YOUNGSTOWN — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources gave approval Tuesday to the Mill Creek MetroParks removing 75 white-tailed deer using U.S. Department of Agriculture sharpshooters now through March 31.

It is an increase over the 38 deer that were killed by sharpshooters last year in Mill Creek Park. It is also the number that Nick Derico, Mill Creek MetroParks natural resources director, requested in his Sept. 6 application to ODNR for this year. The sharpshooters who remove the deer are employed by the U.S.D.A.

The ODNR initially approved the removal of 30 deer by sharpshooters last September and then allowed an additional 14 in late November. All 30 deer from the first permit were taken in October 2023, but only eight of the 14 were taken using the second permit for a total of 38. All 38 were removed from Mill Creek Park in Boardman.

An additional 168 deer were removed from various MetroParks properties from Oct. 1 last year to late January during a part of the deer reduction that involved hunters selected under the ODNR lottery hunting program.

That program resumed again Sunday in various park properties, Derico said Tuesday. He said he is not aware of any problems so far.

The permit approval for the sharpshooting program was granted by Geoff Westerfield, ODNR assistant wildlife supervisor, who included a three-page special conditions letter explaining how the sharpshooter part of the program will work, including a couple of changes from last year.

The sharpshooter part of the program is used in areas where traditional hunting “cannot easily be utilized as a deer management tool, such as Mill Creek proper,” the letter states. Officials have said that traditional hunting is not used in Mill Creek Park because of the more urban and suburban nature of that park compared to parks in areas that are less populated..

Derico said Tuesday the 75 reductions approved for this year will come from Mill Creek Park between U.S. Route 224 and Midlothian Boulevard like last year.

When asked why he approved a larger number this year, Westerfield stated in an email that he considers many factors, such as the data provided by the park system and his “modeling of the deer populations,” as well as site visits he makes to the parks. He visited Mill Creek MetroParks “several” times over the past nine months, including Sept. 26, he stated.

He added that during the removal months, he also learns additional information that can affect future decisions.

“I do my due diligence to determine if the requested number makes sense or not and then continue to assess during operations to determine if the number permitted matches my analysis that led to the decision,” he stated. “Sometimes during (the removal months) we see that the preseason analysis was low and thus additional deer need to be permitted such as last year. Sometimes we see that the preseason analysis was high and thus the program doesn’t remove the number of deer permitted.”

Derico said approval of 75 deer reductions by sharpshooters means he does not anticipate asking ODNR for additional reductions later this year like he did last year.

Among the changes explained in the special-conditions letter is that the use of drones or thermal imagery will be permitted for sharpshooter removal of deer this year.

Westerfield said the reason is that each year he has meetings with deer management programs and “this year there was some interest from deer management programs to use those technologies.” While in the past they used thermal imaging in a variety of ways, drones were not typically used.

“But that technology has come a long way over the last several years. Special conditions for all deer management programs are standard, so I put that on all deer management program special condition letters.” He said he does not think the Mill Creek Metroparks program will use drones, but “thermal imaging is common in part to ensure deer operations are done safely.”

Another change is the language regarding the sex of the deer to be removed. Last year’s permit for sharpshooter removal states that they could remove up to 20% antlerless (female) deer. This year’s permit says no more than 40% of deer removals can be antlered (male).

Westerfield said that change is now standard on all deer management permits and also came out of discussions with the deer removal programs. The special conditions letter referenced the “vegetative analysis” Derico included with his request for permission to remove 75 deer with sharpshooters this year.

“Your proposal request focusing on vegetative analysis within the park creates a baseline assessment for working towards vegetative management goals within the park,” Westerfield stated.

“In addition to the vegetative analysis in your request, the multiple site visits and continued conversations about deer management within your parks have helped justify the need for the use of a Deer Damage Control Permit to assist in managing the deer population within the Mill Creek MetroParks,” the letter states.

MetroParks officials have said that a key reason for reducing the number of deer in the MetroParks is the amount of damage the deer have done to the vegetation of the parks.

A Deer Damage Control Permit is the name of the permit the ODNR uses to approve deer removals. According to the ODNR web site, such permits and assistance from “Division of Wildlife personnel and partners, including Soil and Soil and Water Conservation District wildlife specialists, provide guidance on handling complaints of crop losses or property damage caused by deer.”

The letter to the MetroParks states that “antlers from deer shot must be removed and must be destroyed or disposed of by landfill, by the staff of the person this permit was issued to or a contractor operating under this permit. No antlers taken under authority of this permit may be possessed by anyone other than that until they are destroyed or disposed of, and no one thereafter.”