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Council committee advances ordinance to contract with USDA Wildlife Services to cull up to 100 deer
Summary
The Environment, Public Works, Planning, Zoning & Development Committee moved Ordinance 26-27 forward after hearing that the USDA would be contracted to cull up to 100 deer from Oct. 2026 through Mar. 2027; the committee noted USDA used heat mapping to estimate the herd density at a minimum of 25.8 deer per square mile.
Council’s environment and public works committee recommended advancing an ordinance that would authorize the city to contract with USDA Wildlife Services for deer management, including a planned cull, a committee report said on June 1.
"This agreement would authorize the city to contract for services under this USDA program to cull up to a 100 deer beginning in October 2026 through March 2027," the committee report stated. Committee members heard from Mr. Chasky (committee staff) that USDA used heat mapping and estimated the herd at "a minimum of 25.8 deer per square mile." The committee voted unanimously to move the ordinance to subsequent readings.
The report said the USDA would work with the state Division of Wildlife to develop a deer management plan, identify bait and shoot sites, designate a central processing site in the city, and plan disposal and potential meat donation logistics; the council noted that donating meat to the Cleveland Food Bank would add processing expense and that local legislation permitting hunting in the city would be required before the program proceeds.
