WESTCHESTER TOWNSHIP | Seventy-five hunters descended upon Indiana Dunes State Park on Monday morning for the first of four days of sanctioned deer hunting designed to keep the park's deer population from getting out of control.

The hunters had already checked in eight deer as of noon Monday, but that number increased throughout the day. The second day of the hunt is today, and the last two days are set for Dec. 1 to 2. The park is closed to visitors during the hunts.

The park's property manager, Brant Baughman, said the deer culls, which began in 1998 and which have taken place every year except 2002 and 2005, have had a positive impact on the park's plants.

"There has been a good re-establishment of many of our wildflower species," Baughman said.

Baughman said the park wasn't among the "worst case scenario" parks, where all the lower greenery was stripped away and the deer were sickly, but he said the deer culls address the growing deer population before it becomes that much of a problem.

Although the hunters participating in the earlier deer culls were met with protests from people who didn't want to see the deer killed, Baughman saw no such protests as the start of this year's hunt.

"They don't like it, but they understand it more so than in the past," Baughman said.

About 220 hunters killed 63 deer during last year's four-day hunt at Dunes State Park. This year, Dunes State is one of 17 state parks in which supervised hunts are taking place.