Managed Hunt Season on its Way

Howard County's deer management hunt program is set to begin next month and continue throughout late winter.

According to the Department of Recreation and Parks, the program, which was started in 1998, has led to increased biodiversity and abundance of plants in parks where managed hunts have taken place.

Controlling deer populations also lessens the chances that deer will deplete their food sources and wander farther into cities and towns, or starve to death.

During the managed hunt program, screened hunters are allowed to use shotguns and bows in selected parks between dawn and noon for hunting white-tailed deer. During hunting times, the parks will be closed for other uses.

The Department of Recreation and Parks also has a sharpshooting program in which marksmen use precise, quite firearms at night in areas that are not a part of the managed hunt.

As part of management, the Department also hosts a Wounded Veteran Managed Deer Hunt on Dec. 13 and 14 at West Friendship park. This event will be open to recovering soldiers. Registration is required. For more information or to register for the Wounded Veterans hunt, contact Kevin Vest, Program Coordinator, at ksvest@howardcountymd.gov.

Management is about more than hunting, however. It's also about learning to live with our white-tailed neighbors. The Department also offers a Deer Management Reference Manual at all county library branches. It discusses deer repellents, fencing options, safety tips for driving in heavily populated areas and ways to guard against Lyme Disease.

And if homeowners associations would like to get involved, The Department of Recreation & Parks and the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service can organize presentations and speak to people about what options are best and available.

The managed hunt schedule is as follows:

Alpha Ridge Park: Bow & Shotgun -- November 16; January 4; February 3

Blandair Park: Bow Hunting -- October 12; October 26; November 9; November 23; February 2     

David Force Park: Bow & Shotgun -- October 14; October 28; November 18; December 9; January 19

High Ridge Park: Shotgun Hunting -- October 19; November 3; November 17; December 15

Middle Patuxent Environmental Area: Bow & Shotgun -- October 21; November 4; November 11; December 16; January 6; January 20; February 10

Schooley Mill Park:  Shotgun Hunting -- November 10; December 8; December 22; January 5