Parks commission declines to recommend bow hunting in Munwoods and McCarthy Lee Park

The Parks and Recreation Commission on Sept. 18 voted to recommend that the city council not approve bow hunting in the five‑acre area of Munwoods that staff had proposed for an urban deer hunt. The commission’s motion to recommend against approving hunting in that area passed with one member opposed.

The decision followed a staff presentation of a large public survey, maps showing proximity of trails, roads and residences to potential tree‑stand locations, and six years of permit and harvest data. Parks staff reported the city can issue about 75 permits annually under the ordinance but that permits issued over the last six years averaged just under 19 and deer harvested averaged about 17 per year. They also described setback and safety rules: elevated stands a minimum of 8 feet off the ground, shots limited to about 75 feet, stands at least 85 feet from maintained roads, trails and organized activity sites, and at least 20 feet from residences or buildings.

Nathan [last name not specified], parks and recreation staff member, summarized the survey results presented to the commission: “Respondents see deer in their neighborhood daily, 37 percent; weekly, 31 percent,” and described support levels for different interventions, including that 26.4 percent of respondents favored urban bow hunting as a method of deer population management. He said respondents reported garden and landscaping damage, and some vehicle collisions.

Police leadership and staff also discussed collision reporting and the task force schedule. The police chief (name not given) said, “It’s pretty clear that the current urban deer hunt … doesn’t harvest a lot of deer each year,” and noted roughly a third of recorded deer‑vehicle collisions occur on Highway 30 or I‑35. The chief told commissioners the Urban Deer Task Force has not met since about 2019 and that a five‑year report to the city council is due in calendar year 2026; that report will prompt reconstitution of the task force.

Staff also informed the commission that a conservation easement held by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation covers Munwoods and lists hunting as a prohibited activity; the city could petition the foundation for a waiver but must assemble evidence of damage for the foundation to consider a change. Commissioners repeatedly raised safety and use‑pattern concerns, saying the proposed five‑acre area is surrounded by active trails and residences and that opening a small plot could displace deer rather than reduce overall deer numbers.

Resident Max Rothchild of 511 Oliver Circle spoke during public comment, urging targeted short windows of hunting and saying hunters could reduce local deer numbers quickly if permitted; the commission’s discussion noted both the frustration of property damage and the limited effectiveness of small, urban hunts. With the commission recommending against approval, staff said they would consult the city manager about next steps; council review would typically not be required if the commission declines to recommend approval.

The commission also asked staff and the chief to reconstitute the Urban Deer Task Force to review techniques and data; staff indicated they have been in contact with state DNR partners about counts and possible counting methods, including a student proposal to trial drone counts.

The commission moved next to capital projects after the vote.