City of Austin 2020 Special Deer Hunt
With confirmation from the DNR, the city is holding a special deer bow hunt again this fall to help keep the deer population at a healthy level. The hunt runs from October 17 through December 31. Hunters are working with the Nature Center to ensure that visitors may safely use the trails while the hunt is in progress. All hunters were required to pass a proficiency test and complete their bowhunter education course before applying to participate in the hunt. Deer stands must be located 100 feet from trails and 150 feet from structures.
This year there is a large push for CWD testing in this area. For more information on CWD in MN, please visit https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/cwd/index.html.
This year there is a large push for CWD testing in this area. For more information on CWD in MN, please visit https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/cwd/index.html.
CWD sampling drop off location
A note from our director:
"This summer, a group of students and I scared up a doe and two fawns as we hiked up to the tower. It was majestic watching those fawns leap through the prairie trying to keep up with their mom. I loved that sight, yet I worried. Based on experience planting trees here at the Nature Center, I know that deer can be very hard on newly planted trees.
"As you may have heard, we at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, and elsewhere in the city of Austin, are holding a special deer hunt this fall. DNR biologists think that the deer population is too high in town and at the Nature Center. The purpose of the hunt is twofold: improve our ecosystem by reducing the deer herd’s population so that it is closer to a sustainable carrying capacity, and balance our desire to see these animals with our understanding that too many deer can be quite destructive.
"How do we know there is a problem? Historically, there were just not as many deer around as we see today. The problem is that deer are an edge species. Their preferred habitat is the boundary between a forest and field. Historically, the edges were limited because there were large contiguous blocks of forest or prairie on the landscape. These landscapes had smaller edges and plenty of food on the interiors of the forests or prairies. When European settlers arrived, they plowed the prairie and cut down much of the forest, chopping up our large forests and prairies into smaller and smaller chunks. This fragmented the landscape, which dramatically increased the amount of edge while reducing the areas for deer to find food. More deer + less food = deer eating stuff they shouldn’t eat, like the trees, shrubs, and plants in our yards or gardens.
"An additional problem that the Nature Center faces are deer that have figured out they can survive here during the winter. They crowd in and eat almost everything that pokes up through the snow (notable exceptions being the invasive plants that are taking over our woods, buckthorn and honeysuckle). This 'refuge behavior' makes it difficult for us to accomplish any conservation tasks that involve planting many trees or shrubs.
"We are solving these problems by holding a special bow hunt for deer. We first target females to control the population. Fewer deer on the land makes for better habitat and ultimately healthier deer. A hunt teaches deer to have a healthy fear of people. This makes them less likely to damage plants in busy areas.
"In making the decision to hold a special deer hunt, we have to balance our desire to see these wild animals with an ecosystem’s health and ability to support those animals. The deer will not go away, they will just be striking a better balance with nature."
~ Luke Reese, Nature Center Director
"As you may have heard, we at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, and elsewhere in the city of Austin, are holding a special deer hunt this fall. DNR biologists think that the deer population is too high in town and at the Nature Center. The purpose of the hunt is twofold: improve our ecosystem by reducing the deer herd’s population so that it is closer to a sustainable carrying capacity, and balance our desire to see these animals with our understanding that too many deer can be quite destructive.
"How do we know there is a problem? Historically, there were just not as many deer around as we see today. The problem is that deer are an edge species. Their preferred habitat is the boundary between a forest and field. Historically, the edges were limited because there were large contiguous blocks of forest or prairie on the landscape. These landscapes had smaller edges and plenty of food on the interiors of the forests or prairies. When European settlers arrived, they plowed the prairie and cut down much of the forest, chopping up our large forests and prairies into smaller and smaller chunks. This fragmented the landscape, which dramatically increased the amount of edge while reducing the areas for deer to find food. More deer + less food = deer eating stuff they shouldn’t eat, like the trees, shrubs, and plants in our yards or gardens.
"An additional problem that the Nature Center faces are deer that have figured out they can survive here during the winter. They crowd in and eat almost everything that pokes up through the snow (notable exceptions being the invasive plants that are taking over our woods, buckthorn and honeysuckle). This 'refuge behavior' makes it difficult for us to accomplish any conservation tasks that involve planting many trees or shrubs.
"We are solving these problems by holding a special bow hunt for deer. We first target females to control the population. Fewer deer on the land makes for better habitat and ultimately healthier deer. A hunt teaches deer to have a healthy fear of people. This makes them less likely to damage plants in busy areas.
"In making the decision to hold a special deer hunt, we have to balance our desire to see these wild animals with an ecosystem’s health and ability to support those animals. The deer will not go away, they will just be striking a better balance with nature."
~ Luke Reese, Nature Center Director