Ohio Division of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR the DNR!

Every year in late Sept., deer hunting season begins. It is my hope to reform our state-run hunters' club by bringing it into the 21st century. Let's reverse the trend of urban/suburban hunting and public parks slaughter -- under the guise of "nuisance control" -- perpetuated by profit-driven ODOW and the small minority who hunts. Let's usher in an Ohio Division of Wildlife that is by the people, for the people, and one that is:

- NOT comprised of a board of directors of all hunters, but ELECTED officials who have been vetted, and are equal stakeholders sworn to uphold the spirit of The Public Trust Doctrine: that "wildlife belongs to everyone;"

- NOT recruit biologists and game managers with hunting/trapping backgrounds, but 'best practice' non-lethal-minded ones who will not kill or recommend killing;

- NOT profit by over 50 percent annually off "maximum sustained yield" through deliberately maintained large, stable deer populations (aka" compensatory rebound effect") or cater to the six percent who hunt but, instead, be held to a new financial structure based on small increases in Ohio tax filing fees, monies collected from real wildlife "consumers:" park-goers, wildlife watchers, hikers, bird watchers (book and binocular purchases in Ohio and "hotspot" trips to migratory corridors, etc.), and other broad-based sources;

- NOT dispatch armed ODOW officers to constituents' homes or businesses to threaten, intimidate, or harass well-meaning, compassionate Ohioans to surrender rescue injured or orphaned deer, raccoons, etc. to be "euthanized" but, instead, work with Ohioans and others -- including legitimate, thoroughly vetted rehabbers -- who genuinely care about animals to find humane solutions to wildlife in dire need;

- NOT spread propaganda that killing deer helps "manage" their populations but, instead, educate Ohioans with recommendations for only non-lethal solutions for "nuisance" problems like landscape browsing, based on wildlife biology (i.e., killing actually perpetuates stable deer populations, rather than reducing them; deer browsing, trampling and feces are critically important to ecosystems, as they have been for five to 10 million years on N. American continent where deer and plants have co-evolved; and human fatalities related to deer-vehicle accidents have held steady, nationally, despite robust herds).

Ironically, Ohioans saw a spike in Deer-Vehicle Accidents (DVAs) concurrent with Ohio's most "successful" hunting season; they have correspondingly decreased with a decline in Ohio hunting. FIRST DAY OF HUNTING sees highest number of DVAs because frightened deer run away from hunters into roadways.

Ohio Division of Wildlife already admits that, since deer were reintroduced in Ohio in 1950 as a game species -- expressly to satisfy hunters and for profit -- the steady increase in hunting has paradoxically caused more suffering, harm, stress, and loss to Ohioans and native deer. Unfortunately, their only recommendation is more killing.

The time for reform is now.