Trained federal wildlife professionals will begin hunting deer in a handful of Worthington parks and some private properties in January.
Worthington City Council approved the effort to reduce the city's deer population at the beginning of this year.
The city's Deer Task Force, established in November 2023, found that residents worried about deer-vehicle collisions, property damage and aggressive deer. Almost 92% of respondents to a 2024 survey said they saw deer daily or weekly, and 63% reported property damage or expenses from deer in the past three years.
Markspeople from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - Wildlife Services will shoot deer with firearms equipped with noise suppressors and special ammunition designed to disintegrate on impact. They'll be out after dark, when parks are closed.
Deer removal may begin as early as Jan. 1, and is set to continue on weeknights, weather depending, through the end of February or into early March.
Worthington residents and businesses could volunteer to allow federal staff to shoot deer on their properties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved 22 private properties that met criteria for deer removal. Worthington said those living near the approved sites will be notified by mail.
Deer removal will also take place at the following city parks and properties:
- Huntley Bowl Park
- East Granville Park
- Park Boulevard Park
- Linworth Park
- Perry Park
- Olentangy Parklands and John Galipault Field
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
- South Field
- The Flats
Federal staff will be accompanied by Worthington police and will shoot deer from raised platforms or toward backstops created by terrain or elevation.
The venison from harvested deer will be processed and donated to local food pantries.
Worthington plans to continue to track its deer population. In late 2024, the Deer Task Force recommended that city council create an archery hunting program to keep the population down in the future, but council members have not done so yet.
