GAMBIER — Two fawns and two bucks are grazing on a hot Monday evening. They’re hungry.
The wild animals find grass and bushes as a convenient snack.
They look up to see cars and people pass by their pseudo-dinner table in front of a blue house – but they don’t care.
They’re still hungry.
Gambier residents flooded August’s regular council meeting, voicing their concerns about the increased deer population within the quiet, rural village.
It’s been a steady and noticeable increase, many residents claim, balancing their love for deer with wanting to keep the village and their property safe.
One resident said he spots around five to six deer daily, either on his property or on village sidewalks and roadways.
“We think deer are part of the landscape,” he said.
No silver bullet
Gambier Mayor Leeman Kessler and others met with Ohio Department of Natural Resources personnel to discuss potential solutions for mitigating the deer population.
“None of them (solutions) are silver bullets,” Kessler said about his ODNR discussion. “Population reduction is very challenging.”
It’s about creating pressure, Kessler said. If deer are in an area where there’s plenty of food, without hunting – they’ll want to stay there, putting pressure on the village.
If there’s a community without hunting, the deer will slowly migrate to that community, Kessler said.
Deer mitigation solutions
The Village of Granville was mentioned at Monday’s meeting by council as an example of controlling its deer population. According to the village’s website, its “Wildlife Management Program” addresses problems related to the high numbers of deer in several Village neighborhoods.
Kaffen Barger, officer for Granville Police Department, said the department took over the program in 2019.
Granville adopted methods to make the village less attractive for deer to reduce the damage to landscaping and other plantings.
It also allows the limited hunting of deer within the village, such as bow hunting. Hunting may be allowed on public and private properties offered by the property owners.
Barger said hunters steer clear from heaving housing areas rather than staying in wooded regions–staying within a three-bag limit.
Also, hunters are selected by the village based on specific qualifications, like total years of hunting experience, prior urban deer hunting participation and law enforcement background.
“There’s an abundance of deer (here,)” Barger said. “It’s successful in that we have deer harvested. (We’d) like to see more.”
Although Barger has achieved success, he noted the community is evenly split on the village’s deer mitigation efforts.
Barger also said the deer population remains an ongoing issue; mitigation efforts have made a difference, but there is still work to be done.
If deer are allowed to roam free without mitigation efforts, there’s the chance of diseases spreading throughout the village, Barger said.
Gambier considers old deer mitigation program
Could a bygone Gambier hunting program be the solution?
Gambier’s hunting nuisance permit ended in 2014, according to village records. It allowed pre-approved hunters to kill deer on landowners’ property, archery only. The village would process the tagging fees, Wise said.
With the nuisance program, Wise said, it allowed hunters to go above the three-bag limit if necessary.
Wise wasn’t sure why the program ended in 2014, but theorized it could have been from a lack of interest.
Also if the nuisance permit program were revived, Wise said there are still questions that need answers.
“Would we pay for processing? Would the meat be donated to the local food bank?” Wise asked.
Gambier council member Morgan Giles said he hopes to have the permits ready at the start of archery season, which begins Sept 28. till Feb. 2.
Giles also said he’d like to get interested prospective hunters to see what barriers, if any, they face when hunting in Gambier.