Truro, NS – October 4, 2024 – The Truro of Truro is set to begin the annual Controlled Managed Hunt as work continues on the Town's Deer Management Strategy. The hunt program is expected to begin in mid-October and run through until December.
This will be the fourth hunt undertaken by the Town. Over the past three years, a total of 113 deer have been harvested through the hunt program.
"We continue to grow the program and build on best practices," stated Mayor Bill Mills, Town of Truro. "Our partners through this program have helped us do that, and we will continue to work with the Province (NS Department of Natural Resources and Renewables), Millbrook First Nation, Feed Nova Scotia, and Dalhousie University this year as well."
Similar to previous years, the Town of Truro is partnering with Feed Nova Scotia to have all meat harvested through this program donated to food banks throughout Nova Scotia.
The Town's program operates on as little waste as possible. As part of the program, all hides are donated to Millbrook First Nation. Other parts of the animal are used for Provincial and National research purposes through Dalhousie University and the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.
This year, Millbrook First Nation will once again manage several hunt sites and conduct land-based learning opportunities for community youth and other members to help preserve knowledge related to the ethical harvesting and processing of deer. Millbrook’s program will focus on demonstrating how to apply a field dressing, properly remove a deer, and tanning a deer hide. Several experienced harvesters from the community will mentor others during this program.
The purpose of the Town's Deer Management Strategy is to reduce the deer population numbers within the Town of Truro for the benefit of natural ecosystems, citizen landscapes, reducing Deer Vehicle Collisions (DVC's), public health concerns, the possible presence of deer predators, and an overall reduction of deer human conflict. While residents will need to learn to live with deer long-term, there are several measures that people can take to assist with deer management efforts in Truro and help to bring the urban deer population within a manageable number. The most important management tool for residents is to stop the feeding of deer within and around the Town.
Truro Town Council approved the Town’s Deer Management Strategy in September 2021. A copy is available on the Town's website.
The approved Deer Management Strategy sets overall goals for mitigating deer-human conflicts and highlights all elements of deer management throughout the Town. This includes management options at the individual level, in order to reduce conflicts to individual properties, public education options, as well as population reduction options. While individuals are encouraged to focus on measures on their own individual properties, the Town will focus on public education and population reduction measures (with oversight and guidance from Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables).
For more information on the Town’s Deer Management Strategy, residents are encouraged to visit: https://www.truro.ca/urban-deer-management.html
