Decorah Park Board agrees to "limited" deer hunt

The Decorah Parks & Recreation Board has given its approval to a "limited" hunt of deer on city park land.

Details of Monday night's resolution still remain to be worked out, as city officials will contact Iowa DNR officials to discuss the proposal to limit the bow hunt of deer to two weeks.

Monday night's resolution, which passed 3-1 with Park Board member Shirley Vermace voting "no," did not specify which parks would be opened to hunting, nor did it specify which two weeks the special bow hunting would be allowed.

City council member Chuck Lore had asked the Park Board to reconsider its earlier vote against opening park land to a deer hunt this year, saying "If you take all the parks out, there's not much use in having a hunt."

But Parks Board member Vermace argued against the hunt, asking "Without knowing the number of deer in the area, how are you going to know whether (the deer hunt) has been successful or not?"

Lore had suggested holding the deer hunt the last two weeks in September, but fellow city council member Steve Luse suggested Thanksgiving to Christmas.

It is the full Decorah City Council that will vote on the proposal, so city officials will try to work out the details by September 5th, when the city council next meets.