WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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A proposed deer cull at Griffy Nature Preserve in Bloomington has been delayed until next year. City of Bloomington officials said the delay is due to a lack of local hunters signing up for the hunt.
The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department is postponing the hunt, which was planned to take place throughout weekends in November and December. The hunting at Griffy Lake Nature Preserve was rescheduled for November of 2019. The city estimated it needs at least 40 private hunters to carry out the deer cull.
Bloomington Parks and Recreation Natural Resources Manager Steve Cotter said studies show deer negatively impact native plant life at Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. Cotter said studies indicate deer eat native plants more often than invasive plant species, making it more likely for invasive plant species to spread in the nature preserve.
Culling, or selectively killing deer, is not new to Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. Last year, Parks and Recreation contracted a nonprofit wildlife management firm, White Buffalo Inc. to carry out the deer cull. A total of 62 deer were killed by sharpshooters, last year. The city paid White Buffalo $43,000 to carry out the cull.
This year, a grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources provided a $32,500 grant to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. That grant stipulates the city contracts licensed community hunters over two consecutive hunting seasons at Griffy Lake Preserve.
