March 28, 2024

Green Valley Park to close during special deer hunt

This coming weekend will be the annual special park deer hunt at Green Valley State Park. The campground will be closed for camping Friday through Sunday. The entire park will be closed to the general public for all activities Saturday and Sunday.

This will be the 11th year for the hunt, and it will operate like the past years’ hunts with 25 hunters attempting to harvest up to 50 antlerless deer. The hunters are required to hunt with muzzleloaders only.

The 25 hunters have already registered and will be receiving two antlerless tags each, redeemable only during the special hunt at the designated areas and specified dates.

To ensure a safe event, an extra five or six DNR staff will be on hand to patrol the park boundaries. And for the public’s safety, the park will be closed to the general public the two days during the hunt (Nov. 15-16). Green Valley will re-open to the public Monday.

“The muzzleloader-only hunt in the fall helps keep the deer population in the park under control. We have had 10 successful hunts and we are hoping this year’s hunt will go just as well as the past years,” said Park Ranger Alan Carr. “All of the hunters must attend a special safety meeting before the hunt. We explain the reason for the hunt, discuss the rules and show them the park boundaries. We hope to harvest as close to 50 female deer as we can and do it in a safe and efficient manner.”

This has shown to be a great management tool for state parks. Parks are attempting to maintain a balance in the deer herd. People want to see deer when they come to park, but there can’t have so many deer that they destroy their habitat and create a lot of crop damage for neighboring landowners.

The hunt will probably remain an annual event. The research is showing that if you stop these hunts completely the deer population tends to go back up rather quickly. The number of deer that are targeted for removal may change from year to year depending on the research. The final decision is made by the depredation biologist.

“While we are allowed to harvest as many as 50 antlerless deer, the average harvest for the two day hunt has been about 38 deer each year for the past 10 years,” Carr said.

For more information, contact the park office at 641-782-5131.