The D.N.R. will start killing deer at Brunet Island State Park near Cornell because the herd is too large.

The D.N.R. will try to kill between 30 and 40 deer between now and March. D.N.R. sharpshooters will hunt the deer early in the morning to limit the impact on park visitors.
The D.N.R. says hunters during the gun and archery seasons just aren't keeping up with the herd's growth on the island.

“It's a severe problem,” says D.N.R. Public Affairs Manager Dave Weitz. “There is hunting in the park. There's been hunting in the park for a number of years, but the number of deer killed during the deer season isn't sufficient to bring down the deer population.”

The D.N.R. says deer are damaging the park's vegetation and are virtually eliminating some flowering plants. Weitz says the D.N.R. will pay to process up to 30 deer killed in the hunt and donate the venison to local food pantries.