Osage Beach adopts deer thinning plan

By Nancy Hogland
The ordinance however places several restrictions on participants. Licensed hunters, who must have completed the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Hunter Safety Program, will be required to register at City Hall and to go through a short orientation class. They cannot choose their own sites; instead they will be assigned to specific areas and must stay in those areas. In addition, they can park only on the grounds where they are hunting and must display a parking permit on their vehicle. They also must carry a city issued permit with them while hunting. However, they are not required to hunt from deer stands.
“Last year after the aldermen passed the ordinance forbidding residents from feeding deer, we had a lot of requests to hold a hunt so we started looking into a safe way to do that,” said Osage Beach Compliance and Animal Control Officer Bob Chatham, who will oversee the program. “We are confident that this will accomplish what we’re seeking and reduce the deer population.”
He said some 200 accidents involving deer had been reported in the past year. The no-feeding ordinance, which went into effect last October, makes it illegal to provide food for deer or any other wildlife except birds. Violators can be fined up to $500 and sentenced to up to 90 days in jail. Each day food is found in the yard is a separate violation.
Chatham, who said this latest ordinance was drawn up with the help of City Attorney Ed Rucker and Police Chief Dave Severson, said hunting will be allowed from November to January, the same as the regular deer bow season. Property owners with more than two acres of wooded tracts of land can register with the city to allow hunting on their property.
Although at least one alderman said he thought a special managed hunt would be beneficial, Chatham said he’s hopeful that won’t be needed.
“The Department of Conservation recommended that we first try this for three years, keeping track of the number of accidents involving deer, and using that as a guide on whether this program is accomplishing its goal,” he said.
Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Agent Sean Ernst said Columbia, Fulton and Booneville, among others, also have decided to allow bow hunting within city limits to thin out the populations.
“And that’s a good thing because other than the grill of the family Buick, deer have no natural predators. The role of the hunter in wildlife management is crucial to maintaining a healthy balance. When we see an unhealthy balance, we see these kinds of interactions between deer and humans,” he said.
Ernst said the over-populations of deer have been caused in part by the desire of many hunters to take an antlered buck rather than a doe. MDC counts show less than 40 percent of the deer taken each year are does.