I am happy to hear that Solon is forward thinking about the deer problem..............

people have been hunting deer since before colombus stumbled onto american soil duh::::

My backyard is open to all deer hunters!

The first thing that comes to mind is, what kind of hopelessly stupid people live in this community? Would you rather see the deer overpopulate and die of starvation? How humane is that?

When I lived in South Florida I too was a supporter of banning deer hunting - poor little pretty creatures being shot and killed. And we got the ban passed. Then after 3 years of NO hunting for deer -the news reporters went to the Everglades and researched the results. It was the most horrible, pitiful and heartbreaking thing I ever saw. Since deer reproduce so rapidly, there were multitudes of them, and there were so many - mind you - in the Everglades where vegetation is abundant, these poor animals were starving - the pictures of them showing all bones, dead carcasses lying around, females dying because of too many pregnancies and it wore out thier bodies. It was horrific and I quickly changed my opinion. Years ago before we took over the land from the wild animals there was plenty of room to roam and forage for food - plenty of room for the multitudes - but not today. To stop the hunting would be cruel and mean to the deer. And if you want to research this - the Miami Herald did a big spread on it - back in the late 1970's - and that was before the population grew by leaps andbounds - so I am sure that if hunting was again banned the outcome would be stupendous - with deer dying in droves from hunger, over population and disease.
Although I am not a big fan of hunting 'Bambi" - it is a necessary evil to give them a chance.

It's time the anti-hunting community is finally challenged and pushed back in their efforts to eliminate deer hunting in Salon. The anti's will argue that sterilization is the best means for controlling deer populations when in fact it cost's thousands of dollars for each doe that is successfully sterilized. Communities do not have that kind of excess funding available to spend on the whim's of the few who oppose hunting. The venison collected from the excess deer in Salon will cover the plates of many, many people for all types of meals. Why is it that the anti's only concentrate on trying to stop hunting? Do they not realize how the steaks, pork chops, or chicken that they eat are inhumanely killed? And I have even see a few anti's at protests wearing fur coats......come on ....get real! hunting is been around since mankind evolved and it will remain here when the anti hunting groups have finally been pushed back and defeated!

The definition of insanity... doing something after many people have tried it, and expecting different results. These anti hunters dont have a grasp on deer management, the only thing they know is... "look at the pretty deer". Many areas have tried programs other than hunting. They are all expensive, and none of them have worked. (Except the wolve reintroduction in many parts of the country). But I'm sure none of you Ohioan's would want wolves patrolling your backyards. If you eat meat, drink milk, wear leather shoes, belts, coats, use cosmetics, buy leather seated Escalades, etc etc, shut the h*ll up.

P.S We're done here.

if u read the bible in the beginning animals were put on earth to benefit man
i am not a very religious person thou but i do believe that
i am an auto tech and have seen results of deer strikes
we the people have taken most of these habitats away from all creatures
i am a hunter and fisherman however i do not like to take a sloppy shot i do not like to see any animals suffer
if you want to care for these creatures then tear your fancy houses down and give the animals back the land

One wonders if the people behind this movement are sentinent beings.

Mr. Russo says "we have to operate with the facts at hand, and the facts say there's a need to address."
but what residents need to know is that their facts are nothing but junk science and propaganda and anyone with half a brain is starting to ask questions and not just buying the baloney any longer. It's going to be hard for these public servants to rubber-stamp the continued dark ages plan. These decision makers are not giving their citizens the real facts because those that know the least obey the best.

Just a final comment for all the hunters responding to this story. What’s going on here is an attempt by a group of citizens to prevent hunting within Solon. We're not trying to ban hunting elsewhere, or take away your guns and crossbows, but we think voters should decide, not a handful of politicians. Solon hasn't allowed hunting for decades. The housing is just too dense. What's been a bad idea for over 30 years, is still a bad idea today. There are still plenty of hunting opportunities elsewhere, take advantage of those and let the people in Solon make up their own minds. We appreciate your offer to help us with the deer, but no thank you.

Incidentally, if you want to insist that hunting is a sport, the least you can do is meet the animal on equal terms. Try running down a deer or a bear and taking it down barehanded. Now THAT would make great reality TV! And, claiming that killing deer to save them from starving is like “fighting for peace” or, uhm........., well, you know, for chastity.

how the heck am I gonna eat the darn things if they don't let me kill em first?! makes no sense!

@JOHN:
Way to go, John. It is time for non-lethal solutions for the deer problem. Let's put our $$$$ there instead of killing................

Mr. Russo also said " he believes many of the people involved in the anti-hunting efforts are from outside of Solon."
#1... this isn't an anti-hunting effort. It IS a PRO non-lethal effort.
#2... count this Solonite in as involved. And I am not alone.
#3... this Solonite does have friends that don't live in Solon. Friends help friends.

