HomeMy Public PortalAbout2023.05.04 Special Meeting MinutesMINUTES
McCall City Council
Special Meeting
McCall Donnelly High School Commons
401 N Mission St
May 4, 2023
Call to Order
Work Session
Adjournment
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
1
Mayor Giles called the special meeting of the McCall City Council to order at 5:30 p.m.
Mayor Giles, Council Member Nelson, Council Member Nielsen, and Council Member
Thrower were all present. Council Member Maciaszek was absent.
City staff members present were Anette Spickard, City Manager; Sarah Porter, Deputy Clerk; Erin
Greaves, Communications Manager; Brian Parker, City Planner; Christian Wann, Police Sergeant.
Also, in attendance were Regan Berkley, Idaho Fish and Game Regional Wildlife Manager;
Nathan Borg, Idaho Fish and Game Wildlife Regional Biologist; Jeff Abrams, Idaho Conservation
League Wildlife Program Associate; Randy Fox, Idaho Conservation League Conservation
Associate.
WORK SESSION
The City of McCall hosted a wildlife community conversation to collect public opinion on short-
term and long-term wildlife goals as well as a feeding ordinance. The discussion was intended as
a tool to support a healthy wild deer population in and around the City of McCall. Written public
comments were collected prior to the meeting at the direction of the City Council and are included
as Attachment A. The City Council and five (5) city staff members as well as Idaho Conservation
League (ICL) and Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG) staff joined the community in a discussion on the
deer herd in McCall. Each Council Member was assigned one of four tables and joined by a city
staff member and either an ICL or IDFG staff member as well as members of the public. At each
table, the public discussed the following questions with the City Council Member assigned to the
table:
1. When protecting or learning best practices for wildlife, who do you trust? Where do
you get your information?
2. Do you believe that individual actions, such as feeding deer, have a significant impact
on the larger ecosystem, and why or why not?
MCCALL CITY COUNCIL Page 1 of 2
May 4, 2023 Special Meeting
3. What thoughts do you have regarding recent mountain lion reports?
4. In your view, what role should local government play in managing the deer
population and preventing dangerous behavior towards deer?
5. What are your thoughts on a proposed wildlife feeding ordinance, and how do you
believe it will impact wildlife in our community?
6. In your opinion, what is the best way to educate the public about the dangers of
feeding wildlife? Do you have ideas on how to encourage more responsible and
natural practices when it comes to interacting with wildlife in our community?
7. Do you support the creation of a wildlife committee, and what kind of initiatives do
you think it should prioritize?
8. If a feeding ordinance is passed, specialists tell us the deer may starve. Do you
support letting nature take its course and handling clean-up as needed, or would you
rather reduce suffering by humanely culling in a way that can feed local families?
9. Do you have any other thoughts or concerns on how we interact with our wildlife in
McCall?
City Staff, at the direction of the City Council, will compile the responses and present the results
at a future City Council meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
1
Without further business, Mayor Giles adjourned the meeting at 7:15 p.m.
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MCCALL CITY COUNCIL
May 4, 2023 Special Meeting
Page 2 of 2
Attachment A
From: Erin Greaves
To: Sarah Porter
Subject: FW: McCall Deer Musing
Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023 9:15:51 AM
Original Message
From: Colleen B. Ross <bmfitness@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 4, 2023 8:59 AM
To: Erin Greaves <egreaves@mccall.id.us>
Subject: McCall Deer Musing
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless
you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Here are my thoughts on some of the many reasons used for wanting to rid the McCall of our deer herd:
Lice: Recently Regan Berkeley of Fish and Game rounded up and killed much of Cascade's deer. Her reason for this
slaughter was that they had lice. She did not even send in a test sample before they were killed. Sadly even if they
did have lice they do not harm deer, humans, pets or other farm animals. As the weather improves and they have
more food sources to build their immune system they self eradicate this pest.
Mountain Lions: Much has been said about the increased presence of Mountain Lions. They have always passed
through town during winter.
We are more aware of their presence due to wildlife cameras and ring doorbells.
Mountain Lions also have a territory range of 50 sq mi for females and 150 for males. So I am sure there are less
than what is being said. Also no one has been hurt by them.
Too Many Deer: How many is too many and how are they being counted? Without trackers it's impossible to be
sure of that number and we lose many each year to cars and severe winters.
Traffic Concerns: We need more signage and tickets to cars that are speeding and not paying attention. Wildlife
crossing signs would be helpful.
Lastly I would like to bring up Regan Berkeley. She is the master of scare tactics and hate mongering. She is once
again taking aim at our Town Deer. Wasn't Cascade enough! I've now heard that she wants to kill 60% of our doe's.
