Everyone that has lived in the City long enough to have planted roses or a garden or trees or evergreen shrubs knows that you must protect new landscape plants from deer damage. Often damage begins the first night after planting. Deer are regularly hit on the streets within and around the City and some years six or more deer have been severely injured or killed by vehicles within the area of Sunfish Lake. That number has declined since the population management hunt was started.

The City of Sunfish Lake has held archery deer population management hunts for well over a decade including this fall. The hunt occurs in two parts, one part being done by members of the Metro Bowhunter Resource Base, Inc. (MBRB) and the second part by residents who demonstrate the same expert qualifications as MBRB hunters. For safety reasons, all hunting is done from elevated stands and only archery is allowed. All hunters must be in good standing with the MN DNR, have completed an archery safety course, and must pass the highest-level shooting accuracy proficiency test each year. The hunt each year is coordinated and monitored by a member of the West St. Paul police department. Hunt informational signs are put up near entry points prior to any hunting occurring.

The City Council approved this schedule for the deer population management hunt for 2026: 

 MBRB permitted hunt dates are as follows:

·         October 23-25, 2026

·         November 6-9, 2026

·         December 4-6, 2026 

Resident volunteer hunters may hunt deer during the entirety of the annual Minnesota deer archery season, but no hunting is allowed by the resident volunteer hunters on the following dates:

·         October 15-18, 2026 (MEA weekend)

·         October 23-25, 2026 (MBRB hunt dates)

·         October 31, 2026 (Halloween)

·         November 6-9, 2026 (MBRB hunt dates)

·         November 26-27, 2026 (Thanksgiving)

·         December 4-6, 2026 (MBRB hunt dates)

·         December 24-25, 2026 (Christmas)

Any deer harvested is utilized by that hunter or occasionally donated to a food shelf or similar organization. The Sunfish Lake deer population management hunt is not a “trophy” hunt, and while both bucks and does may be taken, all hunters are encouraged to harvest antlerless deer since that is more likely to maintain the population at a relatively stable number.

Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick.  An increase in the deer population may contribute to a rise in tick populations and, potentially, an increased risk of Lyme disease in the community.