Count me a friend who doesn't live in Solon who wants this situation to be helped by new thinking................

Oh, there is so much ignorance on here! First of all, I have lived in Solon for 20 years and also lived here as a kid before it was so built up. The deer are beautiful to watch in the wild, and I love seeing them in my yard. I am not so wild about them eating my stuff, but hey, they don't know any better!
"Hunting" involves any person who can legally obtain a permit wandering around with or without a proper knowledge of the lethal firearm they are carrying and with or without proper tactics to insure public safety. What Solon has done, and is proposing is NOT that. These people are trained sharpshooters, who are in elevated tree stands shooting down at the deer. If they miss, (which they rarely do as they have to track all ammo expended, etc) the bullet or arrow goes harmlessly into the ground. They are on larger pieces of property so that they are further away from homes. The bow/crossbow program was proposed at places like Grantwood and the landfill, where there are zero houses.
The city wasted a bunch of money on the stupid Steiter lights which are a JOKE! I have personally watched deer cross between them at night as the lights from my car were on them. Also, what about daylight wrecks?? And fencing? Are you serious? Deer jump over anything less than 8' tall. So, unless you want our city to look like a concentration camp, forget the fences.

Btw, I happen to think that most of what the current pols in Solon do is idiotic - the culling has been one of the few useful and intelligent things they have done!

I have lived in Solon 30 years, I have no deer problem, grow beautiful vegetables and flowers, and my yard looks nothing like a concentration camp. It merely takes a little effort, pre-planning and intelligence. The solutions are simple, the key is education.

And truth be told, I have few deer left.

A previous public records request produced the following response from Mr. Dave Hromko, Public Works: " The deer count was done by the animal warden, who jotted down some figures on a scrap paper then tossed them in the trash"
The initial aerial counts included all of Glenwillow. Inquiries to the pilot, at the Mayor Patton hand-selected Deer Management Committee, resulted in " Because I was told". Further delving, and administration responded with " It was easier to square off the area for count purposes".

Plus it artificially inflated the numbers.

As does including beyond the borders of neighboring cities. If we include these areas because our deer travel into their cities, then we should exclude an equal distance into our borders because their deer travel into ours. Or are we paying for their deer, also ?

As for "the trained sharpshooter"... he was nothing more than a government contracted mercenary. After paying a settlement in federal court, as did the city, he was forced to spend the final year of the contract on the ground, unarmed. Evidence exists he committed falsification, yet the city refused to prosecute. Too controversial, perhaps ? Or rather the city would then be forced to include all the costs associated with the case, including the many attorneys' fees, in the deer management program ?

Color me suspect. Being aware of the way things are handled, I seriously fear for my, my family and my neighbors safety. Nothing lethal, thank-you.

Ryan, The concept of sharpshooting is a misnomer and used more as a public relations concern than in being a true statement. In actuality, there is no 'sharpshooting' involved, just the baiting and killing of deer. A Cleve SWAT team officer reviewed video of White Buffalo shooting deer and concluded that it was not safe in any way and presented a safety concern to residents. As far as the Strieter Lites go, there is ample documented data proving that they are very effective unless of course they were set up to fail which is exactly what Solon did. If you are angry about having deer in our neighborhoods and the conflicts it has caused you need to direct your anger where it belongs - to the ODNR, Division of Wildlife. Hunting is on the decline. The DOW's paychecks come from the sales of hunting licenses and not the general fund. Their master plan was to create more hunting opportunites to sell more licenses. Urban hunting zones is just another way to retain and recruit hunters. The DOW goes from suburb to suburb selling their wares by demonizing the deer, using scare tactics and telling everyone that hunting is the only way to resolve the problem. The unsuspecting and gullible take their word as gospel. Guess you're one of the conned Ryan.

The next thing we know the deer are going to be given the rights of a citizen. Cull the deer and please use my back yard. Everyday there are 4-10 deer in my backyard.

June 30th????? What year???? Hey, WHAT MONTH????

This is an old article, the signatures were collected, verified and the issue WILL BE on the Nov 2011 ballot. Watch http://SolonDeer.org/ "What's New" page for the latest news. Council had missing reps in June and July and didn't discuss the topic, they may discuss it at Monday's Aug 1st mtg.

All, John is leading you to believe that you cannot continue this discussion and that you should go to a website where ignorance is bliss. John, if you truely care about the topic, then discuss it and educate others, don't spread informatation that is deceiving and is not factual. The comment wrt that Archers wound 50% of there animals is rediculous. The fact is Achers have more respect for deer more than most. Stick to the facts. Would you like for me to send 2 million archers to this site and destroy the debate? The answer is no, so why don't let the discussion continue.