Ross OKs organized bow hunt to thin deer population

Beginning in September, an organized group of archery hunters will fan out on public and private land in Ross Township to thin the herd of deer blamed with causing vehicle accidents, spreading Lyme disease through the ticks they carry and damaging expensive landscapes.

Commissioners on June 15 voted 7-1 to allow Wexford-based Suburban Whitetail Management LLC to operate a hunt on public property — excluding parks — and on private land with the written permission of owners.

Commissioner Pat Mullin cast the dissenting vote at the board meeting, which was conducted online.

“We’ve had problems with deer for 10 years or more,” said Commissioner Dan DeMarco, who has led the nearly two-year effort to reduce their numbers. “But the (deer) population in Ross has grown exponentially. We have a tremendous amount of deer.”

The first action to shrink the population was a township-wide ban on feeding deer.

The need for the township to address problems caused by deer also was supported in a randomly generated survey of 1,500 residents last year.

The overwhelming majority of residents who attended a public hearing on the issue in February also urged the township to take action.

The membership fee to join Suburban Whitetail Management covers the cost of conducting the hunt, said Luke Leonard, a co-founder of the company.

Hunters who apply to join the organization must undergo a criminal background check, have a face-to-face meeting with a committee from the organization, pass a shooting test and agree to adhere to the the group’s bylaws, ethics and responsibilities.

Once they are approved, hunters will receive a parking pass that must be displayed while they are in the field. They will be assigned a property on which to harvest deer.

To help manage the harvest, hunters must also document the time they spend in the field, what they saw and whether any deer were taken.

Property owners who want to participate in the program can apply to Suburban Whitetail Management, which will collect information on the size of the property, access to the area, the availability of parking and any safety concerns.

The organization will conduct an on-site visit to review the property and ask for written permission to allow hunting.

A list of public and private properties on which hunting will take place will be shared with the state game commission and Ross Township police.

While the number of hunters allowed on a property is determined by its size, Leonard said they typically only assign one hunter to a parcel.

Commissioner Bill McKellar requested that hunting only be allowed during school hours to reduce the chances of children encountering hunters in the woods.

But Leonard said limiting the hours would significantly reduce the program’s effectiveness because the best chances of harvesting deer is when they are on the move.

“Deer don’t generally move during school hours,” he said. “That’s when they generally bed down.

“The best time to harvest deer is a half-hour before sunrise and and sundown,” he said.

Leonard noted that while encounters between hunters and other people in the woods does occur, it is rare.

“Our hunters generally stay away from populated areas,” he said. “If there’s a heavily used trail, they don’t want to be there because they doesn’t want to be disturbed, and the deer don’t want to be there.”

He noted that the number of people going outdoors also drops significantly during September to January, which is archery hunting season.