Efforts to control the deer hunt on historic Blennerhassett Island in Wood County will fall again to a group of select West Virginia hunters this fall.
The West Virginia DNR will stage the controlled hunt in the historic state park on November 1-3.
Deer numbers on the island tend to rapidly increase because there is no hunting allowed under normal circumstance. State Park and DNR officials monitor the numbers and use the controlled hunt as a mechanism to thin the herd when number rise above a manageable level. The last controlled hunt was staged in 2001 and 2002. Hunters killed 185 deer during the 2001 special hunt and 88-deer during the 02 special season. Since that time, the deer density has rebounded exponentially over the deer numbers on the mainland.
When those first hunts were staged, the deer numbers were exploding on the tiny island in the middle of the Ohio River. Biologist conducted a census and determined there were roughly 550 whitetails on 450 acres. That equates to nearly 800 deer per square mile. Biologists say those numbers aren’t quite that high this time around, but they are nearing a level of threatening the island’s ecosystem.
Hunters must apply for a lottery drawn permit to participate in the hunt. DNR officials indicate the interest in the hunt isn’t nearly as high as the previous years.
Hunters may choose to use a bow, muzzleloader, or shotgun with slugs. Since the towns of Parkersburg and Marietta, Ohio are literally only a few hundred yards away, high-powered rifles will not be allowed for safety reasons.
Each hunter is escorted to designated tree where they must place their own tree stand stay until hunt official comes to pick them up at the end of the day. Officials make periodic trips around the island during the course of the day to help anyone who may have bagged an animal.
August 31st is the deadline to apply for the drawing. Applications are available at any DNR district office or on line at www.wvdnr.gov
More than 40-hunters will be randomly selected to participate in the hunt. Since the goal is to thin the herd only antlerless deer can be killed. However, on each of the hunting days a drawing will be held for five lucky hunters who can take either sex. Any deer killed during this special hunt will not be counted against a hunter’s season bag limit.