Hunter
04/07/20
White Buffalo Incorporated, the business hired by the City of Iowa City to cull the deer population, have announced their project has been completed and 500 deer were taken out of the herd as a result of their actions.
In a report submitted to the City Council last month, the company said they conducted their hunt, using sharpshooters, from December 2nd through the 22nd, and again from February 23rd through March 14th.
White Buffalo concentrated their hunt to six zones, and 42% of deer harvested came from a section of town southeast of Dodge Street, north of Rochester Avenue and west of Scott Boulevard, including the Ralston Creek corridor.
Two areas known to have high densities of deer were not allowed to be hunted; ACT did not cooperate with the deer management program, although White Buffalo was able to harvest on adjoining properties, and the areas surrounding Regina Catholic Education Center prevented sharpshooting from taking place in Hickory Hill Park, a known area heavily populated by deer. In their summary, White Buffalo noted that numerous deer can often be seen crossing Rochester Avenue into the neighborhoods south of Regina property, contributing to an elevated risk of deer-vehicle collisions.
It took 38 days of fieldwork to achieve their results, and all deer were processed for distribution to local food banks after they were tested for disease.
Tonight’s city council meeting will take place through Zoom, and instructions on how to join in and participate are available at www.icgov.org/councildocs. The meeting can be seen on Cable Channel 4, at citychannel4.com, on the council’s You Tube channel, or on their Facebook page.
