PHOTO #1: Cautionary signs will be placed around the perimeter of Riverside Park during an overnight youth hunting program Dec. 10-12.
PHOTO #2: This map shows the area of Riverside Park that will be closed during an overnight youth hunting program Dec. 10-12. Barricades, warning sign and red caution tape will be placed along the boundary.
Riverside Park will be closed to the public from 5 p.m. Dec. 10 to noon Dec. 12 as Parks & Recreation and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department host a Texas Youth Hunting Program deer and hog hunt.
Parks & Recreation will barricade roads and walkways leading into the park and will use red caution tape to block surrounding areas. Signs will be placed in the area to alert residents to the closure.
The Children’s Park, Riverside RV Park, The PumpHouse Riverside Restaurant and Bar, The Texas Zoo and Evergreen Cemetery will remain open.
Each of the six participants will be supervised at all times by a guardian and a Texas Parks & Wildlife official, who will help the participants to ensure that each shot is safe, legal and ethical and does not pose a danger to the area outside the boundary.
Hosting the hunt in Riverside Park helps to make it accessible to youth who might not otherwise have access to hunting opportunities. The program includes lessons on conservation, survival skills and dressing game as well as overnight camping in Riverside Park.
Population control is part of conservation
The deer population in Riverside Park has been steadily increasing for years, which puts the deer at an increased risk for diseases and causes their habitat to be degraded, decreasing the amount of forage available for the animals. In addition, a high population of deer in an urban area can lead to safety problems such as traffic collisions.
Texas Parks & Wildlife recommends letting each participant harvest no more than three does and one buck. This limit will help to address overpopulation and maintain a healthy-sized deer population within the park.
Participants will be allowed to harvest an unlimited number of hogs, which are an invasive species.
For more information about Parks & Recreation, call 361-485-3200, email parks@victoriatx.gov or follow Victoria Parks and Recreation on Facebook.