Comments on: Who wants hunting in Mariemont, and why?

By: Four Ways to Value a Goose: Animal Policy Lessons from Flight 1549 « Sentient Cincinnati

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:06:36 +0000

[...] of how (and whether) to coexist with deer, coyotes, and other wild animals arise almost weekly in Cincinnati’s newspapers and community [...]

By: sentientcincinnati

sentientcincinnati — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:12 +0000

Thanks for finding and sharing this information! The county’s program seems to model how a perceived deer problem can be defined, measured, and addressed with some transparency. Their shooting accuracy requirements and their efforts to disincentivize trophy hunters, highlight the distinction between recreation and management, which impacts the welfare of animals, and the success of the program.

By: Q

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:27:38 +0000

I was interested to read this series of articles, though obviously belatedly. I will attempt to past below the application form, available online, for the Hamilton County Park District’s request for the qualifications for hunters interested in participating in that organization’s bow hunting program. In that program, to follow up on some of the comments in these posts, the explicit target is to reduce the number of deer, and so female deer are the primary targets. The HCPD has had a gun program in existence since 2001 without adverse incident. I couldn’t tell from the post how long the HCPD’s bow hunting program has been in existence but I’d guess 4 years, and both have been widely praised for allowing populations to be reduced to the “carrying capacity” of 4 to 6 deer per square kilometer. Anecdotally (in other words, I don’t think anyone bothered to document it), before the deer culling program there wasn’t any native wildflowers or trees growing below the browse line. I’ll also try to past in a proposal from the City of Cincinnati for a deer culling program in 2005 (which I believe was rejected) which shows their projections of deer AFTER removal.
Q
Page 1
Attention
Bow Hunters!
Volunteers Needed for Urban Deer
Management
The Hamilton County Park District is seeking qualified bow hunters to help
control urban deer populations at Richardson Forest Preserve, Oak Glen Nature
Preserve, Newberry Wildlife Sanctuary, north portion of Kroger Hills and
northwest portion of Triple Creek during the 2009/2010 bow hunting season.
Hunters will be selected by lottery and, if selected, must demonstrate the ability
to place 4 out of 5 arrows in a 10″ diameter target from 20 yards. This
qualification will be held on August 8th and 9th from 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and
you must have an invitation to participate. Selected bow hunters will be required
to show proof of completing an approved State Hunter Education course and
possess all required Ohio Hunting licenses and permits. Selected bow hunters
must also attend a meeting to ensure understanding of safety regulations.
*
Preference will be given to Hamilton County residents who are
not employed by the Park District.
To apply, send attached Application Form and the non-refundable
application fee for each person on the application to:
ATTN: Controlled Bow Hunt
Hamilton County Park District
10245 Winton Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45231
Completed applications must be received by 3:00 pm on July 13, 2009.
You can also go to http://www.greatparks.org to download an application.
(See additional information on back)
Page 2
Controlled Bow Hunt Questions and Answers – 2009-2010
How are bow hunters selected?
Bow hunters who were a successful antlerless deer hunter in 2008-2009 hunting season get
in automatically after submitting one application. They are invited to qualify based on the
number of does and then buttons they harvested in the previous season. Bow hunters who
harvested an antlered deer only do not get in automatically and are part of the lottery system.
Everyone else who applies for the 2009-2010 season is subject to the lottery and will be
invited to the qualifications based on the random lottery drawing. All hunters are required to
pass or show proof they have already passed a State Hunter Education course, possess a
current Ohio hunting license and deer permit and be able to place at least four out of five
arrows in a 10″ diameter target from an elevated position at 20 yards. Each hunter must also
attend a brief meeting to ensure understanding of the safety regulations. The drawing will
give preference to Hamilton County residents.
What if a hunter has not passed a hunter education course or can not produce proof?
A bow hunter can satisfy this requirement by passing the written portion of the Ohio Hunter
Education course. A score of 80 out of 100 questions is required to pass. A complete review
is available at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/Hunting/huntered/hunted.htm
Will I need Hunter’s Education before qualifications?
Yes, you will be required to pass the Hunter Safety Education Course prior to your qualification time.
Hunters can fill this requirement at the qualification site by arriving at least one hour before their
qualification time to take the Hunter Safety Test. The test may only be offered on Saturday August 9

