Managed Deer Hunt in Wildwood is Going Well

There are only two days each year that Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood is closed for all practical purposes except to deer hunters—Monday and Tuesday (today) are this year's hunt.

Managed deer hunts are held at Rockwoods Reservation to demonstrate that hunting can occur safely among residential areas and to help control the area's deer population, authorities said.

Missouri Department of Conservation resource assistant John Honse told Patch on Monday afternoon that eight to 10 deer had been shot. "The number of deer harvested this year already is higher than the last two years combined."

He said the last couple of years had been slim harvests, due to three main factors:  deer movement, hunters sticking out conditions and the actual weather—rain or coldness.

Honse thought seven deer total were shot last year for the annual hunt in the conservation area, and six deer total two years ago.

Hunters must physically check in with the reservation's employees, for safety reasons. Honse said hunters must shoot a doe (female) first, and then they can return to try for a buck (male) or a second doe.

Honse said some of the deer had been bedding in the reservation's picnic areas, where hunters can see, but not shoot, them.

"We, too, love wildlife, but we want to keep the deer herd here healthy. Without predators, such as wolves or coyotes, hunting helps return things to the natural order," he said.

See related article:  Should Managed Deer Hunts Occur in Rockwoods Conservation Areas