State proposes expanded hunting to thin deer herd

2/7/2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio State officials are moving toward expanded hunting to thin Ohio s burgeoning deer herd, which has been blamed for increasing crop damage.

In the next hunting season, the Ohio Division of Wildlife wants to offer a special permit to allow gun hunters to bag extra does in counties thick with deer.

Division wildlife management administrator Dave Risley says the goal is to stop growth in the deer population, and the key to doing that is controlling the number of females.

The proposal introduced Wednesday night needs approval from the eight-member Ohio Wildlife Council.

There were an estimated 675,000 deer in Ohio last summer. A farm group has called for a herd of 250,000, though Risley says that s not realistic.