January 15, 2020 – West Bend, WI – Sharpshooters will be conducting a managed hunt in the coming weeks at Lac Lawrann Conservancy and Ridge Run Park in West Bend in an effort to better manage the growing population of deer in the City.
This is the third such hunt since a Deer Management Committee was formed in 2017.
The City of West Bend allowed a managed hunt for two years. The first effort in 2018 was coordinated in house and included three bow hunters who had to pass a marksmanship test to qualify to take part. Hunters spent five days in the park and shot a total of three deer.
The Deer Management group and West Bend Common Council followed up with a more aggressive plan in 2019 and hired sharpshooters in an effort to trim the herd by 60 at Ridge Run Park and Lac Lawrann Conservancy.
Sharpshooters totaled 56 deer in 2019 and are looking to trim the herd by an equal amount or better this year.
District 1 alderman John Butschlick is part of the Deer Management Committee.
“The sharpshooters will conduct the managed hunt in January and February,” he said.
Some neighbors have already voiced their concern saying they felt the number of deer in the City has dramatically declined. Butschlick said that’s not the information they’ve received.
“They did a drone search of the parks and I was shocked at the number of deer they found at Lac Lawrann,” he said. “Three or four weeks ago hunters spotted 150 deer.”
This past year Bicentennial Park and its deer population was also discussed.  Butschlick said the deer are extremely heavy on 18th Avenue especially near Miller Street and Hilltop Drive. “The deer trails in that area are just like runways,” he said.
The City applied for a $5,000 Urban Wildlife Damage Abatement and Control grant to help offset the expense which totaled a little more than $9,000.
Butschlick said the paperwork has already been filed and with advisement from the DNR he hopes to secure the grant to cover the cost of the 2020 managed hunt.
The city is targeting a reduction in deer numbers to reduce deer damage to habitat, property and car/deer collisions.
How do we get some of the deer meat? We live near there and see the nice deer. Almost hit some weekly on Rolf’s. No deer where my husband hunts,this year, but plenty near by.
Leave the poor deer alone.
I do not know who operated the drone that came up with a deer count of 150 in Lac Lawrann but that is a colossal overstatement. I live right on the property line and walk 3 – 6 miles each day in the park. I know where and when the deer move, and the number. No where near 150. I am not a tree hugger that is vehemently opposed to the killing of animals. I hunt myself, (50 years including guiding in northern Wisconsin), eat venison which I butcher and grind knowing it is healthier and more natural than anything you can purchase in a supermarket including all the vegan options which are surprisingly just as polluted as everything in our food chain but that’s a whole different story. The bow hunters the first time around were a joke. I could have shot 30 deer from my sons bedroom window with a crossbow. The professional hunters last winter did their job and drastically reduced the number of deer in the park. Why the city would pay them to shoot another 30 day is beyond me. If they do shoot 30 there will be near to none left. That being said the deer on the adjacent private property will breed, multiply, and increase in number rapidly repopulating the park. Save our tax dollars, stop the camp ground owner from shooting coyotes who naturally reduce the number of deer, and let nature take it’s course. And you folks who don’t like the coyotes because you have cats and dogs. Don’t let your cats run free because they kill millions of songbirds for no reason other than to kill! And leash or fence your dog because it is the law and keeps them safe.
This is what taxpayer money is going towards? We can’t fix the roads to make them safe but we can spend money destroying beautiful nature? Are these people who are wanting to kill off deer the same ones who are pro life? Guess it’s a selective thing that hypocrites do. SMH
I totally agree with Ralph, I live right alongside the Conservancy as well. I find it hard to believe there could possibly be 150 deer in there, and he’s correct they will just reproduce and populate the park again.
Save our tax money, spend it elsewhere.
Deborah – agree 100%!
Really? You are comparing animals to humans? Human life is far more important than any animal, always. To think that animals are on the same level as your own family members is ludacris.
If the population is that high, why not have a special hunt, make hunters qualify and sell tags, instead of paying people to kill deer. communities that do this generate funds to offset the resources used fo qualifying and posting the parks, and often there is a waiting list, because so many hunters want park tags. Some places do this on private property inside city limits as well, for Example many years Rhinelander property owners can hunt in their city yard with the proper permit and qualifying with the police department. I think its a gross waste of funds to pay people to do this when may will pay to do it. Another example of why taxes are high in West Bend, Spend everyone else’s money because “well its not my money may a well waste it”
I live on 18th , very close to Miller and Hilltop is directly behind me. I see the deer at least twice a week. Since the last sharp shooting extravaganza, there are approximately 5 deer that I see regularly, the rest are gone. There are woods all along their route. The road they cross has a 25mph speed zone. Enforce the speed limit and leave the deer alone!
Its easy to say they spotted 150 deer where is the proof. I live adjacent to lac lawran and the deer population has dropped significally.I use to see deer on a regulzr basis this is no longer the situation. Somebody is playing with the numbers or double counting animals.In that area how many car deer accidents have there been what are the numbers on adjacent roads.I really would like to know what kind of relationship the alderman has with the so called sharpshooter who is filling who’s pockets.Maybe we the citzens need to drain the swamps and not of deer.I bowhunt my property in the town of trenton and i can tell you first hand thdeer numbers are greatly exaggerated.