This is not right and should not be allowed to happen. Save our Town Deer from her actions.
Thank you for listening. I do not believe we have a deer problem and that we are lucky to be so close to wildlife.
They are apart of our city's charm.
Colleen Ross
C: 510.965.1978
Public Comments Page 1 of 60
May 4, 2023
Attachment A
Lynne Lawless 635 Samson Trail McCall Id 83638 lawlesss@frontier.com
Re: mccall town deer We are totally against euthanizing any of our Town Deer Herd. Regan
Berkeley is once again mounting a campaign to kill our deer like she did in Cascade. Stop her
now and save our deer. Thank you for listening.
Public Comments Page 2 of 60
May 4, 2023
Attachment A
05/04/2023 Community Wildlife
Conversation
Name Address Email Content
Comments as of 3:00 p.m.
May 3, 2023
Sophie 653 stokess@mdsd.org Thank you, council members, for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Sophie Stokes and I
Stokes Douglas attended the McCall Donnelly School district for 6 years. The town of McCall is an incredibly speci,
Dr McCall me. The environment and the people are particularly important. The number of deer in town and i
ID 83638 neighborhoods is getting out of hand. This problem is caused by the feeding of deer. According tc
and Game, they say as we keep feeding deer, they begin to metabolize their bone marrow and mi
leads to organ failure and death. The deer struggle with certain types of feed other than their natt.
When we feed them, their stomachs may be full, but they are still starving because they do not ge
nutrients they need. Feeding them also encourages them to stick around longer, which leads to m
vehide collisions. "Oh deer!" an article from the star news in 2021 says, "Since 2019, the McCall Po
Department has responded to fifty- seven calls related to deer in McCall, induding eight car accid.
twenty- eight calls to humanely kill severely injured deer." Another effect of feeding deer is the att
predators. Because so many deer are in town, predators like mountain lions and cougars are mign
for food. This makes living here dangerous for us and our pets. If we do not control the deer that
in our town, it could make their and our lives more threatened. Thank you.
Sherry 311 sherryleaf29@gmail.com Where are the deer?
Leaf McBride
McCall ID
83638
Sidney 1060 Cee looneysid4@gmail.com Dear McCall City Council, My name is Sid Looney, I have lived in McCall and attended the McCall -I
Looney Way Loop School district for 10 years. Since I've lived here, my opinions on our local town herd have increasi
McCall each year, especially since I started driving. As you know, the deer population in McCall has growr
Idaho numbers, and it's now seemingly impossible to drive in or around town without seeing a few on tF
83638 While some enjoy taking photos of them, they have become an increasingly problematic issue, as
endanger both people and themselves in the process. First of all, the obvious problem regarding t
traffic. The deer have grown far too accustomed to humans, and do not mind walking across the r
without waming. Especially when snowbanks are high in winter, these deer can be impossible to p
causes major damage to both property and the deer. Fish and Game observed 258 deer in the city
and these numbers are certainly not lowering, so more roadway incidents are going to continue t(
Secondly, these deer attract predators. While there are certainly less mountain lions in town than t
deer, they cause exponentially more danger to our residents than the deer can. With the abundan
eat the mountain lions are attracted to our town with a near endless supply of food. Along with tF
also poses a threat, as diseased deer lingering in town and spreading their disease to others can d
our local wildlife, creating further concems. The steps we need to take against this issue are clear
been laid out before us already. 3 years ago, the council voted to implement a plan involving the k
feeding, along with relocation of the deer. The plan was never implemented due to an error, and r
steps have been taken to take care of the issue. We need to follow through on this plan so that wt
the hazards the animals pose to our residents. Some would say that this shouldn't be done, becau
tourism. Many visitors to our town enjoy seeing and feeding deer, and many have voiced their opi
not relocating the deer. However, it is important that you prioritize our residents first over the tou
is a problem we have to face every day, and it continues to worsen the longer we don't do anythir
Personally speaking, I've had problems with deer in the road, and tourists taking up both lanes in •
to take a picture of any deer they see on the street. If we can implement this previous policy, we rt
dangers that the town deer pose to our residents, making our town safer for residents and tourist
hope the council will consider our opinions on this issue and begin to make changes. Thank you.
Public Comments Page 3 of 60
May 4. 2023
Attachment A
Name Address Email Content
Ethan 107 finn ejedry@gmail.com Hello McCall city council, thank you for reading my comment today. My name is Ethan Jedry. Have
Jedry church In had an experience or moment where, say you are driving back home on the highway or driving ini
McCall going to work and you encounter a deer that walked into the middle of the road. You should alwa
Idaho lookout for deer and other wildlife. Focusing on our community and town, I catch myself slammin!
