Mill Creek MetroParks requests to kill more deer

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – An official with Mill Creek MetroParks has asked the Ohio Division of Wildlife for permission to kill more deer over the next five months to help with forest regeneration in Mill Creek Park, Huntington Woods, and Hitchcock Woods.

The request is to kill 75 more deer between Oct. 7 of this year and March 31, 2025. It would be done in the Boardman section of Mill Creek Park between Route 224 and Midlothian Boulevard.

Mill Creek MetroParks Natural Resources Manager Nick Derico sent the deer management request proposal to the Division of Wildlife on Sept. 6, referencing ecological assessments and area mapping.

The proposal requests that 75 white-tailed deer be killed and the meat sent to Keller Meats in Litchfield, Ohio to be processed. After the meat is processed, they plan to give it to the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.

The proposal says that an overabundance of white-tailed deer has negatively affected forest regeneration in Mill Creek MetroParks, which risks its long-term sustainability.

Mill Creek has evaluated the current conditions in certain plots of land. Their objective is to then track the changes as a result of the proposed deer management plan.

The full proposal and data collection is available below.

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