ShawneeDispatch.com

Sharpshooters will be used this fall to cull the deer herd in Shawnee Mission Park.

This was the unanimous decision of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District Advisory Board, which approved district staff’s recommendation to train park police and possibly municipal police officers to conduct a sharpshooting hunt in the fall. The decision came at the board’s June 17 meeting, after 28 members of the public made statements, both in favor and against the staff-recommended plan.

Michael Meadors, director of the district, said there was about $50,000 available to cover any costs incurred for the hunt, which would include training the officers and setting up deer stands. Sharpshooters would hunt the deer one or two days a week over four to six weeks, only in the early mornings and only in restricted areas of the park.

The goal would be to reduce the deer population to 50 per square mile in the two-square-mile park, still above the 30 state officials have said is the usual population per square mile in rural areas. State surveys in 2007 and 2008 estimated the current population in the park at 200 deer per square mile.

After the hunt, a population survey would be performed, and if the population is still too high, the park would allow certified bowhunters to hunt in restricted areas in late December or early January of 2010.

Meadors said park staff evaluated nonlethal options, but none were fiscally possible. Trapping and relocating is costly and, most importantly, not legal in the state of Kansas. Installing a fence would require 53,000 linear feet of fencing at a high cost. Fertility control could cost almost $1,000 per deer.

Meadors called the proposed hunts the “most practical, efficient and humane method available.” He said if the park did not cull the deer herd, Mother Nature would do so, and he believed allowing the herd to die of starvation or diseases was less humane.

Of members of the public who spoke, many had spoken at the first public meeting held in May. Eight were against any type of hunt taking place, calling the proposed hunt a “slaughter” that should not take place on public property.

Jan Pierce of Lenexa said she thought 50 deer per square mile was too small, and she didn’t think the deer were having that much of a negative effect on the homes built near the park, as some residents had complained of ticks and the deer eating up their yards.

“If they don’t like wildlife in their yard, it should be their responsibility to build a fence,” she said.

Others said they were against the bowhunting, either citing public safety concerns or saying they thought the method was inhumane. Some fully supported the plan but thought the district could find resident hunters who would perform the hunt for free, rather than the county having to pay officers for their time.

Kelly Dupree of Lenexa said she supported the hunt.

“If we don’t do something about management, we’re going to be having this same meeting and same problem every year,” she said.

Before making their decision, the park commissioners asked a few questions, but most made no comments. Only James Azeltine, past chair of the commission, commented that he was opposed to the secondary bowhunt, but it was his understanding that the state was not likely to approve the plan without a bowhunting option.

Comments

1. 

   reydar76 (anonymous) says…

   This is horrible. Absolutely appalling that they would even consider this as an option. I am ashamed to say that I live in Kansas. I honestly can't believe that people are so snobbish in their way of life that a few spots of wildlife are looked down upon. We as humans should not have invaded these poor animals homes in the first place. It is bad enough that we have overpopulated this area but to destroy the homes of animals for our own selfishness is discusting! And then to just KILL them off!!! Horrifying.. I believe this is called murder.

   June 30, 2009 at 9:06 a.m.

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