By Monica Chen

mchen@heraldsun.com; 419-6636

DURHAM -- Hunters killed 86 deer in Duke Forest this fall in the third year the Office of the Duke Forest has allowed hunters to cull the burgeoning deer population.

The deer were taken from four divisions -- Durham, Korstian, Blackwood and Hillsboro -- and hunters were part of two pre-selected groups. No public hunting was allowed.

Marissa Hartzler, program coordinator for the Office of the Duke Forest, said the program was a little shorter this year to give visitors a chance to enjoy the area over the holidays.

Hunters were allowed from mid-September to last Friday, and the forest was only open Mondays and Thursdays to the hunters.

The forest is 11 square miles and spans Durham, Orange and Alamance counties.

The office allowed the Durham Division hunters only to hunt with a bow. In more rural Orange County divisions, they were allowed to use rifles.

In 2008, the program thinned the deer population by 75. Three years ago, in a pilot program intended to develop guidelines for safety, hunters killed 23 deer in about 21 days, according to Duke Forest Resource Manager Judson Edeburn.

Hartzler said they are "not sure what percentage, or the impact on the total population until [they] spotlight count them in the next few months."

At the start of the program, it was estimated that there were about 40 deer per square mile on average, with pockets up to 80. Healthy deer levels are 15 to 20 per square mile.

The program also has not been formalized as an annual event, Hartzler added.

"We will assess after population estimate is complete," she wrote in an e-mail. "The program will likely continue, although it very well could be in a scaled-back format as needed."