Officials propose hunts at Eagle Creek Park

... Deer could be in hunters' cross hairs for the first time at Eagle Creek Park as early as November, should a plan put forth by Indianapolis park officials be approved. Scott Manning, spokesman for the city's Office of Sustainability, said officials are recommending the parks board approve a plan that would allow disabled war veterans to hunt deer inside the park ...

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/09/10/officials-propose-hunts-eagle-creek-park/15403353/

"wounded warrior hunt"... interesting idea.

Well, that was a big waste of time.

Jack, any idea how to sign up?

I thought so too HJ

Well, Corey, they are going through the Wounded Warrior Outdoors project via the VA. My guess is they will get about a dozen hunters and they will kill a few deer. The majority of the deer removed will be by the sharpshooters using night scopes and sound suppressors hunting at night. In the future the public may get a crack at it but right now that's all up in the air. Not a lot of details were provided.

http://woundedwarrioroutdoors.com/

Did you get your new VA card yet?

Jack

I drove through the park and had lunch in one of the picnic areas. You can see a visible browse line all through the park. Actually you can see a lot of deer standing in the road. You can get close enough to touch them in most cases. As we were going out we saw one of the maintenance trucks pull up to gated area near 71st street. Hanging out the back was a young doe that had been hit by a car. Even saw a pair of fawns with spots still on them. No bucks though. probably saw close to 70 deer in less than hour in the middle of the day.

They are numerous. Too many in fact. They really need to be thinned out. They are beautiful but I never saw a fat deer. They're eating anything in sight (except the Queen's Anne Lace). I can see a bow/crossbow hunt being easy to set up for Wounded Warriors. I hope they can do it.

Jack

Will they really be able to make a dent in the population using disabled hunters ?? I'm all for the WW guys going in, but be realistic here....Anyways they will STILL be using sharpshooters to kill the lions share it seems... using a urban bowhunt program is the way to go with a proficiency test before hand and make bowhunter ed mandatory....

Jeff, if they bait for a week or two before the hunt, they will have a very good chance of making a major dent in the population very quickly with limited number of hunters, maybe even more effectively then a bow hunt program.

Will they really be able to make a dent in the population using disabled hunters ?? I'm all for the WW guys going in, but be realistic here. If I was a moderator that would be the last post from Jeff Valovich

Yep...make the entire hunt a socialist event. :rolleyes: How about a little common sense??

Amen ....+1.....common sense is not so common now days!!!!!

Listen here you two, bowhunter ed/hunter ed is given preference at the State park reduction, I say it should be mandatory, but the state dosnt feel that way or they'd never fill the slots... ... When I set up the urban program at Beverly Shores, profeciency testing was mandatory and it worked out great.....I was also involved in Ohio at a Arboretum and gave classes on the hunt there where the shooting test was mandatory, it kept some clowns off the place that never should have been in the woods with their crappy equipment/dull BH's and lousy shooting skills....and yes a urban program or something similar to the park hunts IS the way to go after the WW vets get done instead of using sharpshooters.......

Yes it is given preference but not mandatory to take and just because you make people take a class to participate in something doesn't mean they are gonna go out and maintain proficiency in it either....

IMO I think the only reason the WW are getting first crack at this is is because no one who is against this hunt is gonna say something to bring themselves bad press... I don't care how they do it because I am not going to participate, but I agree that they should have a hunt to thin the herd...

This is new territory...not a state park. Since it is football season....I'll put it this way: You have to do what is necessary to move the chains.

FACT: Without bowhunter education, we would not have established bowhunting in state parks. After several years of positive results (and a snafu in a new application software), the state relaxed the bowhunter education requirement.

I'm not as well versed on the firearms hunts in state parks, but I believe hunter education was once a requirement on those hunts as well.

Your comment Paul about "move the chains" is the same that happened in the state parks. There was a progression in regard to the rules. First year the guys couldn't keep the antlers and they were upset over that, which was a foolish objection at the time. Often it's a progression, not an all or nothing.

Exactly! We either do what it takes to keep the chains moving...or we sit in stalemate. If a bowhunter education requirement is what it takes to get a foot in the door at Eagle Creek...that's what needs to happen.

To be clear to those reading...this opportunity does not interest me in the least. Just providing feedback based on past experience.

The Park Board votes today on the hunt for veterans and potentially for "professional" sharpshooters. Probably will pass is the word.

Indy parks board OKs deer hunting at Eagle Creek Park.

http://t.co/smYKFbnwif

$60,000 to shoot these deer. You really have to wonder about the fiscal responsibility of the Park Board and the City. The deer problem could have been solved with no cost and the $60,000 could have been put to much better use helping the underserved. Talk about irresponsibility.

It's easy to spend until it gone, that's when they'll look at numbers and then it's too late.

That is what happens when stupid people are allowed to make stupid decisions... :rolleyes:

I thought Bloomington's $30,000 was ridiculous. Wow!

On the way home from the store I had 5 deer walk across Reed Road just below 56th Street. No big hurry. Lots of traffic and it was 12:30 PM in the afternoon. Slight traffic jam but it could have been worse if I hadn't seen the first deer on the side of the road.