Ohio park seeking public input on deer control

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Cuyahoga Valley National Park is seeking public input on a plan to manage its white-tailed deer population — one that for the first time would allow sharpshooters to cull deer.

The park’s chief of resource management, Lisa Petit, tells The Plain Dealer that their preferred method for controlling the deer includes culling by sharpshooting, fencing off large areas to promote forest regeneration, and using contraception when the technology is perfected.

The park has been weighing different options since 2006. Petit says the current deer population is believed to be 41 deer per square mile, or nearly 1,700 deer throughout the park. She says the optimum number of deer is about 20 per square mile.

The public comment period runs through Sept. 24.