Shaker Heights City Council voted Monday to approve contracts totaling $112,340 for the city’s 2025–26 deer-management season, authorizing $81,000 for Precision Wildlife Management to conduct deer calling and $31,340 for White Buffalo Inc. to perform a one-night sterilization pilot.

Council approved the Precision Wildlife Management contract on suspension and adoption with all members voting aye. The White Buffalo contract passed on first reading and adoption; one councilor recorded an abstention on adoption. Commander Kohanski, who presented the request, said the combined approach of culling and sterilization is intended to provide both immediate and long-term reductions in deer numbers.

The contracts follow a multi-year program Shaker Heights began in 2016 after resident complaints about deer abundance. Commander Kohanski told council the city has used Precision Wildlife Management since 2018–19 and that recent resident questionnaires showed “over 70% of respondents describe the deer population in the city as abundant or over abundant,” with a similar share wanting to see a decrease. Kohanski said precision teams harvested a total of 90 deer across Shaker Heights and Beachwood in the 2024–25 season and that about 3,405 pounds of venison from past seasons were donated to the Cleveland Food Bank and the Geauga County Veterans Food Bank—an amount the presentation estimated could equal about 13,600 meals.

The White Buffalo contract covers a single-night sterilization mobilization and procedure. Kohanski said White Buffalo would sterilize 15–20 does in one night at a contracted cost of $31,340, itemized in the presentation as $20,847 for labor and $10,493 for mobilization. He said a regional mobilization fee of about $30,000 would be split among South Euclid, Beachwood and Shaker Heights for White Buffalo to respond to the area; Kohanski described sterilization as a complement to culling, explaining that sterilizing does reduces future births and helps reduce populations over time in dense areas.

Councilmembers asked about population estimates, communication with residents and volunteer/opt-in procedures. Councilmember Malone noted the difficulty of precise counts; Kohanski said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates are indirect—based on factors such as reported dead-deer pickups and resident survey responses—and said last year’s rough estimate was about 110 deer in the city, but he called that figure imprecise. On outreach, Kohanski said he and Director Maguire are preparing a communications plan, modeled on South Euclid’s materials, that will include an opt-out list so property owners who do not want White Buffalo on their property can be excluded. He added that sterilization is scheduled as a one-night operation and described it as “in and out 24 hours.”

The contracts were reviewed by several advisory bodies before council action. Kohanski said the Wildlife Task Force unanimously supported the request when presented August 13. The Safety and Public Works Committee approved it 4–1 on September 4, and the Finance Committee gave unanimous approval on September 13.

The contracts obligate Shaker Heights to pay $81,000 to Precision Wildlife Management and $31,340 to White Buffalo for the 2025–26 season; Beachwood is expected to split the Precision cost and to consider whether it will request White Buffalo sterilization nights separately. Kohanski said White Buffalo’s sterilization approach is recommended where calling is “challenging” and that combining culling with sterilization is required under a state-level rule referenced in the presentation but not cited by statute number.

Councilmembers discussed volunteer sign-ups and opt-in procedures for residents who want to support the sterilization effort; Kohanski said residents can email him to opt out or to volunteer, and he will maintain and provide lists to White Buffalo before operations.

Next steps: the city will finalize contracts, coordinate cost-sharing and scheduling with Beachwood and South Euclid, and implement a public communications plan ahead of the 2025–26 calling and sterilization season.