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Deer Hunt Will Be Staged At Loch Raven Reservoir

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― For the first time, a deer hunt will be staged in the land surrounding Loch Raven Reservoir.  Baltimore owns the property and Public Works says too many deer are eating too much vegetation.

Alex DeMetrick reports the hunt could claim hundreds of deer.

The dam that holds back Loch Raven Reservoir helps provide water for two million Marylanders.  The land also provides an excellent home for deer.

Baltimore City, which owns the land, says deer are munching through critical vegetation, which could lead to erosion and sediment buildup, reducing the reservoir's capacity.  So hunters will be brought in and, for the first time, hundreds of deer will be culled at Loch Raven.

Deer Solutions Maryland thinks hunting is not the answer.  It believes contraceptives delivered by dart could help control the population and nature will eventually reduce the numbers.  Repeated hunts might actually grow it.

Just this past winter, more than 60 deer were killed on the Goucher College campus to bring the herd size down.  Even though new trees are protected at Loch Raven, managers say they can't plant enough to keep up with the deer.

Bow hunting will start next month and run through January.

A public hearing addressing the upcoming hunt will be held this Thursday at 7 p.m. at Loch Raven High School.

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