"KCI deer-hunt tally falls below expectations"

Sunday, April 1, 2001

KCI deer-hunt tally falls below expectations
The Associated Press


Kansas City, Mo. — The monthlong managed hunt on and around Kansas City
International Airport grounds resulted in 72 deer being shot, fewer than
officials had hoped for.

The deer shoot conducted by the Kansas City Aviation Department and U.S.
Department of Agriculture's wildlife services division ended Thursday. It
was an effort to reduce the deer herd around the airport.

The hunt by USDA sharpshooters was done over the course of several evenings,
airport spokesman Joe McBride said. He said they'd hoped to kill 120 deer,
but those plans were hindered by unusually wet weather.

The hunt produced about 4,000 pounds of meat for local charities.

"The wet conditions that we experienced made it difficult to reach remote
locations of our property," said Robert Johnson, assistant manager of
operations at the airport. "And the windy conditions caused the deer to
retreat to the woods rather than the open fields."

Johnson said that the Aviation Department and the USDA would conduct surveys
during the spring and summer to determine whether more deer will need to be
shot in the fall.

Since the airport opened in 1972, aircraft have struck or nearly struck deer
on runways four times.

McBride said that since 1996 the animals have gotten onto the airfield 35
times, and there have been numerous instances of vehicles striking deer
along the airport's roads.

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