Parks Canada and Caldwell First Nation will be conducting the second part of its annual deer cull requiring a short-term closure of the park in January 2026.
Deer cull operations at Point Pelee National Park are planned collaboratively by Parks Canada and Caldwell First Nation, based on ongoing monitoring of both the ecosystem and the deer population. These efforts are guided by the shared goals of restoring ecological balance and supporting food sustainability for Caldwell First Nation.
Public safety is of the utmost importance to Parks Canada and Caldwell First Nation. Point Pelee National Park will be closed to visitors between Friday, January 16 and Wednesday, January 21, 2026, inclusive, during the deer cull. The park will reopen on Thursday, January 22, 2026. This program is a follow-up to the previous deer cull that took place in the park in November 2025.
Parks Canada has been collaborating with Caldwell First Nation since 2015 to actively manage the deer population to protect the park’s sensitive ecosystems. This work supports Indigenous Stewardship, advancing reconciliation and supporting implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Through collaborative decision-making, Parks Canada and Caldwell First Nation are working together to support ecosystem health and balance by reducing the white-tailed deer population. The program includes many components such as ecosystem monitoring, deer population monitoring, species at risk protection, and ongoing research and collaboration.
The deer cull provides opportunities for Caldwell First Nation to mentor youth, strengthen traditional connections, and share knowledge and expertise with Parks Canada.
By supporting Indigenous-led stewardship, Parks Canada is recognizing and respecting deep cultural, spiritual, and ecological relationships with the land. The culling of deer provides nourishment, reinforces traditional practices, and strengthens community resilience.
Click here to learn more about hyperabundant species in Point Pelee National Park.
Does the park really need this cull. I’m outside the park a few kilometers. This week I see park trucks drive by with totes filled with appeals. They cry out destroying the Carolinian forest. But do people know seed has to be ingested to germinate. Kentucky coffee tree. I have a feeder in the bush a farmer lets me used. Corn , apples hat, and don’t forget the salt blocks. I get some pictures like this. We gotten pictures of coyotes taking apples. I agree the park can only sustain so many, but the deer migrate according to what they eat. What there body says it needs. You put feed out for birds , they come. The deer gather for a few reasons, food , safety and breeding. Fall is the time of year where the rut is and food changes and so does it availability. Crops come off , habitat changes. So much like the sno birds going to Florida in winter, the deer go to the park. I approached a shotgun season the same as west of the arbor town line but was shut down without discussion. A season for a few weeks would bring in revenue for the economy. A cull costs money. Not because I like to bow hunt I put in my time. As my years pass it’s more than harvesting a deer it’s approach nature and wildlife in a different way. No , I’m no against a cull, it could just be handled in a different way. Wildlife go to where there is food. Trying or making a season habitat just might shoe fake results