State, Winnebago County disagree on deer culling

ROCKFORD — An Illinois Department of Natural Resources program to cull deer in Winnebago County forest preserves has caused a disagreement between state and local officials.

The department would like their sharpshooters to cull deer in the northern Illinois county as part of an effort to curb the spread of chronic-wasting disease. But county officials decided in January to put the program on a one-year hiatus. It’s a move department regional wildlife biologist Tom Beissel wants the county to reverse.

“Overall prevalence rates continue to remain low, and we are confident we have slowed the spread of the disease,” Beissel said in a message to the district, the Rockford Register Star reports. “The loss of IDNR access to your properties could severely compromise this success and rapidly reverse these trends.”

Sharpshooters killed 268 deer in Winnebago County forest preserves since 2004. Of those deer, three tested positive for chronic-wasting disease.

County Commissioner Audrey Johnson proposed the one-year sharpshooting moratorium.

“Are we really doing what is right for the deer population when these healthy deer are killed and our herds are really diminishing?” Johnson said.

The program’s main goal is to reduce deer density in areas like Winnebago County where infected deer are known to live, Beissel said.

Winnebago County commissioners will consider Beissel’s request at their Feb. 15 meeting, but chairman Randy Olson said they aren’t likely to reverse their decision.