83638 brakes and swerving for deer all the time, well daily, which I could see that being cool for a time o
"woah I almost hit a deer!" but eventually it gets old. In the winter especially lots of people's cars c
to a halt without sliding, and for a deer to be just hanging out eating popcom watching this all plz
cool. They just stand there and wait to get hit. These deer that hang out in our town are all mule d
they are not very scared of people. When the deer come into town people, mostly tourists, like to
and try to pet them. The deer that get fed often start relying on people to feed them. They are me
the summer because more people are in McCall, so that leaves them still relying on local people o
summer stayers leave town. Especially Mccall Brewery which has barrels of grain and com laying a
specifically to feed the deer and get more deer to hangout in that area. Tourists love deer so let's j
deer, so we get more business. When mule deer are provided supplemental feed such as gran anc
winter, an overgrowth of intestinal bacteria can lead to severe illness and death. An article posted
shows that the deer have chewing lice, which causes them to have patchy fur because the lice eat
skin which causes deterioration in their immune system. What happens when there's a bunch of z€
dombie's running around town and dying off randomly. Well, I don't know, but I do know that tou
probably don't want to see dead deer in town with a "get well soon" balloon attached to it. Deer a
problems to town; 2 mountain lions have been spotted throughout neighborhoods within city lim
year and a half, killing off deer. When is someone's dog going to be the next. Around 4 months ac
River, Hailey, 2 mountain lions were spotted throughout the town, along with reports of people's c
in scuffles with these big cats. People are uncomfortable having to worry about letting your dog o
out for an afternoon stroll. A month after these spotting's, both mountain lions were captured, ant
euthanized. Deer brings in mountain lions and other predators, which scares residents and gives a
reputation when it comes to safety in your town. If we were to relocate these diseased deer, the ct
would spread to lots of other deer communities killing off many wild deer that are healthy and no
humans. I think that this town would greatly benefit from the banning of feeding deer, and the eu
the current deer population in McCall. Thank you for your time and reading my comment.
Wyatt 330 W wyattlathrop21@gmail.com My name is Wyatt Lathrop, I attend McCall Donnelly high school and I'm a senior. I was born and!
Lathrop Forest St Petaluma Ca and have lived here for the past 8 months. I'm new here so why does my opinion ma
McCall ID because I have 3 younger cousins that live here and will live here for a long time, 1 care about ther
83638 about this town. I am here today to express my opinion on the local town deer and on the possibl
From my own experiences in McCall with deer I have found that the town deer are more of a haza
nuisance than a cute cuddly thing to take pictures of and feed. The deer in McCall are fed trash, cz
other dietary options that are not natural for wild deer. The deer that eat this food experience the
being full but are getting zero nutrients and are basically starving themselves. It also can give then
parasites that can get to the brain and cause brain worms, or CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease). The
basically cause the deer to not understand where they are or what they're doing, it rots their brain
causes the deer to become even more of a hazard. The diseased deer could walk right into a car o
person. This brings me to another point, the case of the 1977 incident of a little boy who was killer
This isn't the only case of this happening. People, mainly tourists, seem to forget that these are wil
and have every reason to be dangerous. In my own experience our dog was pinned to the ground
point buck. These deer still follow natural responses so when the rut comes it doesn't skip out on •
deer which causes bucks to become more aggressive. Go to the area surrounding Riggins and finc
take a picture, now go to McCall take a picture you will easily see that our deer have a problem. N
solutions, creating a law that bans feeding the deer, paired with an act to relocate. It's common se
these two ideas. Implementing the ban on feeding you're still stuck with deer that are slowly dyinc
have to move them, then there's another problem. The town deer are invested with an exotic type
do not want to spread this infestation to the natural wild deer. The solution is usually euthanizing
deer. This may cause people to support this, but it must be done.
