COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state is not responsible for damage caused by marauding deer, despite a program by the Ohio Natural Resources Department to increase the number of wild deer in Ohio, a court has ruled.
The 10th District Ohio Court of Appeals ruled 2 to 1 this week that the state owns wildlife for the benefit of the public. But it rejected a suit by Robert D. Bowers II and Carol Bowers, operators of the Laurelville Fruit Co., seeking $26,558 for damage done by deer.
