YOUNGSTOWN — The Mill Creek MetroParks this week revised downward by 25 the number of deer killed in its parks last fall and winter — from 236 to 211 — following the MetroParks’ annual review of the results.

The MetroParks also recently released details of its Jan. 9 helicopter survey of white-tailed deer in its parks. It apparently shows a smaller number of deer in its parks than earlier surveys.

The MetroParks completed its second year of deer reductions in January. They were carried out by hunters chosen through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife lottery system on various MetroParks properties and by U.S. Department of Agriculture sharpshooters in an area of Mill Creek Park in Boardman.

Hunters killed 136 deer from early last fall until late January, according to the recently released document, called the 2024-2025 End of Year Summary, now available on the MetroParks website. But the final ODNR harvest report provided to the MetroParks and the Vindicator in late January indicated that hunters killed 166 deer.

Mill Creek MetroParks Natural Resources Manager Nick Derico has indicated in the past that it is necessary to review the data provided in the harvest reports because the data can be incorrect.

When Derico was asked about the substantial drop in this year’s numbers, he said hunters in many cases incorrectly reported the results of their hunting to the ODNR. The errors resulted in harvested deer being attributed to hunting on Mill Creek MetroPark properties that did not take place there, Derico said.

“To combat this (Mill Creek MetroParks) and ODNR staff make contact with each hunter to confirm whether or not their deer was harvested (in the MetroParks) and at which property,” he stated.

“The 211 deer reflects the corrected totals from the hunting program,” he said of the 136 deer killed by hunters. USDA sharpshooters removed 75 deer last fall from an area of Mill Creek Park in Boardman. The report does not make any changes to those numbers.

ODNR harvest reports from late January provided to Derico and the Vindicator indicated that hunters killed 161 deer in the Mill Creek MetroParks, but they actually killed 136. Derico stated in late January that the “final corrected harvest numbers” would be released later.

When The Vindicator asked Derico recently whether he had completed the review of the hunting results, he replied Tuesday that he had just added the reports to the MetroParks website.

EARLIER YEAR RESULTS

After the first season of deer reductions ending in January 2024, the MetroParks reported that hunters killed 166 deer and sharpshooters killed an additional 38 for a total of 204.

The 204 killed the first year added to the 211 killed this year totals 415 since the deer removal program began in the fall of 2023.

The biggest difference in the program the second year was that 75 deer were removed over three nights by USDA sharpshooters in Mill Creek Park, nearly double the number of 38 that were removed the first year over two nights.

The total of deer removed by hunters selected through the ODNR lottery dropped from 166 the first year to 136 the second year.

The 75 deer killed by sharpshooters produced 3,292 pounds of venison that was donated to the Lorain branch of the Second Harvest Food Bank, the report states. Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley declined venison donations “due to staff limitations” and asked that it be donated to Lorain, the report states.

The hunting portion of the reductions were done in nine parks: Collier Preserve, MetroParks Farm (archery only), Sawmill Creek Preserve, Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, Springfield Forest, Hawkins Marsh, Vickers Nature Preserve, Huntington Woods (archery only) and Hitchcock Woods (archery only).

There were some significant differences in the number of deer removed from some of the parks the second year compared to the first, such as 40 deer being removed from Huntington Woods in Boardman the first year but only 13 the second year, even though the “projected harvest goals” remained the same both years — six to 12 deer.

There were 27 deer removed from the Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary on Calla Road in Canfield the first year, but only 13 the second year. The projected harvest from that park dropped from nine to 18 the first year to five to 13 the second year. The number taken from Hitchcock Woods in Boardman the first year was 27 and 31 the second year.

The report states that the MetroParks does not know from what park five of the 138 deer came. The reason is that some hunters failed to give the name of the park where they killed their deer. This reporting took place when hunters “checked in” their deer through the ODNR “game check system.”

The MetroParks and Division of Wildlife staff “made multiple attempts to contact these hunters via email, phone and physical letter but were unsuccessful” in identifying the park where the deer were killed, the report states. The deer were still counted among the final numbers.

