Controlled Deer Hunts at Griffy Lake Nature Safeguard Forest Health, Plant Diversity

Bloomington, Ind.—The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department continues to actively manage Griffy Lake Nature Preserve for plant and habitat diversity. To that end, managed deer hunts are scheduled to take place at Griffy Lake over two weekends: Nov. 15 and 16, and Nov. 22 and 23. 

Only hunters who applied and were selected to participate in the hunt are permitted to hunt at Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. The nature preserve remains closed to public hunting. 

Griffy Lake Nature Preserve will be closed to the public during the deer hunt weekends beginning at 11 p.m. the Friday before the hunt through 5 a.m. the Monday after the hunt. The closure includes all trails and the entire lake. No shoreline fishing is permitted, and watercraft will not be permitted to launch onto Griffy Lake during the hunt weekends. 

The goal of the annual deer hunts is to remove enough deer from the nature preserve to reduce deer browse pressure on understory plants and seedling trees to the point that these native plant communities are able to recover and thrive within the preserve. 

Parks and Recreation has actively managed the deer population at Griffy Lake with sharpshoots or hunts since 2017. See deer harvest data, and plant height study results from Griffy Lake.

For the most up-to-date information, follow Parks and Recreation on Facebook or call 812-349-3700.

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