Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said he's opposed to at least one proposal to limit the city of Bloomington's deer population.
A task force convened to discuss ways to limit interactions between Bloomingtonians and deer within city limits has a few options it could eventually present to the city council: For instance, animal control officers could attempt to segregate the deer -- either within the city or by some catch and release method -- or the city could hire sharpshooters to simply thin the herd.
"I want to make it clear -- I absolutely oppose [the idea of sharpshooters]," Kruzan said on WFIU's "Ask the Mayor". "I can't tell you how strongly I oppose it. But I don't think it's far-fetched to believe that it could happen."
Mayor Mark Kruzan said the proposal, mentioned by city council member Dave Rollo and others, is one that's been adopted in other locales. It could allow citizens to hunt deer -- usually with no more than a bow and arrow -- within certain areas in the city. But Kruzan said replacing deer with weapons in neighborhoods is a non-starter, as far as he's concerned.
"I think it obviously brings up all the safety issues," he said. "But I think there's also, in part, an emotional and a psychological issue to this. We're going to be killing animals in our front yards. I just find that changes the character of an urban setting."
Bloomington's Urban Deer Task Force is expected to offer a proposed solution to the issue by September.