After nine months of researching methods to control deer overpopulation in Warsaw, members of the Warsaw Deer Task Force have formulated a report and recommendations for reducing the deer herd near Spring Hill.

The task force has identified a deer nuisance zone within the city limits, including the entire area around Spring Hill, Kosciusko Community Hospital and U.S. 30.

A public meeting will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at city hall where the public and city council members who are not members of the task force can ask questions and provide input regarding the report and recommendations.

The task force will ask the city council to approve the recommendations at its Nov. 6 meeting.

The task force is recommending the city council pass a resolution that will identify the nuisance zone near Spring Hill and pass an ordinance that would allow for trained and approved archers, under the direction of Mayor Ernie Wiggins and a nuisance management committee, to hunt in the declared nuisance zone.

If the task force recommendations are approved by the city council, the task force would implement the proposal by training archery hunters in the county and then placing them in specific areas within the declared nuisance zone.

Jeff Grose, council member and co-chair of the task force, said the goal is to have the task force train and approve archers hunting in the declared zones by Dec. 1. The task force will evaluate efforts and report their findings after the hunting season in spring 2007.

The hunters will be assigned to a zone or zones identifying the dates and times they will hunt in the zones. A calendar will be created for each zone so a nuisance management committee knows when and who is hunting each day in the reduction zones. Hunting in reduction zones will only be allowed on weekdays.

According to the report, for more than a decade residents have addressed their concerns related to the increasing deer population in the Warsaw area with local and state officials. Over the past few years, residents repeatedly contacted local officials voicing their concerns about deer overpopulation.

As a result, Mayor Ernie Wiggins and councilmen Jeff Grose and Joe Thallemer requested a deer task force be created in order to determine if there is a deer problem and how to address the problem.

The purpose of the task force, according to Grose, is to identify areas that appear to have high deer counts, study various ways to manage deer, communicate and interact with residents to obtain input and suggestions and present recommendations for controlling deer to the city council.

The task force has been meeting since January with Spring Hill residents and Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials identifying areas and residential neighborhoods in Warsaw that appear to have high deer counts, studying various ways to manage deer, and learning how other cities and towns have successfully managed deer, and communicated and interacted with residents to obtain input and suggestions.

The task force found the area around Spring Hill does have a problem with deer overpopulation. Traffic accident data, observation, complaints and survey data support this conclusion. The task force believes lack of action will be a greater threat to the health and safety of residents as well as the deer population near Spring Hill. The report states the area around Spring Hill makes an appropriate location to attempt deer reduction efforts through regulated hunting with archery equipment.

The task force has three recommendations for controlling deer population, including the city council approving the resolution and ordinance created by the deer task force, allowing the task force to create an animal nuisance management committee and the city council approving the reduction effort proposal for the area around Spring Hill Addition.

The task force has identified four reduction zones within the nuisance zone. The reduction zones are located in open areas away from residential properties. Two zones are west of KCH, and two zones are north of Spring Hill addition near U.S. 30. Hunting would only be allowed in these reduction zones. The task force found regulated archery hunting is the most practical, safe and cost-efficient reduction effort.

Archery hunters, approved by the task force, would be assigned to these zones and they would be required to remain in these zones at least 70 yards away from any residential properties while participating in the reduction effort.

If the task force and city council approve the reduction effort proposal, the committee will implement the plan and communicate and report reduction efforts on a regular basis to the city council. [[In-content Ad]]