Whitehall considers allowing residents to hunt deer, citing overpopulation

WHITEHALL, Ohio (WCMH) – When a Whitehall resident had a deer get stuck in the fence separating their property from City Councilmember Lori Elmore’s, they asked the legislator to step in. 

Elmore said she had to call the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and that the fence eventually had to be destroyed to free the animal. The incident, paired with numerous complaints from residents about an overpopulation of white-tailed deer, sparked Elmore to introduce a nuisance deer management ordinance, which would allow residents to apply for licenses and hunt white-tailed deer with various archery weapons.

Deer are native to Ohio and can be found in all 88 counties. According to the state DNR, white-tailed deer provided food for generations of Indigenous Americans but faced unregulated hunting and habitat destruction when the state was colonized. From 1904 into the 1920s, deer were practically nonexistent in Ohio but have since returned and become a wildlife staple.

Elmore has consulted with Whitehall City Attorney Brad Nicodemus, and together they have ensured the legislation aligns with city and state laws. Nicodemus said other municipalities have established successful deer maintenance programs, and they based this draft legislation on those.

Under the ordinance, Whitehall residents could receive a permit to hunt the deer from the chief of police. Hunting would only be permitted on land that stretches at least five acres without being interrupted by a roadway, with land owners’ permission. Licensed hunters must be at least 18 and would only be allowed to hunt from a fixed position at least 8 feet above the ground. Residents would only be allowed to hunt with a bow and arrow, longbow, compound bow or crossbow. 

Not all Whitehall residents are convinced. During the final council meeting of the year, many passionate community members spoke about a possible investigation into the Whitehall Division of Police. The other emerging concern among speakers was the deer.

Resident Jim Graham, who was formerly president of city council raised questions about the reasons behind the legislation, arguing deer eating peoples' plants wasn't a good enough reason to arm residents.

He said everybody has to eat, and the deer are no different. Graham also argued many residents thought raccoons were the true issue, adding any wild animal can be a nuisance or a hazard. He said among the wildlife in Whitehall, the deer add plenty to the city.

“Yes, they are a nuisance when they eat your flowers and what have you, but I think the deer actually create a safer street, because anybody that drives down Fairway Boulevard, except for the fools, they watch out for the deer and they don’t speed," Graham said.

Other residents said the city should be keeping weapons off the street, even bows and arrows. According to the ODNR, hunters in Franklin County killed 794 deer in 2023, 65.6% of which were killed by a crossbow or longbow. In Ohio generally, about half of the deer hunted in 2023 were killed by archers.

Whitehall City Council held its first reading of the ordinance on Dec. 17, and will revisit deliberations when they resume meetings in 2025. Council has not yet published its January meeting dates, but they typically meet the first and third Tuesday of each month.