On the Lake Metroparks first-ever controlled archery deer hunt front, the weekend saw only one deer - a doe - get shot.
Park officials were on hand at the agency’s River Road Reservation in Madison Township to check on the hunters and their progress. These officials were somewhat surprised to see that one of the first 10 hunters selected for the lottery hunt was a no-show.
They were even more stunned when on Saturday the majority of the field left the woods with 60 to 90 minutes of legal shooting time still left.
Likewise the officials were chagrined to see that on Sunday evening fewer than four or five of the selected hunter stuck around after a thunderstorm passed to finish out the second day of hunting.
And a couple of hunters said they passed on animals, not wanting to launch an arrow the first thing out of the gate.
However, the purpose of the hunt is not just to provide recreational opportunities but to assist in reducing the deer herd at the 492-acre reserve.
By not showing, by leaving the field early, and by passing on deer the program won’t achieve its goal of helping to relieve the area in and around the River Road Reservation site of too many deer.
Such inactivity could put into question the future of the program.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com
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