Bloomington, Indiana – A walk through Griffy Lake’s woods or a quiet afternoon on the water will need to wait during two November weekends. Controlled deer hunts will close the entire nature preserve, including its trails, shoreline and lake.
Bloomington Parks and Recreation has scheduled the hunts for Nov. 14–15 and Nov. 21–22 as part of its ongoing effort to protect native plants and help the forest regenerate. Public access will end late Friday before each hunt and resume early Monday afterward.
The first closure at Griffy Lake Nature Preserve begins Friday, Nov. 13, at 11 p.m. and continues until Monday, Nov. 16, at 5 a.m. The second begins Friday, Nov. 20, at 11 p.m. and lasts until Monday, Nov. 23, at 5 a.m. Visitors planning trips around either weekend should account for those full closure periods, which extend beyond the hunt dates themselves.
During both periods, the preserve will be closed to all public access and recreational use. That means no hiking, fishing, boating or other recreational activities anywhere within the preserve. The restrictions cover every trail, all shoreline areas and the entire lake. No watercraft may be launched onto Griffy Lake during either hunt weekend.
Behind the temporary closures is a longer effort to address what deer leave behind after feeding. Deer browse on young trees, wildflowers and other plants growing in the forest understory. When that feeding becomes excessive, tree seedlings can struggle to establish themselves, while native plants can decline in both abundance and variety.
The controlled hunts are intended to reduce that pressure. Managing the deer population gives native plant communities an opportunity to recover and supports the growth of trees that will help sustain the forest over time. The work is part of the department’s broader effort to maintain the long-term health and diversity of the preserve’s forest ecosystem.
Deer management at Griffy Lake is an established practice. Parks and Recreation has conducted both controlled hunts and deer culls there since 2017. Alongside those efforts, the department monitors vegetation to assess how plants are responding and to guide future management decisions.
Participation in the November hunts is restricted to hunters who applied and were chosen through the department’s selection process. Anyone who has not been authorized to participate is prohibited from hunting. Griffy Lake Nature Preserve remains closed to general public hunting; the scheduled events do not open it to other hunters.
Residents interested in the program’s history can find information about previous deer harvests and plant height monitoring results on the Deer at Griffy Lake website. Those records provide more detail about the department’s deer management work and its monitoring of vegetation.
