The Omena Woods Association Deer Management Program
For three years OWA has held a managed hunt to bring the Omena Woods deer population to a level that will allow the wildlife to co-exist with the native flora and fauna. The managed hunt began in 2021 and has reduced the deer population as well as providing venison for local food banks. In 2025 the hunt yielded 10 deer, six of which went to food security programs. Yields vary: 24 in 2024, 16 in 2023, 18 in 2022 and 12 deer in 2021. Read on to learn why and how OWA decided on a managed hunt to control the deer population.
To conduct the hunt, OWA coordinates with the Omena Hunting Group and the neighboring Smith Orchard. OHG manages the logistics of the harvest on OWA and Smith Orchard property.
The Environmental Issues that Drive the Deer Management Program
Without a hunt, deer would be overabundant on the Omena Woods Association property. Before the hunt they were overbrowsing the woods and severely deteriorating the health of our forest. An overabundance of deer result in an area that can’t regenerate effectively and can’t support the native flora and fauna of a typical forest understory. You can see the damage done to the understory in the accompanying photo.
In addressing this problem OWA consulted with Dan Schillinger, CFA to create a Forest Management Plan. His advice was to “Manage the deer herd to sustain ecosystem function” To read the details of Schillinger’s report, click here.
The Decision Making Process
Before settling on a managed hunt, the Board of Directors considered multiple deer management options and decided to conduct a managed hunt using local hunters from Omena. As reported, that has been a successful program and has helped feed local families.
