2002, and I hope it doesn't get worse," Vargas said. "We're hoping it doesn't turn into a big die-off, but we don't know.

"Definitely, we know it's not good," Vargas said.

Similar outbreaks of the disease also are occurring around Bend, and most outbreaks are associated with people setting out food and water for wildlife, said Collin Gillin, the ODFW's state veterinarian who tracks the disease.

The virus can spread as easily as breathing air from an infected animal, so water buckets and grain piles placed by well-intentioned landowners can turn into viral hot-spots that can kill groups of deer in days.

"Congregating deer through feeding is just going to spread it," Gillin said. "It's exacerbating the issue. It's not helping.

"The best thing humans can do is, don't do anything to bring deer together."

First diagnosed in Northern California in the mid-1990s, adenovirus hemorrhagic disease now is believed to have been responsible in the late 1980s for killing hundreds of deer whose deaths originally were attributed to a different disease known as bluetongue.

Infected deer can suffer from bloody diarrhea that can scour the animal or mouth lesions that keep it from feeding.

In some cases, ODFW biologist Steve Niemela said, the deer suffer massive internal hemorrhaging discovered only in field necropsies.

In recent cases, field necropsies revealed a liter or more of liquid in their lungs, Niemela said.

"We're finding more deer described as in good condition other than the fact that they're lying there dead," Niemela said.

Preliminary tests on samples from a deer found dead June 16 near Colestine concluded adenovirus. Not all suspected cases were tested, but the symptoms were similar, he said.

Humans and pets are not considered vulnerable to the virus. While the adenovirus has similar strains affecting cattle and sheep, there are no known instances of the virus spreading from deer to other species.

Placing food or water outside for wildlife is not illegal in Oregon, though a handful of cities, such as Philomath, have adopted anti-feeding ordinances.

Jacksonville considered such an ordinance earlier this year after a ruminitis outbreak was linked to artificial feed, but the city instead has urged residents to stop feeding deer.

"I'm really hoping this doesn't turn into the kind of outbreaks we've had before," Niemela said.

Source: Mail Tribune

MINNESOTA NEWS: City Officials Consider Urban Deer Management

Onalaska city officials are taking a closer look at the options they have to control the deer population.

Officials say they've gotten a number of complaints about deer coming too close to people and pets, property damage as well as car-deer accidents.

Wednesday, city leaders started talking about the specifics of the plan.

They say a non-lethal method is an option, but the results may not be permanent. Joe Barstow from the city says, "the deer will change their habits and adjust if you use sprays for smell and noise makers but there's always other options."

Approval by the city council on the management plan is expected to happen later this fall.

Source: WKBT

MINNESOTA NEWS: St. Cloud Hunt Enters Fourth Year

St. Cloud's ongoing effort to control its urban deer herd continues this fall with its fourth archery hunt.

The city will issue a limited number of permits for archery deer hunting. Applications are due July 31.

Areas near St. Cloud State University, the Minnesota State Correctional Facility-St. Cloud, Neenah Creek, Serenity Park and in River Bluffs Regional Park will be open to archers Sept. 19-Dec. 31.

Chris Forslund, health and inspections coordinator, said he would have liked to add more areas, but the city doesn't have enough resources to keep a close eye on safety if the hunting areas are expanded.

"We're trying real hard right now to keep it at a manageable level with our time spent on it and keeping it safe, too," he said.

Hunters with the special permits have killed a declining number of deer in the past three years. In 2006, hunters killed 24 deer. They killed 21 in 2007 and 13 in 2008.

Forslund said he hasn't seen any more deer complaints than usual but "the deer are everywhere."

The city will issue 70 permits, giving preference to those who applied but did not receive a permit in 2008, Forslund said.

Once permit candidates are selected, they will be notified by the city and must complete a proficiency test administered by the St. Cloud Archers Association.

If candidates are not able to pass the test, one of 20 alternate candidates will be chosen.

The proficiency test requires the candidate to place five of six arrows within a 9-inch circle from a 5 foot stand 20 yards away.

Source: SCTimes.com

NEW JERSEY NEWS: Proposed Hunt Draws Ire

A deer hunt proposed by town officials has sparked the ire of several residents, who say the idea is inhumane, unsafe and irresponsible.

"It focuses on the desires of a select group of individuals: bowhunters," said attorney Wendy Bozzolasco, a Denville resident with an interest in animal rights.
Bozzolasco was one of several critics, some of whom live outside the township, who urged the town council Tuesday night to abandon the idea of a hunt.

The town explored the concept last month in response to concerns that the towns deer population has become so large that it is now a threat to the environment and drivers.

Council President Chris Dour said low-lying vegetation has been disappearing because of the deer herd.

Council members reached a consensus last month to work with the United Bowhunters of New Jersey. The nonprofit group, an association of bowhunters, plans to hunt deer from elevated stands in isolated areas.

No binding approval has been made, and details are still being worked out. The council hopes to run a 30-day trial of the program after the hunting season starts in mid-September.

Still, Bozzolasco and several others said the proposal lacks an awareness of all the consequences.

Former Councilwoman Laurie Toth said she thinks the town is too dense for the hunters to remain in seclusion. Councilman Nick Stecky echoed those reservations, saying that "kids don't walk on the paths all the time."

Above all, Bozzolasco said, bowhunts often don't kill deer swiftly or cleanly.

Instead, she said, the town should employ non-lethal methods, such as installing fences and trimming vegetation in grazing areas. Deer contraception and sterilization should also be done, she said.

That way, she said, the deer population will drop naturally as the food supply runs out.

Mayor Ted Hussa said yesterday that the critics claims arent necessarily supportable.

"We're not saying were going to have a hunt every year," he said. "Right now, it's the right thing to do."

Meredith Petrillo, Denvilles animal control officer, believes that not doing the bow hunt could mean more agonzing deaths for local deer.

"Mother Nature would be very cruel in terminating the lives of deer via starvation," she said.

Source: NJ.com

MONTANA NEWS: Special Deer Hunt Scheduled for Marias River State Park

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission has approved a limited-access deer hunt at the new Marias River State Park and Wildlife Management Area southwest of Shelby.

Hunters have until Aug. 7 to apply online or by mail.

Applications are available at all FWP regional offices or via the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov.

There will be an archery season from Sept. 5 through Oct. 18; and a rifle season from Oct. 25 through Nov. 15. During any given week, only 10 hunters will be allowed in the park and wildlife management area.

Wildlife biologist Gary Olson says area residents, at meetings last winter, stated their preference for a limit on the number of hunters using the new property.