Watford City’s first deer hunt comes to an end
Kristen Jones
Farmer Staff Writer
At sunset on January 31, the first bow hunt to take place within Watford City limits quietly came to an end. Despite the variety of public opinions shared during the initial discussions about the deer hunt, 25 deer were harvested within city limits. The purpose of the hunt, according to city officials, was to curb the local deer population, which has seen record growth in recent years.
The city has been seeking ways to handle the ever-growing deer population, and having a city bow hunt was one of the things state officials suggested first. According to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF), similar hunts around the state have been met with success, so city officials used similar programs to help guide the creation of this hunt. It was initially suggested by NDGF that the city issue 30 deer tags for the harvest of antlerless deer. The Watford City Council voted to increase that number to 50 to ensure that the hunt would have a noticeable effect on the deer population.