Half-Truths And Myths About Urban Deer Perpetuated By Metroparks And Most Local Media

This writer is no stranger to bashing our levy-bloated Cleveland Metroparks because of its annual deer slaughter. But what must now be published is a rebuttal to a recent article, the mother lode of B.S. in a long line of it, published by the only game in town that calls itself a daily newspaper. We’ll call it the “daily.”

The daily article referred to above begins with the presumption - because its editorial board is a conflicted, hunter-friendly one that employs a hunter columnist - that there are too many deer to be “managed,” followed by an equally misleading argument that the best way to “control” deer is through killing. What is new is the back-peddling by Cleveland Metroparks’ head of natural resources, Terry Robison, who probably does not appreciate my repeatedly quoting his early 2014 statement: that large, stable populations of deer are here paradoxically, “because Ohio hunting has been so successful.” 

In the daily, Robison now states, “so-called compensatory rebound of deer reproduction is largely illusory.” He then says, “A rebound effect only happens in a herd that has had a reduced birthrate because it was stressed and starving . . . The birthrate goes back up to previous levels once the population falls below a point where there is, once again, enough food to sustain the herd.” 

Huh? Let’s unpack this: It’s true that deer can populate only up to their biological carrying capacity, but Robison completely denies leading national evidence that rebound is inevitable, especially when lethal measures are used. Our open public records requests found that both Solon and Pepper Pike, communities that engaged in lethal measures that were then stopped, saw deer populations rebound to within ONE-TENTH OF A DEGREE within two years. 

All living species want to survive. When there is not enough food, does (female deer) reabsorb fetuses. Conversely, when herds experience more significant losses, such as killing programs ironically meant to reduce numbers, yearlings conceive earlier. In fact, our public records requests of Cleveland Metroparks over many years consistently reveal many of the yearling does were pregnant, and most older does were pregnant with twins or triplets. Last season, Cleveland Metroparks killed fawns, some less than six months old. 

The article in that daily also claims that in reservations where sharpshooters are actively killing deer – with silencers now, so the truth doesn’t upset taxpayers – is that those responsible for ensuring gates are closed and everyone is out, actually don’t. 

Here’s how I know: Last killing season, on an unseasonably warm February day, I drove into the Brecksville reservation, parked, and walked into the nature center. The woman working there was shocked. She asked, “What are you doing here? No one is supposed to be here. The park is closed!” She then got right on the phone to call administration about it. I knew what was up, but wanted evidence, so I acted naïve. I explained that the gate was open at the Chippewa entrance, no signs were posted, and many people were seen recreating throughout the reservation. Others I know had similar experiences. 

In the daily article, Metroparks officials also claimed that because deer get spooked after a couple days with sharpshooters around, go figure, killers are scheduled to come back later in the season, so they can kill more quota. (The sterile language the park uses to document deer killing, reads as if they were numbers and not beings. And the perky public relations and communications staff make the whole thing a sort of surreal, nauseating travesty.) This, combined with silencers on weapons, and slipshod staff not closing reservations during killing, make it very alarming that the park does not notify the public before killing. They don’t even tell local police. Only immediately adjacent property owners are notified -- by regular mail within a couple days before. 

So compelling is the belief that killing deer controls their numbers that a group of sanctioned snipers in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park – in spite of its own head of natural resources Lisa Petit publicly demonstrating a 50% reduction of deer numbers over the past 16 years, even though they did not kill – is soon scheduled to kill 375 deer each year for the next several or so years – and then they will try to use birth control on frightened deer. 

Also in the daily, Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough was quoted, “ . . . we wish we could expand [killing deer] outside the parks.” Also, Clough claims in the article that he does not know of any mayor or city manager who disapproves of killing (including any on the subcommittee from Cuyahoga County Mayors and City Managers Association now pressuring the ODOW to take responsibility for deer populations). Not true! Mayor Stefanik of North Royalton strongly opposes lethal methods, and hopes the state opts for birth control. I personally witnessed Stefanik tell his council that if they try to pass a bow hunting ordinance, he will veto it. Also, after passing out copies of our city’s Resolution, Seven Hills Mayor Dell’Aquila personally told me that he does not want deer to be killed.  

The daily article included another falsehood, a biological impossibility, that deer are destroying our parks. How can a species that has co-evolved on the North American continent for five to 10 million years with native flora suddenly be raping and pillaging our forests? The answer to this question is not simple. Humans have lived here about 15,000 years, and certainly caused extreme pressure on deer. But the real problem is killing, so now, deer are refuge seeking. Readers may be shocked to learn that leading world authorities now recommend unfettered browsing by large herbivores because they know it benefits the ecological community! 

This is what is known as a paradox. Now is the time for sweeping ODOW reform. My recommendations: broad-based, not hunter-funding; board of directors who are not hunters; recruitment of true biologists, not “biostitutes,” with experience in best practices and NON-lethal management deer management; public education based on the fact that hunting as conservation is an outdated, completely ineffective, self-serving paradigm proven so by world renowned leaders who have turned the industry on its head and are now encouraging browsing by large herbivores to benefit soils and plants. This new way will mean deer will co-exist with us based on biological, not cultural (perceived), carrying capacity and sound science. 

I find it especially ironic that deer are picked off by snipers in order to protect their natural habitats from them. I wonder what kind of news story that daily would publish if a bunch of vegetarians were picked off by snipers as they happily picnicked in the Metroparks they helped fund. Is there any difference? Oh, yeah, the vegetarians have homes.