HVL Deer Reduction Put On Hold By Complaints

(Hidden Valley, Ind.) – An effort to reduce the number of deer swarming Hidden Valley could be ended prematurely.

A permit had been issued to the Hidden Valley Property Owners Association to allow a deer cull to continue until March 20, beyond the regular deer hunting season. The cull has allowed properly permitted bow hunters to take unantlered deer in designated wooded areas of the neighborhood.

The method has had its critics, some of whom filed paperwork this month with the Indiana Natural Resources Commission triggering a stay on the cull. Hidden Valley residents Darryl and Ashley Howe and fellow resident Carol Schwegel filed requests for review on January 9 and 11, respectively.

With the filings, a statutory requirement to suspend the cull for 15 days went into effect, said Natural Resources Commission Administrative Law Judge Sandra Jensen.

Schwegel stated the cull is affecting property values in Hidden Valley.

“Once families learn that hunting is taking place in the private green spaces some of which contain playgrounds, picnic areas and hiking trails, they no longer feel that it is a safe and secure place to raise a family,” Schwegel said.

In their complaint, the Howes argue that similar culls conducted in 2010 and 2011 were effective in reducing the herd by 280 deer since 2010.

“If the basis for issuing the permit included the 3.5 year old Woodland Stewardship Plan, an undated, and possibly outdated memo from a resident, and a herd count based on the infrared fly-over which has a significant amount of deer located outside of our community, we believe the permit should be rescinded, and not re-issued until you receive updated information as to the actual count of the herd within the community,” Darryl Howe wrote.

But other residents have claimed the rampant deer population isn’t doing property values any favors either. Complaints received by the Hidden Valley Deer Task Force included residents’ plants and landscaping are being ruined, a jogger was once chased by a buck, a small dog was trampled to death by aggressive deer, and “deer poop is very abundant and of serious health issue.”

The Howe and Schwegel cases have been consolidated. A hearing with all parties will be held Tuesday, January 31 at the Natural Resources Commission’s state office in Indianapolis.

Jensen said she plans to issue a decision to either allow the cull to continue or rescind the permit by the following day, February 1.

Since the culling began December 3, hunters have taken 33 deer according to Hidden Valley property manager Bruce Keller. The property owners association had hoped to reduce the herd by 125 to 150 deer.

An estimated 260 deer were living in the 2.45 square mile area according to a count performed last year by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The DNR recommends a heard of about 50 deer in Hidden Valley.

LINKS:

HVL Bow Hunters Struggling To Reduce Herd