McCormick's Creek one of 14 state parks to close for deer hunts

Only individual hunters whose names were drawn in a lottery this past September and those hunters they listed on their applications may participate in the hunts. There will be no standby drawings this year.

Brown County and Spring Mill state parks will not participate in the deer reduction hunts this year. Other state parks that will participate are Clifty Falls, Fort Harrison, Harmonie, Lincoln, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Prophetstown, Shades, Shakamak, Tippecanoe River, Turkey Run and Whitewater Memorial.

In 2014, there were 18 state parks and one state natural area, Cave River Valley State Natural Area, included in the deer reduction hunts. The decision to have the reduction hunts at individual parks is based on scientific vegetation monitoring at the parks. Biologists evaluate which parks require a reduction each year based on habitat recovery and previous harvest rates of deer at each park. The reduction hunts help reduce the browsing by deer of rare, threatened and endangered flora within the state parks, which are home to more than 32 state-endangered plants.

According to a report by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on the 2014 state park deer reduction hunts, deer are still thriving in the parks where the hunts have occurred.