Deer Culling to Begin Soon in Solon

Deer culling could begin in Solon next week.

Sharpshooters with the U.S. Department of Agriculture are preparing sites for shooting and could begin on Jan. 23.

That start date is an estimate and could change depending on USDA officials' assessments of the sites, said Mayor Susan Drucker.

The city will pay the USDA $128,000 through the end of March for the agency's services.

The culling efforts will take place on private property and city-owned property that is off-limits or closed, such as and the sewage plant. Drucker said that property owners adjacent to hunting sites have been notified by certified mail.

According to the city's , Hunters will bait deer and shoot from stationary areas; they will not be roaming the properties. officers will secure the sites during hunting.

The slain deer will be and the meat will be donated to local hunger banks.

"I think everything has been very well publicized and we’ve been extremely open. I think we’ve kept people very informed," Drucker said.

Opponents of deer hunting -- which tried to pass a hunting ban in Solon last year -- are renewing their push to oppose the culling efforts.

An e-mail sent out to the public asks residents who oppose deer hunting to defeat the current city council at the ballot box when their terms are up.

"You voted them in and you can vote them out," it reads.