Among the data that was collected on hunting was that 81% of permit holders were for archery and the rest were for firearms. It indicated that 85.7% of permit holders used his or her permit. Seventy-seven percent of permit holders brought a partner with him or her. Seventy percent harvested a deer.

About 68% of hunters saw from one to five deer while hunting, 13.6% saw no deer, and 12% saw five to 10 deer. About 7% saw 10 or more deer.

About 55% of hunters saw other hunters during their time in the field. About 59% saw nonhunting park users during their time hunting. All but 11% said they planned to apply for future hunting opportunities in the Mill Creek MetroParks.

One of the more common complaints among hunters was that there should be fewer permits issued, the report noted. When Derico was asked about this, he stated “Perhaps that is something that we will be assessing internally and with ODNR as we prepare for next season. Similar complaints were made in the 2023 season, which resulted in regulation adjustments and changes to the number of hunters” at various locations. The report indicated that there were almost no safety or nuisance issues this season other than a hunter trespassing from Hawkins Marsh onto a neighboring property, but there were no citations issued.

There was one instance of “illegal baiting,” which resulted in two citations being issued. Derico clarified that hunting regulations prohibit the use of bait (usually corn) to aid in the harvest of deer. The instance took place in Huntington Woods. A hunter was found to be using bait to attract deer to his location, but the situation was “quickly dealt with by ODNR law enforcement,” Derico stated.

Baiting deer for the purpose of hunting is legal on private land throughout the state, but the MetroParks chose not to allow it” among hunters, Derico stated.

As for safety, Derico said he thinks “the overwhelming majority of hunters take great pride in conducting themselves in a responsible manner and following all applicable regulations. In this situation, I believe the hunters who are participating are also aware of the sensitive nature of hunting in a public park.

“Most are very thankful for the opportunity and do their very best not to cause any conflict.” He added that he thinks this program being in its second year has “allowed for increased public education and awareness among the nonhunting park users in terms of what to expect during active hunting dates.”

HELICOPTER SURVEY

The USDA Wildlife Services program was requested to fly a helicopter to survey white-tailed deer on several Mill Creek MetroPark properties to provide the park system with an “index of the deer population on and directly adjacent to their properties,” a separate document states.

The parks surveyed were Mill Creek Park, Huntington Woods, Hitchcock Woods, Collier Preserve and the Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. The area surveyed was 14 square miles. A pilot and observer were deployed, and the results were recorded, the report states.

The results showed that over a little less than two hours, 157 white-tailed deer were observed. A little more than half were observed south of U.S. Route 224, the report states. Weather conditions were near optimal for the survey with about 4 inches of snow on the ground.

After correcting the data “as described in the literature,” the data yielded a range of 196 to 209 white-tailed deer being present within the flown area, the report states.

Derico was asked how this compares to the deer-per-square-mile used in surveys of the past, and he stated he had not yet “broken down the data any further.” But by dividing the numbers by 14 square miles yielded a deer density of 14 to 14.9 deer per square mile, he stated.

However, “Given the vast area surveyed, I don’t believe this is the most accurate way to interpret the data,” he stated. “I plan to break it down further to an individual property level, but I have not had that opportunity yet.”

He stated that deer per square mile is a “population density metric and can vary pretty wildly based upon the size of the area in question.”

He added that it is important to remember that any survey regardless of method is simply a “snapshot in time, and we do not make management decisions off of any singular event. Over time, as we collect more and more data — whether that is population data, vegetation data or harvest data — and we are able to see the big picture with greater clarity. We will continue with additional surveys over the summer to assess vegetative conditions throughout the park and coordinate closely with ODNR to plan for the 2025-2026 management year.”

When the MetroParks first talked about reducing deer in February 2023, among the reasons was results of an aerial infrared survey that indicated the population density of the parks was 387 deer per square mile. Deer supporters strongly disputed the data.

Geoff Westerfield, assistant wildlife manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, gave estimates in late November 2023 for how many deer per square mile he thought there were in an area of Mill Creek Park from Shields Road to U.S. Route 224 after deer removals by sharpshooters and hunters had begun.

Westerfield estimated there were 47 deer per square mile, which he said was “still substantially higher than what is typically tolerable for positive vegetative growth in a forest.”