08-12-09 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL AUGUST 12, 2009 feasible options include living with the deer, archery hunts, or a sharp- shooter. Moriarty reported that the State does not allow trapping and relocation or contraception control methods. Moriarty reported that for Little Canada he would recommend asharp-shooter. I3e noted that there a~•e two parcels adjacent to northeast Little Canada in Maplewood that may be possible hunt sites. Moriarty provided the specifics on how a sharp-shooter would thin the deer herd, noting that such a hunt was done in Maplewood and St. Paul in 1995. That hunt ran over the course of 11 nights, and 200 deer were taken with 200 shots. Moriarty reported that A900 pounds of venison was provided to food shelves as a result of that hunt. Moriarty reported that he drove around the area and identified several areas where asharp-shooter could conduct a hunt. Many of these areas were private property, and permission would have to be obtained from the property owner. He also reported that special permission would be needed from the State for such a hunt, but that would not be difficult to obtain. Moriarty reported that asharp-shooter is very expensive, but if the hunt were coordinated with hunts in adjacent cities, the price would likely go down. Moriarty reported that another option would be to contract with law enforcement, but he did not recommend this as police officers are not trained in deer behavior. He noted that if a deer is shot at and the shot misses, that deer becomes trained to avoid the area. Moriarty reported that the deer herd is traveling back and forth across 694, and he recommended coordinating a hunt with Vadnais Heights and Maplewood. Moriarty reported on the deer herd that he has observed in flying the area for the County. He estimated that the herd may have increased from 71 in early 2009 to 95. Keis asked the optimal timing for asharp-shooter to thin the herd. Moriarty reported that late fall tluough March 15`". He indicated that the DNR recommends against these hunts after March 15`x' for PR reasons. Moriarty also reported that the State does not allow the use of silencers when shooting deer, even for deer control pw•poses. Moriarty then explained how safe shooting zones were determined. The Council discussed the cost of asharp-shooter, and Moriarty suggested that the cost could be up to $350 per deer at today's rates. Keis asked how many deer Moriarty would recommend be taken. Moriarty recommended as many as possible, but indicated that it depends on the number of deer that the Council believes people want to see on a daily basis. Moriarty also noted that once the deer begin to be hunted, they will change their behavior and will not be as visible. 6