Quebec to cull nearly 300 deer in 2 national parks this winter

A deer is seen at the Michel-Chartrand Park in Longueuil, Que., Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. City officials have been facing criticism after saying that they will have to kill half the white-tailed deer living in a municipal green space as efforts to control their population haven't worked. (Paul Chiasson, The Canadian Press)

Quebec’s parks management agency (SEPAQ) plans to shoot 287 deer in parks south of Montreal as part of its plan to control animal populations and protect biodivesity.

SEPAQ (Société des établissements de plein air du Québec) said in a news release that to protect the natural ecosystems in the Mont-Saint-Bruno and Iles-de-Boucherville parks, the white-tailed deer must be culled, as it was last year.

“The population control operation carried out in 2023 in the two national parks was a success,” SEPAQ said in a new release. “It was carried out professionally and efficiently, with a constant concern for public safety.”

SEPAQ said that in 2023, the deer cull reduced the number of deer from 25 to 17 deer per square kilometre in Mount-Saint-Bruno park in Monteregie and from 37 to 17 in Iles-de-Boucherville between Montreal and the South Shore.

The ideal number of deer for proper vegetation regeneration, SEPAQ said, is five to 10 deer per square kilometre.

The 287 deer will be shot by “precision shooters” by the end of winter and given to local food banks in the Monteregie, SEPAQ said.

Last year, SEPAQ said 14,000 pounds of meat were distributed for meals at the food banks.

Visitors to the parks are urged to pay strict attention to signage and rules throughout the winter.

SEPAQ said excessive deer populations mean more risks of Lyme disease, road collisions and damage to neighbouring properties and crops.

The Quebec Environment Ministry (MELCCFP) is assisting in the operation.

“SEPAQ has a responsibility to act when the overabundance of a plant or animal species threatens the ecological balance of an ecosystem under its responsibility,” the agency said. “Monitoring of various indicators (deer density, vegetation, bird community) will be carried out over the next few years in order to measure the results that will result from the approach adopted.”

Other culls

Deer culls are scheduled to happen in the near future at three other parks in the Montreal area.

After a long legal battle, the City of Longueuil got its permit to go ahead with a deer cull at Michel Chartrand Park. The permit requires the cull to occur by mid-February.

Longueuil first applied to cull the exploding deer population in 2020, but faced strong backlash and legal challenges.

Montreal announced in April that the city would hire marksmen to deal with the white-tailed deer overpopulation in Pointe-aux-Prairies and Bois-d'Anjou parks on the east of the island.