Sandra 7040 W sandyhurst@yahoo.com 1 AM TOTALLY AGAINST the killing of Mamma deer or army of them. I lived in Cambridge Id for 18
Hurst 32nd Sbe spent a lot of time in New Meadows at my Uncle Ed Raney's ranch and also spent a lot of fun time
Kennewick We come up there several times a year and stay at one my Brothers Condos at Alpine Village. Seei
Wa 99338 and other wild life makes our trip extra special. If you kill off the animals like the deer I will probab
come back. And SHAME ON ALL OF YOU FOR WANTING TO ERADICATE THEM Sandy
Kennewick, Wa 509-366-7744
Candy 4879 W candy6381 @gmail.com The wildlife needs to be left alone! It is their habitat and one of main reasons myself and others vi:
Sherwin Mystic
Cove Way
Boise ID
83714
Dariene 917 darlene38idaho@yahoo.com Please LEAVE OUR DEER alone!!!!They are one of the reasons I keep living as I'm almost 85!!! Have
Kohout Fairway Dr since 1948! One reason MANY TOURISTS COME IS THE VIEW THE WILDLIFE! They can eat and drir
14b anywhere they are from. Use hanging baskets for flowers if you don't like them eating your flower
McCall could use patrolmen with dogs to chase them out of downtown, back into our neighborhoods anc
Idaho countryside! H or high water I will be at your meeting!!
83638
Public Comments Page 4 of 60
May 4, 2021
Attachment A
Name Address Email Content
Jeffrey 1102 jeffcanfeldm6@gmail.com Council Members, Thank you for all of the time you have invested in seeking public opinion and p
Canfield Buckboard advice on the deer issue in McCall. Public opinion seems to be all across the spectrum on this. I far
Way professional advice that Idaho Fish and Game has offered. I'm not sure the deer need to be round
McCall relocated or euthanized. I do think that feeding them should be stopped. If the deer need to rely c
Idaho natural foods the number of deer in town will be reduced to the normal carrying capacity for this
83638 Eventually a deer herd with normal seasonal migrations would replace the current herd that has b.
dependent on the food people provide. Thank you for your attention. Jeff Canfield, McCall
Colleen 915 bmfitness@sbcglobal.net I am absolutely against the culling of the McCall deer. Regan Berkeley needs to find something els
Ross Camas about. Do not let her sway your thoughts and votes
Place
Mccall Id
83638
Charles 915 Iross805@gmail.com Dear Council Members: This is political advice - not an argument pro or con on the subject of tow
L. Ross Camas PI Frankly, I am at a loss to understand the semi -crisis mentality that has swept the city over this issu
McCall ID town hall meeting on any issue always gives the issue heightened prominence. The last time we h:
83638 meeting like the one this Thursday night was a decade or more ago? (1 was there, but can't even n
topic - sewers, perhaps?) Yet, over the last ten years, we have been confronted by a host of truly d
public policy developments. Yet, no town meetings for them: e.g., our very real rental / workforce I
crisis? Trident's efforts to privatize state lands, something that would change the nature of town fc
woefully inadequate infrastructure relative to projected future growth (back to sewers, yet again?)'
when it comes to the town deer, I have not heard any serious consideration of options other than
Unless that is adopted as the official, permanent and "forever" strategy, it seems unlikely to be suc
unless done on a permanent wide and on -going regional scale. (Population Biology 101A.) Maybe
some credible, outside experts - not the affiliated with the State Dept. of Fish & Game - to be hire
consulted by the city so we can determine if there are options other than "culling", which is a wide
strongly disliked strategy by many in the community. Once the council has done some better due
perhaps then the issue can be decided without a permanent rift in the community? Please do not
your political capital by rushing to judgment on this divisive issue. Too many people in town feel t
(one way or the other) for this issue to be decided by the council on the current "record."
Joyce 1480 joyce.majure@gmail.com The city of McCall needs to take a responsible attitude toward the deer population in this town. 1 I
Majure Mountain time, and the problems have increased dramatically in the past 2-3 years. My concerns: collisions
Meadow (or causing collisions when people stop abruptly), sickly looking deer, potential for spreading dise.
Dri McCall (including COVID-19), property and landscape damage, and deer scat EVERYWHERE!!! My backyar
ID 83638 winter has tumed into a huge poop pile. I live next to the golf course, and the cart path, fairways,
are also grossly contaminated. And with the number of deer wandering around downtown I am VE
concerned that visitors, especially children, are likely to get injured when deer are being approach
is not a petting zoo! My suggestions: 1. Form a task force to compile the concerns and establish a
email address for complaints. 2. Create a baseline of deer/car collisions, cougar encounters, dead
and Game to do a health assessment on the existing population. 3. Consider all options for dealin.
stiff fines for people feeding deer, culling all sick deer, using darts to deliver deer vaccines that stc
getting pregnant. 4. Establish clear goals, and means of measuring the success of the various optic
and incorporate this information from the Humane Society:
https://www.hu manesoci ety.org/sites/d efa u It/fi les/dots/H S U S%20 Deer%2OConfl ict9620 Mg t%20 PI.
