-
Indiana
Indiana's guidelines for dealing with deer reduction is much
better thought out than Michigan's and I suggest you use the
link provided to study how they approach deer/human conflict.
Indiana is not in the business of collecting fees to kill deer
but provide guidance to citizens on how to resolve these
conflicts themselves. In other words personal responsibility not
the state handling it for them and forcing other citizens that
do not agree to pay for any action taken. The following are a
couple of excerpts from Indiana's DNR guidelines that
demonstrate a Non Cull approach. I suspect most if not all of
the Ludington resident that signed the petition requesting the
cull would not kill a deer themselves or make the efforts
suggested by Indiana. Indiana follows
Utah State University's guidelines regarding deer
management.
-
Landscaping, Gardening, Residential/Urban Areas
In residential and urban areas, where deer damage may occur to
landscaping and gardens, fencing, harassment, and community
hunting may be effective management techniques.
Urban deer management has limitations specific to local
ordinances. Methods for Managing Human-Deer Conflicts provides
more information about living with deer in an urban and
residential setting.
The techniques below are best suited for small areas,
roughly 2 acres or less.
Conventional Fencing
Electric Fencing
Harassment
Community Hunting
Repellents
-
Landscaping, Gardening, Residential/Urban Areas
In residential and urban areas, where deer damage may occur to
landscaping and gardens, fencing, harassment, and community
hunting may be effective management techniques.
Urban deer management has limitations specific to local
ordinances. Methods for Managing Human-Deer Conflicts provides
more information about living with deer in an urban and
residential setting.
The techniques below are best suited for small areas,
roughly 2 acres or less.
Conventional Fencing
Electric Fencing
Harassment
Harassment can be an effective technique to deter deer when
applied consistently over time. The type of harassment may need
to change periodically to prevent deer from becoming acclimated,
which renders the harassment ineffective.
Dogs
Dogs are effective deer deterrents in residential and urban
areas when kept in a pen, on a chain, or contained by a fence in
or near landscaping and gardens. Dogs should be placed in the
area at least a month before damage is likely to occur.
Motion Sensing Deterrents
Automated motion sensing lights and sprinklers that turn on when
an animal walks by may scare deer and encourage them to leave.
Place devices near landscaping and gardens that are likely to
experience damage.
Effective harassment may require several devices in a single
area.
It is best to have devices in place before damage occurs.
Community Hunting
Hunting is the most effective method to reduce a local deer
population and subsequent deer damage.
State regulations allow hunting in urban and residential areas,
subject to local ordinances.
Hunting efforts in a residential area may require community
participation to adequately address damage issues experienced by
all residents.
Neighbors can join together to hunt in their community while
following regulations outlined in the Indiana Hunting & Trapping
Guide.
Some residential areas may be included in designated Deer
Reduction Zones that allow the take of additional deer to reduce
human-deer conflicts.
Indiana DNR's Managed Hunting page can provide information about
facilitating a community hunt.
Repellents
-
Ohio
Ohio's stance on culls is more difficult to comprehend, but
while it is allowed it appears to be more limited in scope. For
example in an area containing about a dozen (12)
Metro Parks only only 131 deer were taken from seven parks.
While Ludington's goal is to take 40 deer from an area comprised
of a fraction of the acreage.
-
Wisconsin
My research indicates that Wisconsin does not consider the
White-tail deer a nuisance as there is no mention of culls or
any other form of abetment of deer mentioned on their DNR
websites. Use the link for Wisconsin and their PDF
publication to review what
Wisconsin considers nuisance animals.
|