OHIO COUNTY, W.Va. (WTRF) — The urban deer culling at Oglebay Park is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 6. Hunters will be in the park on the 6,7,8 beginning 30 minutes before sunrise and ending 30 minutes after sunset each scheduled day.

The much-debated hunt comes after Ohio County Circuit Court Judge Jason Cuomo granted a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against Oglebay Park, The Oglebay Park Foundation Inc., and the Wheeling Park Foundation to stop the scheduled deer culling.

The lawsuit was filed by 13 residents from Ohio and Marshall counties who argued that the defendants lied about statistics from the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.

On October 20, Judge Cuomo granted the dismissal, citing that the complainants did not have ownership of the deer in question and that any petition to stop the culling would have to be filed by the WVDNR.

The hunt is a limited-purpose bow hunt, and each archer was chosen based on a lottery system. Each archer will be assigned a specific zone each day, which will be closed to the public during the culling.

According to Oglebay Park, the locations for the hunt include, but are not limited to:

  • Serpentine Trail
  • Jones Golf Course – Back 9
  • Jones Golf Course – Front 9
  • Jones Farm
  • Hardwood Trail A
  • Hardwood Trail B
  • Thoreau Trail
  • Roosevelt Trail
  • Palmer Golf Course

Hunters are not permitted to pursue injured deer onto another’s private property without first obtaining permission from the owner. Hunters are not allowed to fire their bows after they leave their designated hunting area.

If a wounded deer is found outside of the zone, the hunter must contact the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office and identify themself as a participant in the Limited Purpose Bow Hunt, and request assistance from the police department in retrieving the deer.

If a private property owner does not permit archers to enter their property, they can also call the sheriff’s office at 304-234-3680 for assistance in removing the deer.

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