This has a great discussion of the problem, and provides templates for a task force and the city to
The sooner the better!! Joyce Majure
Peggy 507 pegebryan@gmail.com I would gladly trade the "charm of the McCall deer for the charm of tulips, raspberries, hostess ar
bryan Brundage not surrounded by an 8 ft fence. I would like to put my lovingly raised from seed tomato plants or
drive get some sunlight without having them mowed down. 1 have lived here since 1974.1 used to have
Mccall Id things. Every year the deer eat more. Even plants supposed to be Immune to deer are being eaten
83638 pine needles and yes, tomatoes. Let's cull the deer herd and start enjoying the beauty and tastiner
plant community.
Public Comments Page 5 of 60
May 4, 2023
Attachment A
Name Address Email Content
Jacey 13110b swainstonj@mdsd.org My name is Jacey Swainston, and I am relatively new to the McCall scene. I have lived here for ov.
Swainston Cameron a half, attending McCall -Donnelly High School. About eight years ago, my family and I visited Mc
Dr. California during the winter, which was a drastic change. As a little kid, I remember seeing the de.
Donnelly and thinking how cool it was that they were there. Now that I live here, it makes me sad to see th
ID 83615 conditions that our deer live in. They are sickly and have poor health due to tourists and locals ar
feeding them, conditioning them to stick around during the winter instead of migrating towards
deer live unfairly during this time of year. The McCall City Council had plans to solve this problen
Unfortunately, several times, they have been delayed or compromised by opposing beliefs. The d
collisions and are overpopulated, and they look/are unhealthy, which should be enough to do so
about them and our town. According to a Star News Editorial, "...estimated 20% to 25% of McCall
of 150 to 200 deer already die each year." For a herd in town, 150 to 200 deer is too much and h:
worse, they continue to die unnaturally. To further my point, on the way to the school while passi
station there is a dead deer that lies in the ditch. There is also a decaying deer by Bruneel's tire st
also get picked up and dropped off; remining us of the main problem. Another way to help the d
eradicating them can be bans on feeding. Locals and tourists feed the deer consistently, making 1
and mangy. The food fed them is unhealthy and not part of their diet. Drew Dodson from Star NE
"People caught feeding deer would eam a 6100 fine... a second offense within a year would be a
punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a S1,000 fine." This is a feasible solution to the unhealth:
feeding the deer and causing them to be diseased and sad. Let us think about the deer, they are
have no bounders; they are problematically unhealthy. Their conditions have caused some unsett
around the city. The McCall herd can be a beautiful part of town, but they are fed by people, they
migrate during the winter like they are supposed to, and it causes a domino effect of problems ft
them. For these reasons, the City of McCall should establish a plan to improve the quality of life f
herd.
Daniel 708 N 1st jacksond@mdsd.org Urban Deer We have a serious problem in our town, and all over the US. This is Wildlife making U
Jackson Street their homes. Especially Deer, deer have become just as common as tourists in our town, and it is
McCall problems for citizens and the deer's health. Today I will be highlighting the reasons that this issue
Idaho addressed. Including attracting predators, creating an unhealthy herd size and eliminating natura
83638 and finally causing an increase in car crashes. Do you like going on late -night walks or being outs
the summer? Well, you should be taking greater caution during your late -night excursions. Accor
study done by Idaho Fish and Game, in McCall Idaho, predators such as mountain lions have four
into neighborhoods. Many reports from residents have said that they have either seen mountain
backyard or near their houses. This is not only in our hometown, in Santa Rosa, California, a resid'
accidentally left her sliding glass door open, and came home to a video from her house of a mou
standing over her motionless dog. This shows the problem that is arising from the easy game six
moving into towns and bringing predators with them, causing the predators to find other prey St
and possibly humans. However, Deer in urban areas are affecting us and the health of the herd. 11
study bone by Idaho Fish and Game, it states, "For deer management purposes, 60 fawns er 100
represent a stable heard... McCall's ratio of town fawns to does averaged at 102 fawns per 100 dc
means that heard's towns where the deer's lifestyle is amazingly easy and uncontested, are growi
alarming rate and becoming unhealthy. This also causes many fawns bom unhealthy to survive, it
diseases such as limes disease and chronic wasting disease. This makes future generations weake
collisions with wildlife have slowly been climbing, in the past few years. The other day I was drivir
neighborhood downtown and saw a deer lying dead on the side of a road after being hit by a car
done by Life and Work Ideas Essay, states, "Despite an estimated 1.5 million car collisions with de
each year, the numbers of deer grazing and razing backyards continues to rise." The damage to t
people is significant in almost all these situations, from totally your car to possibly ending up in a
alarming number of car crashes illustrates how big of a problem deer in urban areas is creating. 1
