Why is Ohio spending $200,000 on refrigerated trailers for deer? The surprising plan could solve 3 growing problems at once

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is rolling out a new deer management strategy aimed at tackling several problems at once: rising deer numbers, crop damage, fewer hunters and growing demand for food assistance. The new program will use five refrigerated trailers to collect donated deer during the hunting season and help turn the venison into protein for Ohio residents facing food insecurity.

The initiative is modeled partly on a similar effort in Michigan, where refrigerated trailers are being used to make it easier for hunters, farmers and landowners to donate deer.

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Ohio will deploy five refrigerated deer trailers

Ohio is expected to receive five specialized refrigerated trailers costing about $200,000 in mid-September. The trailers are scheduled to be deployed during key hunting weekends beginning in mid-October.

Gary Comer, wildlife management supervisor for Wildlife District One, said the initial program will focus on deer harvested during the sport hunting season. However, he sees potential for the trailers to become another tool for dealing with agricultural crop damage.

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During the warmer months, refrigerated storage could be particularly useful when temperatures reach 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

“We're a little bit behind, but the concept is there,” Comer told Farm Progress, referring to Michigan's program.

Ohio DNR officials recently traveled to Michigan to learn how the state's program works and examine what lessons could be applied in Ohio.

Michigan's program shows how the idea can work

Michigan has already been testing the approach with seven refrigerated commercial-grade trailers measuring 6 by 12 feet.

Tom Weston with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said the state had collected 1,025 deer during the summer. Each donated deer can provide more than 160 servings of lean protein.

In Michigan, landowners can request that a refrigerated trailer be placed on their property for roughly a week. The units cool deer carcasses to about 33 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing the carcasses to be stacked safely.

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Each trailer can hold approximately 65 deer, and farmers and landowners are encouraged to work together to fill them. Ohio officials believe a similar system could help increase antlerless deer harvests in areas where deer numbers are particularly high.

“I do see Ohio — at least in some way, shape or form — following along as an additional tool for helping to reduce crop damage by reducing the antlerless population and offering a more balanced herd solution in high-density areas,” Comer said.

Why Ohio is looking for new ways to manage deer

One of the biggest challenges for wildlife managers is that hunter participation has declined, even as deer continue to affect farms, forests and other land uses. “Access and opportunity are also some of the biggest issues,” Comer said.

According to Comer, hunters currently harvest an average of only about 1.5 deer, partly because some hunters have limited ways to use or store additional venison.

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Ohio allows hunters to take one buck, while antlerless deer limits vary by county. Hunters can currently take as many as six antlerless deer under the state's regulations, although county-specific limits generally restrict the number that can be harvested in an individual county.

“Taking antlerless deer helps us make shifts in management,” Comer said.

The goal is to encourage more hunters and landowners to see additional deer harvest as beneficial rather than simply as another hunting opportunity.

Donated venison will help Ohio food banks

The refrigerated trailer program also has a humanitarian purpose. Ohio DNR works with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a faith-based organization that coordinates meat processors and fundraising for venison donations.

Ohio has also established a partnership with Ohio Penal Industries at the Pickaway Correctional Institution, where a USDA-inspected meat processing operation processes donated deer.

The pilot program last year was successful enough that officials expanded the number of dates and locations where hunters can donate carcasses.

“We partnered up with them to solicit [deer] donations, and we would haul the carcasses down there,” Comer said. “They would render it into usable protein, and then we worked with the Ohio Food Bank associations to do distribution of that.”

Deer donations will be tested for chronic wasting disease

Safety remains a key part of the program. Donated deer are individually tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). “If we have a positive test, they're discarded of properly, and it doesn’t go into the food bank or into the food chain,” Comer said.

Ohio officials also want donations to benefit communities close to where the deer were harvested whenever possible.

“I think that's important to the hunters to say, ‘Hey, I'm willing to do the extra mile, harvest the deer, field-dress the deer, deliver it, pay for the permit, but I want it to help my community, my backyard,’” Comer said.

When local needs are met, the Ohio Food Bank Association can use its distribution system to identify areas with the greatest need for protein and move venison to those communities.

Ohio sees the trailers as another wildlife management tool

The state's deer management strategy is increasingly focused on harvest data rather than setting a specific statewide population target.

Ohio's telecheck system allows hunters to report deer harvests by phone, online or through the Hunt Fish Ohio app, giving wildlife officials access to near-real-time harvest information.

Comer said declining hunter numbers mean Ohio cannot rely on traditional hunting pressure alone to manage deer populations.

“The days of when we have hundreds of thousands of hunters who would each take at least one deer are not there currently,” he said.

“It doesn't mean we should give up on hunters because they're still the No. 1 wildlife management tool. But programs like these are encouraging.”