.
Where are the areas for bow hunting located?
Richardson Forest Preserve (401 acres) near the intersection of Kemper Road and Lick
Road, Triple Creek (90 acres) on Buell Road, Oak Glen (100 acres) on Thompson Road and
Newberry Wildlife Sanctuary (100 acres) on Sheits Road in Colerain Township and at
Kroger Hills (100 acres) on Wooster Pike in Terrace Park. Please check back for updates on
hunting locations at this website after May 21, 2009. Hunters will receive topographic maps
and aerial photos of the area that they select to hunt.
How many hunters are allowed in each area?
The quota for Richardson Forest Preserve is 16 hunters per two-week session. The quota for
each of the other sites is four. This should maintain sufficient hunting pressure to reduce
deer numbers without excessive crowding.
How long is each hunter allowed to hunt?
Successful antlerless deer hunters from the previous season qualify for up to four weeks of
hunting time. All hunters who are part of the lottery are only eligible for a two week session
during the 2009-2010 Ohio Deer Archery season

http://city-egov.cincinnati-oh.gov/Webtop/ws/council/public/child/Blob/13395.pdf;jsessionid=8DA3AA49C3A145899DCC0E43C92986C0?rpp=-10&m=3&w=doc_no%3D'200510143‘

Deer Population Estimates
A 2001 aerial infrared study found the Mt. Airy Forest contained 274 deer and California Woods contained 10. Staff used POPII deer population modeling software to project our current population based on the 2001 study….. The 2005 modeling indicates that the Mt. Airy population has increased from 274 to 600 deer and California Woods has increased from 10 to 60 deer.
The State Department of Wildlife recommends that a deer population should not exceed 15 deer per square mile. Deer calculated as the number per square mile indicates that Mt. Airy haas 260/square mile, and California Woods contains 340/square mile.
========================
I wasn’t able to cut and paste in the table showing the impacts of removal after all, but if anyone is interested it is in the above link.

By: Barry Luppert

Barry Luppert — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:57:35 +0000

It was actually a 9 point buck, shot very early in the season(the first week or two). If Asst Fire Cheif Morgan is a hunter, he’d understand that it isn’t always desirable to take a buck early in the season. I think he also knows, as do I, there are much bigger bucks down there…being shot by people sneaking on the property.
Hamilton County parks has employed sharpshooters to thin the herds due to overpopulation in urban parks. If you don’t think deer can quickly overpopulate an area, check Mt. Airy Forest. The deer there are generally small, sickly looking and probably not healthy.
I don’t know if there are too many deer in Mariemont, but there are a lot. When you see deer drinking in the fountain and/or bedding down in the afternoon in the center of town, I think you may be asking for problems. Deer usually live in the woods! Perhaps a localized outbreak of blue tongue could wipe out the deer in Mariemont as it has(in spots) just across the border in Indiana. At least everyone could sleep well at night knowing that no one was hunting them.
As to the Coyote issue, they are more likely to eat your small cats/dogs as they are to bother people. They tend to stay away during daylight unless they are sick and desperate.
Good luck.

By: airika

airika — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:12:21 +0000

I live in Mariemont, and while I don’t like the idea of hunting for any kind of animal, I would find it easy to believe that deer over-population would be an issue here. I live in a densely populated portion of Mariemont, and I see deer wandering through here all the time, drinking out of the fountain, etc.

I have also heard reports that there are coyotes and I have heard them on summer evenings- it makes me nervous knowing they are so near when there are always so many children and pets that walk and play all over the village.

I have heard of Indian Hill allowing licensed hunters to hunt for deer as a measure to control the expanding deer population, but I believe that there are strict rules and regulations for hunting. Certainly the hunting expedition you described in your post sounds fishy- all village executive out bow-hunting without anyone else’s knowledge or approval… could very easily be perceived as an abuse of power. I don’t really like the hunting solution to control the population, but I also don’t know if there are better options…

Interesting post though- thanks!