More than 1,300 hunters are expected to participate in the annual Savannah River Site Deer Hunt program, according to press release.
For the general public, hunts will be on Saturdays, from November through December. The Mobility Impaired and Wounded Warriors Hunt will be held Oct. 16.
The hunter selection process is based on a lottery system and members of the public interested in participating can apply at www.srs.gov/general/deer_hunt/hunt.htm.
Applications for the standers hunt must be submitted by July 31. For the Mobility Impaired and Wounded Warriors Hunt, applications are due by Sept. 15.
The program is managed by the SRS management and operations contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.
The mission of the SRS deer-control activities is to conduct a harvest intended to lower the incidence of animal-vehicle collisions on the site and reduce feral hog damage to valuable plant communities, timber plantations and ecological research sites, according to the press release.
Deer-hunt manager Joe Solesby added that safety and security are always a top priorities at SRS. Auditors are placed throughout the hunting area to ensure the safety of the participants and support staff.
"We're pleased to have offered this opportunity to thousands of hunters over the years," Solesby said. "It's especially rewarding for our military veterans, wounded warriors and mobility-impaired hunters. We're honored to offer a way to say 'thank you' for their service in a way that is highly meaningful to our veterans and, at the same time, offer a hunt for those who love the sport, yet cannot participate without physical assistance."
Since 1965, SRS has provided optimal deer hunt opportunities for thousands of sportsmen. The site has over 150,000 acres of land on which the annual deer hunts are conducted. Harvesting deer has proven to be the safest and most effective manner to control the SRS deer population.
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.