IAKSmith

Is there anyone here who is involved in harvesting deer in their local parks or metro area? I live in a town which had a big problem with deer in the city limits. They were destroying the cover in the local state park, hiking areas and car/deer accidents were occuring at the rate of over two to three day.

The state DNR got invovled and set up rules and guide lines to let local archer's harvest the deer. It has been going on for 11 years now with great success. There are very limited permits issued for bucks and the rest are antlerest deer only.

In order to hunt, you first have to take an 8 hour archery class. Every year you also have to qualify with your bow before being allowed to hunt. You buy tags and can harvest as many deer as you want. You sign up for zones and seasons where you want to hunt.

I have never been in my stand and not seen deer. Even though I can't harvest bucks in my zone, it sure is fun to grunt and call them and watch how they react to a call.

BowHuntingFool

Sounds like a good plan and good fun!!!!!

johnch

I wish they would do it smart like that in my area ,1 town hired snipers after the antis complained about bow hunting and an other held a gun hunt but did it so stupidly that only 1 deer was taken

Papascott

I have been reading here for a while but this post I wanted to respond to so, Hello My name is Scott and I am an addict. I am in N.E. Ohio. We have Deer population out of control in our metro parks but instead of having bowhunters take care of it our parks managers and local authorities hire snipers with rifles to shoot them at night from stands. This absolutly gets my blood boiling. Do you pay to enter the lottery and are there any other charges to get a permit or ake class? I would love to see Ohio go to somthing like this but as it is now there are a few lottery gun hunts for army bases and such but thats it. Thanks for anymore info you can share.

Scott

IAKSmith

There are 8-9 zones and depending on the size of the zone determines how many hunters are able to be in that zone per season. Each season, 4, last about 2 weeks giving everyone a chance to hunt. You sign up for zones and seasons as 1st, 2nd, 3rd pick and then they draw. Usually everyone gets the zone and season that they want.

There are about 120-130 deer harvested each year and that just maintains the size of the herd. There are very strick rules and is done very low profile. There was some conflict when it was first started but since it has been so successful, there is no problem. I think everyone knows someone who has hit a deer and everyone is getting tired of it. There was even a person kill last year on the interstate near here when a deer come throught the windsheild.

Another town near here also hired snipers and set up bait stations and shot them. It cost the town 350.00 per head. We pay the same as other hunters in Ia. The first & second Lic. is $26.00. Each tag after that is $11.00. You can have as many tags as you want with most hunters carrying 2-3 taggs at a time.

After harvesting so many does, your name goes into the hat for a buck. The bucks can only be taken in the state park and a nature area which is in the center of town where they feel the deer do not leave and go into the farming areas around the city.

If you wound a deer and have a good blood trail, there is even a team you call to come and help track the deer so it can be found and not left to die where someone will come across it. More and more communities in the state are going to this. With proper management and controlls, it can and is very successful. If you want any more infor, feel free to contact me.

Broadhead88

The United Bowhunters of NJ got involved in several towns but the preference is to either outlaw all hunting or call in "specialists" who use shotguns and night hunt. They charge the towns about $300/deer when the towns could MAKE MONEY by allowing hunters. One town right near me was going to allow bowhunting until "public outcry" squashed everything.

NJ is weird in that the areas that have tons of deer are basically off limits to hunters while the rest of the state has the most liberal seasons in the nation. No wonder that the quality of deer has gone down in huntable areas.

Bob

dkeener

Isn't New Jersey the same state that doesn't allow deer hunting on Sundays? Man, you guys gotta elect some reasonable legislators. Heck, deer hunting is mandatory on Sundays in some parts of Indiana, lol.

Papascott

Bob, Ohio is the same way. They will pay to have them shot at night, but why not have archery only lottery with entrance fee to cover costs of having a qualifing test and personel to over see it. In certain urban areas of ohio one can purchase up to 4 (i think) urban tags for antlerless deer only. Problem is alot of the areas are in city limits with no hunting allowed. Just a problem I feel is not being taken advantage of that could be a win. win situation.

Scott

kodiak41226

I'm from Toledo, and the State of Ohio did have a lottery this year for "controlled Hunts" I paid my $6.00 to enter the lottery for two locations. Albeit the odds of being selected to hunt are about as likely as winning the real lottery. I would guess that for some reason your locale would rather pay a couple gun hunters rather than have the Ohio DNR control the population and make a couple of $$ in the process.

Ohio DNR - Controlled Hunts

cardeer

In the federal parks in Pa. they use snipers at night with lights.there are some state parks that have special hunts. Some large pieces of property owned by companiies also open the land up for a day hunt. But the special hunts are only for doe