by Cheryl Splain, KnoxPages.com reporter
MOUNT VERNON — Wildlife officials provided information Monday night about how to control the deer and goose population in the city, but they said the solutions will be up to city council.
“When it comes down to it, it’s a local decision locally enforced and locally financed,” Gary Comer, wildlife management supervisor with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, told council members during a Planning and Zoning Committee meeting on Monday.
Comer said there are three main ways to control these species:
*Habitat modification — create a less desirable environment by erecting fences, planting deer-tolerant landscaping, not mowing to short depths and erecting barriers around bodies of water. Comer said the species proliferate because they have cover, water, food and little if any predation.
Geese spotted on Woodlake Trail Monday afternoon – KnoxPages.com photo by Marty Trese
*Population control — for geese, that means limiting reproduction by rendering eggs infertile, removing or destroying nests, and removing and euthanizing aggressive birds. Eggs can be rendered infertile through addling, puncturing the egg and replacing it in the nest; applying vegetable oil, which suffocates the membrane; or shaking, which disrupts the yolk. Permits are required for all three methods.
No contraceptive is permitted for deer; deer management is through controlled hunts during hunting season, bow hunting in urban areas and sharp shooting by local law enforcement or outside contractors. “Typically, bow hunting alone without habitat modification or population control is difficult,” said Comer. “You are looking at needing a 65 percent reduction [in a herd] to simply maintain the current year’s population.”
*Roundup — juvenile geese can be relocated; adults must be euthanized. Roundup is only effective if population control and habitat modification are instituted along with an enforced no-feed ordinance.
“There’s no silver bullet, but a lot of communities operate programs,” said Comer. One such community is Gahanna, which permits culling by the police department, public bow hunting in approved areas and select target removal by law enforcement in accordance with an established deer management plan. The meat is donated to local food banks. Hunters have to show they have undergone safety training and the number of hunters on a piece of property is limited.
Scott Zimmerman, superintendent of the city’s parks and recreation department, said he has tried non-lethal means such as noisemakers and harassment to control the geese and deer populations thus far without much success. “I am trying to get a permit for addling this year,” he said. “I think down the road we are going to have to have a lethal means [like a controlled hunt.]”
Councilman John Francis said he favors a no-feed ordinance and requested City Law Director Rob Broeren to draft proposed legislation. Councilman Mike Hillier agreed with Broeren drafting a proposal, adding that it will take a lot of work.
Council President Bruce Hawkins said he would like an opinion from Police Chief Roger Monroe as to whether a no-feed ordinance is enforceable and where it would rank in terms of priority for the department. “If it’s enforceable, that is one thing,” said Hawkins. “If it’s not enforceable, it’s worthless.”
“If you don’t do something, it’s going to get worse,” said Michael Budd, Knox County wildlife officer. “It’s obvious the deer population is much higher [in the city] than around the rest of the county.”
Comer said deer are typically not a risk to children unless a deer has been hand fed and has no fear of walking up to a human. Regarding water quality and goose feces, he said the feces is not as high a contributor to algae bloom when compared to other types of manure runoff; if ingested, a human could catch parasites but if normal hygiene is practiced, feces poses a low risk. He said it poses more of a risk to pets, especially dogs.
Zimmerman said the primary goose problem is at Ariel-Foundation Park, where the highest count reached 300 geese. The Landings and the Mount Vernon Developmental Center also have a goose problem. The city allows deer bow hunting in select areas. Residents can also apply for a deer nuisance permit from the Knox County Soil & Water Conservation District.