many ways of approaching the overabundance of deer in urban areas, but the simple thing is, the
taken care of. One of these approaches includes having fish and game Trank and catching as mar
possible and relocating them into more natural habitats. However, the sad truth is that most of tt
have adapted to life in the city would not be able to survive if re -introduced into the wild, and thi
job would be far out of the budget of the forest service. Another solution is hunting these animal
20 years, the number of seasonal hunters has decreased tremendously, and deer populations hav
to increase with less and less management. If we could encourage more hunting and have differe
that allow for short-range hunts, closer to Urban Areas. Of course, this would have to be a very cl
regulated event it could offer a possible solution to the overabundance of deer. As well as possit
them out of town because there are new threats. Now, some people may say that deer in urban :
encourage tourism and therefore help the area's economy. This may be true in some cases. For e
deer were first becoming normal in the streets of McCall it was not as much of a nuisance as it wi
attraction. However, as the health of the deer has decreased, they have become less appealing ar
reminder of how they are not in their natural habitat. Also, if deer were pushed back into the mor
wilderness, it would promote more people to travel to these areas and the towns near them. The
deer littered with tumors has plagued our town, and the idea of seeing fewer deer but more heal
the wildemess lingers in our hands. We need to solve this problem before there is no going back
showed you the problem of deer in urban areas, and how it not only affects us negatively but alst
population of deer. We viewed some possible solutions but most importantly gave the issue the
deserves. And someday soon we will see this growing problem being addressed.
Public Comments Page 6 of 60
May 4. 2023
Attachment A
Name Address Email Content
Jacey 13110b swainstonj@mdsd.org My name is Jacey Swainston, and I am relatively new to the McCall scene. I have lived here for ov.
Swainston Cameron a half, attending McCall -Donnelly High School. About eight years ago, my family and I visited Mc
Dr. California during the winter, which was a drastic change. As a little kid, I remember seeing the de.
Donnelly and thinking how cool it was that they were there. Now that I live here, it makes me sad to see th
ID 83615 conditions that our deer live in. They are sickly and have poor health due to tourists and locals ar
feeding them, conditioning them to stick around during the winter instead of migrating towards
deer live unfairly during this time of year. The McCall City Council had plans to solve this problerr
Unfortunately, several times, they have been delayed or compromised by opposing beliefs. The d
collisions and are overpopulated, and they look/are unhealthy, which should be enough to do so
about them and our town. According to a Star News Editorial, "...estimated 20% to 25% of McCall
of 150 to 200 deer already die each year.' For a herd in town, 150 to 200 deer is too much and he
worse, they continue to die unnaturally. To further my point on the way to the school while passi
station there is a dead deer that lies in the ditch. There is also a decaying deer by Bruneel's tire sf
also get picked up and dropped off; remining us of the main problem. Another way to help the d
eradicating them can be bans on feeding. Locals and tourists feed the deer consistently, making 1
and mangy. The food fed them is unhealthy and not part of their diet. Drew Dodson from Star Ns
"People caught feeding deer would eam a $100 fine... a second offense within a year would be a
punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine." This is a feasible solution to the unhealth:
feeding the deer and causing them to be diseased and sad. Let us think about the deer, they are
have no bounders; they are problematically unhealthy. Their conditions have caused some unsett
around the city. The McCall herd can be a beautiful part of town, but they are fed by people, they
migrate during the winter like they are supposed to, and it causes a domino effect of problems fc
them. For these reasons, the City of McCall should establish a plan to improve the quality of life f
herd.
Daniel 708 N 1st jacksond@mdsd.org Urban Deer We have a serious problem in our town, and all over the US. This is Wildlife making U
Jackson Street their homes. Especially Deer, deer have become just as common as tourists in our town, and it is
McCall problems for citizens and the deer's health. Today I will be highlighting the reasons that this issue
Idaho addressed. Including attracting predators, creating an unhealthy herd size and eliminating natura
83638 and finally causing an increase in car crashes. Do you like going on late -night walks or being outs
the summer? Well, you should be taking greater caution during your late -night excursions. Accor
study done by Idaho Fish and Game, in McCall Idaho, predators such as mountain lions have four
into neighborhoods. Many reports from residents have said that they have either seen mountain
backyard or near their houses. This is not only in our hometown, in Santa Rosa, California, a resid'
accidentally left her sliding glass door open, and came home to a video from her house of a mou
standing over her motionless dog. This shows the problem that is arising from the easy game sue
moving into towns and bringing predators with them, causing the predators to find other prey st.
