Sharpshooters Take Aim At HoCo Deer

From HoCo gov:

The Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks has announced its fall/winter schedule for managing deer through sharpshooting. This program will be held in an effort to help maintain a stable, balanced white-tailed deer population on county lands where deer browsing has been shown to reduce biodiversity.

The sharpshooting program is different from the managed hunts, which were announced in August. Specially trained and qualified personnel using highly accurate, noise-suppressed rifles, remove deer under a special permit issued by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. All the meat from this operation is donated to charitable organizations in the area. All properties will be closed to the public during the hours of operation, 3:30 p.m. to midnight, unless otherwise noted. The sites and schedule for 2009-2010 are as follows:

Alpha Ridge Landfill:
November 4 and December 9 (Dawn to 11:00 a.m.); February 9; March 15

Belmont Conference Center:
January 4, 7, 25; February 1, 17

Blandair Park:
January 18; February 11; March 11

Centennial Park:
January 11; February 4

Daniels Mill Overlook Open Space Lot:
December 21; February 22; March 8

Gray Rock Open Space Lot:
November 3 (8:30 a.m. to Noon); January 14; March 1

Hollifield Farm Open Space Lot:
December 21; February 22; March 8

Mt. Hebron Open Space Lot:
December 21; February 22; March 8

Rockburn Branch Park:
January 4, 25; February 17

Timbers at Troy Golf Course and Troy Mansion Historic Site:
January 7; February 1

Worthington Park:
January 21; February 15; March 4

Since deer population reduction programs such as the managed hunts and sharpshooting are not possible in many areas of the county, the Department of Recreation & Parks has developed a Deer Management Reference Manual to help homeowners and gardeners live in harmony with white-tailed deer. The manual, which is available in all county library branches, contains information on the use of deer repellents, fencing to protect crops and property, how to avoid deer-auto collisions, and Lyme Disease prevention. There is also information about the county’s deer management program available on the Department’s website...

The Department of Recreation & Parks and the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service can also arrange to have experts on the topic speak to homeowner associations, schools or other groups. Other Recreation & Parks’ deer management programs include an effort to reduce ticks on deer through the use of “Four-Poster” devices which deliver an approved pesticide to deer attracted to a feeder baited with corn. Developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the devices have been shown to reduce tick populations by 90% or more.

For more information on the deer management program, call the Department of Recreation & Parks at 410-313-1675.