Last weekend, a large portion of Island Center Forest closed for a hunting season that will extend through the rest of the month. While we’re open to the idea of deer hunting at the forest, we’re also concerned when we look at the results of last year’s hunt, when very few Vashon residents hunted at the forest and few deer were taken. This season marks the second year of a five-year pilot project by King County to determine if hunting makes sense at this popular forest. So far, at least, it seems that it doesn’t.

When the county initiated a limited deer hunt at Island Center Forest two years ago, many raised concerns. A centrally located, 360-acre expanse with nine miles of well-maintained trails, Island Center Forest is arguably one of the best and most popular spots on the island for hiking, cycling and horseback riding. It’s also bordered by residences, prompting worries among homeowners about hunting season.

But, as county officials pointed out, hunting has historically occurred at the site and it’s the last public land on Vashon where it could be allowed. What’s more, the hunt could help control Vashon’s unhealthily large deer population. The county moved forward, and in October of 2011, 61 people registered to hunt at Island Center Forest and eight deer were harvested. Only six of the hunters, however, were from Vashon. Last fall, the hunt drew 38 registered hunters, seven of whom were from Vashon, and just four deer were taken. The bulk of the hunters last year, as it turns out, were from Pierce County.

So far it seems as though we’re closing a beloved Vashon forest, one supported by King County tax dollars, so that hunters from Pierce County can use it. We’ve heard from locals that the dense forest actually isn’t ideal for hunting, as deer prefer to browse in more open areas, and so far it seems that’s true. The harvesting of a handful of bucks will have little impact on their population here.

In many ways, October, sandwiched between the busy summer months and the cold winter ones, would be an ideal time for many islanders to take advantage of the warren of trails at Island Center Forest. In recent years, King County as well as the Vashon land trust and other local volunteers have gone to great lengths to make the forest even more appealing to users, restoring some areas, adding trail signs and even installing an impressive picnic shelter.

We’re glad that the county is once again keeping the 40-acre Gateway and 81-acre Natural Area properties on the eastern portion of Island Center Forest closed to hunting and open for recreational use, but we suspect many will still steer clear of the whole area while hunting occurs nearby. Unless more locals take advantage of this hunt, or more deer are harvested, we think the county should consider returning this valuable place to islanders.