and possibly humans. However, Deer in urban areas are affecting us and the health of the herd. 11
study bone by Idaho Fish and Game, it states, "For deer management purposes, 60 fawns er 100
represent a stable heard... McCall's ratio of town fawns to does averaged at 102 fawns per 100 dc
means that heard's towns where the deer's lifestyle is amazingly easy and uncontested, are growi
alarming rate and becoming unhealthy. This also causes many fawns bom unhealthy to survive, ii
diseases such as limes disease and chronic wasting disease. This makes future generations weake
collisions with wildlife have slowly been climbing, in the past few years. The other day I was drivir
neighborhood downtown and saw a deer lying dead on the side of a road after being hit by a cat
done by Life and Work Ideas Essay, states, 'Despite an estimated 1.5 million car collisions with de
each year, the numbers of deer grazing and razing backyards continues to rise." The damage to t
people is significant in almost all these situations, from totally your car to possibly ending up in a
alarming number of car crashes illustrates how big of a problem deer in urban areas is creating. 1
many ways of approaching the overabundance of deer in urban areas, but the simple thing is, the
taken care of. One of these approaches includes having fish and game Trank and catching as mar
possible and relocating them into more natural habitats. However, the sad truth is that most of tf
have adapted to life in the city would not be able to survive if re -introduced into the wild, and thi
job would be far out of the budget of the forest service. Another solution is hunting these animal
20 years, the number of seasonal hunters has decreased tremendously, and deer populations has,
to increase with less and less management. If we could encourage more hunting and have differe
that allow for short-range hunts, closer to Urban Areas. Of course, this would have to be a very cl
regulated event, it could offer a possible solution to the overabundance of deer. As well as possit
them out of town because there are new threats. Now, some people may say that deer in urban s
encourage tourism and therefore help the area's economy. This may be true in some cases. For e
deer were first becoming normal in the streets of McCall it was not as much of a nuisance as it wr
attraction. However, as the health of the deer has decreased, they have become less appealing ar
reminder of how they are not in their natural habitat. Also, if deer were pushed back into the mot
wilderness, it would promote more people to travel to these areas and the towns near them. The
deer littered with tumors has plagued our town, and the idea of seeing fewer deer but more heal
the wildemess lingers in our hands. We need to solve this problem before there is no going back
showed you the problem of deer in urban areas, and how it not only affects us negatively but als,
population of deer. We viewed some possible solutions but most importantly gave the issue the
deserves. And someday soon we will see this growing problem being addressed.
Public Comments Page 7 of 60
May 4, 2023
Attachment A
Comments on feeding deer in McCall
I have been a McCall resident for over 40 years. When I first moved here deer were rarely seen in town. Now they are everywhere and
causing problems. Here are some of my concerns:
1). It is now impossible to grow a garden in McCall without expensive tall fencing to keep out the deer. The deer eat my lupine which is
poisonous to them, they eat it anyway resulting in deer diarrhea in my yard. A sure sign of deer over population. I used to grow lettuce and
other vegetables in my yard but not now. The deer have browsed everything within their reach.
2). The over population of deer due to people feeding them has increased the health risks to both people and deer. Ticks used to be rare in
town, now I find them on my dogs and myself every spring and summer. Tick borne diseases include; Rocky Mtn Spotted fever, Colorado tick
fever, and lymes disease. This was not a big concern before the extensive feeding of deer in town in the winter. In addition crowded
populations of deer are susceptible to chronic mass wasting disease (CWD) which is now found just north of the Salmon river and has been
spreading. Deer with CWD are usually euthanized by Fish and Game. The deer did not look very healthy this winter, resulting in a large winter
kill.
3). The city doesn't have a policy for removing dead animal from city property. I had to remove one from my back yard, not a pleasant
task. There were two dead deer on Reedy Ln this spring on the shoulder of the road (city property) which weren't removed for 4 days.
People need to quit feeding the deer.
Michael Dixon
811 Reedy Ln
McCall
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 8 of 60
Attachment A
McCall City Council members,
I was planning on attending the special meeting this Thursday evening but unfortunately, will not
be able to. So, I would like my comments in this letter to be part of the public comment
concerning wildlife management within the City.
I have been a McCall resident for 50 years and a summer resident my whole childhood. I
understand that people like to see wildlife and that many believe that since we live in a mountain
community that large mammals are endemic year round. This belief is not based in fact.
For the first 60 years of my McCall experience, seeing deer in and around McCall in the summer
was a rarity. Never did I see a deer in McCall in the winter. In the last ten years, the summer
and winter population of deer has steadily increased until, as I understand now, there are nearly
200 year round resident deer.
