For about 30 years, volunteers have hunted at Mecklenburg County nature preserves to manage the deer population. 

It’s not recreation. It’s a science-based stewardship of local wildlife and the environment. 

“We’re taking a biological approach to this,” said Christa Rogers, natural resources manager for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation. “We’re making the deer population healthier and making the vegetation and plant population healthier.”