Griffy Lake will be closed Nov. 16-17 and Nov. 23-24 for a deer hunt.
Residents will not be able to hike, fish or boat.
The hunting weekends will not be open to the public. The hunt is limited to people who applied and were selected for permits.
Indiana DNR lists Griffy Lake as a deer reduction zone. The City’s Parks and Recreation Department holds a deer hunt to keep the deer population under control, and to maintain wildlife diversity.
“We do it for the plants,” said Steve Cotter, Natural Resources Manager. “We want the plants to survive so that all the other animals that rely on those plants can survive at the preserve as well.”
In previous years, the hunters have removed up to 62 deer.
Last year, White Buffalo — which manages the hunt — removed 33 deer.
Due to how quickly deer reproduce, Cotter said the annual culling is necessary to keep up with the population.
“We have seen some improvement in plant heights,” he said, “but we have no reason to believe that we won't need to continue to do it for the foreseeable future.”
This story has been updated.
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