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Board approves annual deer hunt at Wesselman Woods to protect forest understory
Summary
The Evansville City Board of Parks Commissioners voted unanimously to permit the Wesselman Woods annual deer reduction hunt, continuing a long-standing program the park says is needed to preserve tree regeneration and forest health.
The Evansville City Board of Parks Commissioners voted Wednesday to approve the annual deer reduction hunt at Wesselman Woods, continuing a program the park says is essential to protecting the site’s forest regeneration.
The vote came after a presentation from Derek Walsh, director of natural resources and research at Wesselman Woods, who said the hunt is a conservation measure rather than a sport activity. "This is not sport hunting, but rather this is for the conservation of the forest," Walsh told the board. He said Wesselman Woods is an ecologically unique urban old-growth forest and that deer browsing has severely limited young tree growth.
Walsh outlined how the program operates and how hunters are selected. He said the woods have long-run approval from the Department of Natural Resources to be part of the state’s urban deer reduction zones and that the site limits activity to no more than five hunters at a time working inside the forest interior. "During September through mid November, it is archery season," he said. "Starting mid November through the January is firearm season." He said harvested deer are removed from the property and, in some cases, portions are donated to feed raptors maintained by the park.
Walsh described the recruitment and safety process for participants, which relies on a longstanding volunteer CHAP (Community Hunting Access Program) coordinator who administers proficiency testing and verifies licenses. He said Vanderburgh County hunters will be given priority in new sign-up rounds and that any new hunters must pass the same proficiency checks. "He has onboarded several hunters throughout the year who have remained on this hunting crew," Walsh said.
Board members pressed for scale and effect. Walsh said the fenced portion of the preserve is about 220 acres and that the broader holdings are near 270 acres. He estimated the on-site deer population at "probably between 5 and 15," and said, "Ideally ... we would love 0 deer for several years in order to allow those young oaks and hickories to replace the big ones that are falling." He also said the park works with University of Evansville researchers on monitoring.
After questions, a board member moved to approve the request and another seconded. The board voted in favor with no recorded opposition.
The board’s approval continues a program Wesselman Woods staff said has been used for nearly 30 years under DNR urban deer-reduction guidance. Park staff said they will continue to manage scheduling, hunter onboarding and coordination with park staff to limit public interaction during hunt hours.
Implementation details provided to the board include: a maximum of five hunters in the interior at a time; archery and crossbow use in archery season (mid September to mid November); firearm use permitted beginning mid November through January per DNR hours; and ongoing reliance on the volunteer CHAP coordinator for vetting and training. The board did not set numeric harvest targets in the motion; staff described the program’s objective as substantially reducing deer numbers to allow tree regeneration.
The meeting record shows no public opposition during the agenda item and no additional conditions attached to the board’s approval.
