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Medina panel approves comprehensive deer-management plan, including targeted sharpshooting and bow-hunting rules
Summary
Council approved changes establishing a comprehensive deer-management program that pairs neighborhood bow hunting with contracted targeted sharpshooting in short winter windows, creates an advisory committee, and requires state-aligned data collection; approval was subject to the law director's final review.
The Medina finance committee on Tuesday voted to advance a revised deer-abatement ordinance that would create a multi-part deer-management program including neighborhood archery season, targeted sharpshooting conducted in narrow winter windows, mandatory data collection and an advisory committee to guide community outreach and monitoring.
Under the revisions, private property owners could host bow-hunting on qualifying parcels; sharpshooting on public land would be contracted and limited to a brief, concentrated period (staff described one- to two-week windows, typically January–March) after the bow-hunting season. The draft calls for the mayor and the police chief (or a designated representative) to approve safe locations on public properties each year.
Administration staff and council members said the program must align with a state-approved management plan to secure the tags required for targeted removal. "The state has to approve the management plan in order to get the tags for the sharpshooting program," staff said, noting that bow-harvest counts would be used to refine sharpshooting targets in subsequent years.
An advisory committee will include two administration representatives, two council members and three community members to oversee education, community engagement and adaptation of the program.
Public comment was mixed: several residents urged humane or nonlethal alternatives and questioned timing and enforcement, while others described feeding deer on private property and opposed restrictions. Dolly Yeller warned that past delays have prolonged the problem; Carrie Huff described feeding deer on her two-acre property and said she would resist restrictions on private feeding.
Council action and next steps: Council approved the ordinance revisions "subject to the law director's review and approval" and directed staff to return with final language so hunters could sign up in time for archery season. The committee emphasized transparency, online notification tools (opt-in email alerts for adjacent property owners) and maintaining records of harvested deer to monitor program effectiveness.
What remains unresolved: Staff must finalize the ordinance language, align the local program with the state management plan to obtain tags for sharpshooting, clarify penalty language (the law director recommended specifying which subsection applies to criminal penalties), and produce cost estimates for contracted sharpshooting operations.
Representative quotes: "We need to have a comprehensive program," said Lamb, urging a multiyear approach learned from other cities. Chief Kenny recommended an opt-in email notification system for residents living near public hunts. "We already have 54 carcasses hit by cars in our city this year so far," Mister Coyne noted as part of the justification for action.
