2015/16 Annual Deer Control Report
Gary Garrett
Our founding mission continues to be restoring native plants, educating the public on appropriate plants for the community, and controlling the deer population in and around the town. Elsewhere on our website you will find more history of our organization and detailed descriptions of our activities.
The following is a brief recap of the 2015/16 accomplishments of the Deer Population Control operating committee.
- Last summer, we again obtained approval from owners for in-town hunting sites by archery hunters.
- In August, the town council again approved our proposed hunting regulations and plans for the regular season.
- Tom Lane qualified hunters and organized the sign-up process in accordance with the town rules. He also managed hunter activities during the regular season.
- In October and November, we applied for but were denied an Indiana DNR permit for a winter cull. We have been conducting the cull for over ten years—the last three, in close coordination with the National Park Service.
- In early March, as we have also done for over ten years, we conducted a flyover census of the deer population using heat sensing technology.
Results of the flyover census for the last few years have been as follows:
| Flyover Date | In-Town | Around Town | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 12, 2012 | 25 | 19 | 44 |
| March 22, 2013 | 38 | 68 | 106 |
| January 22, 2014 | 54 | 30 | 84 |
| March 17, 2015 | 28 | 27 | 55 |
| March 4, 2016 | 46 | 55 | 101 |
Based on various articles about Lyme disease and deer control, our target has been 25-30 deer in and around Beverly Shores. Concerned about the 2013 results, we applied for and obtained a three-year DNR Grant in 2014. Based on the instruction received and infrastructure added in the 2014/15 season, our census results dropped to 54 in March 2015.
The recent flyover census of 101 reflects the absence of our winter cull this year. In our application to the DNR for the winter cull, they asked for documentation for damage incurred by the deer that had never been requested before. By the time we received this request, most of any damage done was the obscured by dropping of the leaves, etc. Like every year, this count does not reflect the spring births that, this year, are expected to be much higher due to the mild winter.
We will be discussing this at out Annual ERG Membership Meeting in June but are requesting both members and non-members to furnish documentation of damage done by the deer to private or public property before the end of August 2016. This information will obviously be used in our application for a 2017 cull.