Deer Herd Reduced At Darien-Area Preserve

DARIEN, IL — Deer from the Oldfield Oaks Forest Preserve are making their way into Darien neighborhoods, an indication of overpopulation, officials said this week.

In late October, residents in the Tara Hill subdivision received letters from the DuPage County Forest Preserve District that it planned to reduce a portion of the deer herd in the park.

Based on research, a healthy deer population in an area like DuPage County is 20 per square mile, but Oldfield Oaks' is 191 per square mile, Erik Neidy, the district's natural resources director, said in an email Tuesday to Patch. In early November, he said, the district received state permits to remove animals from Oldfield Oaks.

"We have completed these removals and are done for the season in this preserve," Neidy said. "We will continue to monitor for vegetation damage in 2021 as well plan to continue aerial counts to maintain accurate population estimates. Depending on the results of this information, we may or may not recommend working in Oldfield Oaks again in 2021."

In the letter, residents were alerted that they may hear "isolated gunfire" within the preserve from one hour after sunset until one hour after sunrise, when it is closed.

At Monday's Darien City Council meeting, Ward 5 Alderwoman Mary Sullivan said residents told her about the letter. The residents "were just concerned and questioned why that needed to be done," Sullivan said. "I explained that it was a forest preserve decision, not a city decision."

Dan Gombac, the city's municipal services director, told the council that such a culling of the herd took place about a dozen years ago.

"We've seen situations where some of the deer get into neighborhoods, and unfortunately, we have removed deer that impaled themselves on fences, believe it or not," Gombac said. "When they start to mate, it can really get out of hand."

Sullivan agreed that deer are seen in town.

"There's a lot of them. They're definitely making their way down the street all the time and definitely a bit out of sorts," she said. "They're leaving the forest preserve and milling about, obviously looking for food.