Politics & Government

Deer Culling Underway In Solon, 139 Deer Killed So Far

Sharpshooters are culling deer in Solon until they reach 200 killed.

Deer culling is underway in Solon as sharpshooters work to thin the herd.

Since mid-January, more than 130 deer have been culled by sharpshooters with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reports the Solon Times.

This is the second year that the USDA has been hired to run Solon's sharpshooting efforts.

Find out what's happening in Solonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The goal of the program is to slash Solon's deer population to reduce car wrecks caused by deer. Solon officials have said Solon has more deer than the city's geography can handle. The program is controversial, as many residents tried to stop the city from being able to hunt deer.

Last year, snipers culled 300 deer from the city. The target this year is 200.

Find out what's happening in Solonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In 2012, the city spent $183,353, or about $611 per deer culled. That total cost includes a $103,000 payment to USDA and other associated costs, including meat transportation and processing, police overtime fees and other administrative costs.

Meat from the deer are processed and donated to hunger shelters in the area.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Solon