It is sad to see the town deer in poor shape every late -winter, early- spring. Mangy, emaciated
and obviously starving animals. It breaks my heart because human behavior has played a role in
changing these wild animals. The deer have lost their natural instincts and have become starving,
eating out of tourists hands, dependents of our community.
I fully support the City passing ordinances to achieve IDFG recommendations to help these
beautiful animals return to a natural and wild environment. In so doing the City will be safer for
animals and residents alike.
Thank you for taking my comments
Rick Fereday
315 Burns Rd
McCall
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 9 of 60
Attachment A
Sarah Porter
From: Anette Spickard
Sent: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 10:27 AM
To: Erin Greaves; Sarah Porter
Subject: FW: McCall mule deer herd removal is long overdue
From: David Simmonds <dsimmonds50@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 10:25 AM
To: BessieJo Wagner <bwagner@mccall.id.us>; Anette Spickard <aspickard@mccall.id.us>; Bob Giles
<bgiles@mccall.id.us>; Colby Nielsen <cnielsen@mccall.id.us>; Julie Thrower <jthrower@mccall.id.us>; Mike Maciaszek
<mmaciaszek@mccall.id.us>; Lyle Nelson <Inelson@mccall.id.us>; regan.berkley@idfg.idaho.gov;
jim.fredericks@idfg.idaho.gov
Subject: McCall mule deer herd removal is long overdue
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the
sender and know the content is safe.
We ask that City and State leaders prompt aggressive, immediate action to stop improper feeding of wildlife and achieve
complete removal of the dangerous, unhealthy, abnormal, overpopulated mule deer herd from McCall. The "town herd"
problem has reached epic proportions. We, personally, have endured too much expense, damage and stress to call it
anything other than a crisis. Briefly, some relevant points:
1. One of our vehicles was damaged by a group of panicked deer chased into a neighborhood street by a loose dog.
I saw them coming and stopped, but a big doe on a dead run struck and caved in the hood. This many deer are
undeniably a menace to traffic safety.
2. Damage to our landscaping reached a new extreme this winter, with herds of up to 19 mule deer eating the
branches and buds off our trees and shrubs - both native and purchased - as high as ten feet due to the deep
snow pack. They just walked over where our fences were buried.
3. We estimate the cost of damage, deterrence and mitigation on our City property at several thousands of dollars,
between every kind of repellent (regularly, for years on end), garden fencing, tall deer fencing, gates, portable
electric fencing, motion sensor sprinklers, etc. Nothing really works now, as the animals are habituated with
little caution or fear because they are out of their element, which is winter -range browse, and so they become
desperately hungry.
4. The loss of enjoyment of our private property is significant due to the landscape damage, labor and stress as we
see forty-two years of our landscaping efforts ripped apart. We've planted mostly deer -resistant species, which
the starving deer have now found to be edible enough. Very little is safe.
5. Much of our property is covered in deer droppings and now that spring is here, it reeks. It gets tracked
everywhere. Downtown, urban runoff takes these feces straight into our drinking water supply. This is an
avoidable health hazard and makes a mockery of code requirements for picking up after our pets.
6. Vultures and ravens are, today, feeding on a winter -killed carcass less than 100 feet from our dining room
window, right across the street in the City right-of-way. Despite several requests, no public entity was willing to
remove the carcass in February when the animal died. We're not equipped to dispose of rotting carcasses,
especially when they're on public property. The effort and cost of dead animal removal should be borne by the
City or State until the herd is gone.
7. These mule deer are now pitiful, unhealthy, mangy, parasite -infested (ticks, lice and worms) and disease -
carrying. Mule deer have been found infected with COVID-19 in at least 2 western states. More locally, they are
infected with chronic wasting disease (like mad -cow disease) in an adjacent county.
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page l0 of 60
Attachment A
8. Feeding of wildlife on the ground, and outdoor pet feeding, also attract skunks and raccoons. Skunks as close as
Adams County have been found to carry the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian flu which is decimating domestic
poultry and wild birds. Raccoons of course can be extremely destructive when looking for food. An ordinance to
prohibit outdoor feeding accessible by animals on the ground is sensible, necessary, and overdue. And you know
about bears.
9. Predators come where the prey is. Complaints about mountain lions in town miss the point. They're really only
here for the town herd. Remove the herd, and the cougars will head back to the hills. Without the herd, town
will be safer for our pets and children. Leave the predators alone, they're only doing their jobs.
City and State leaders, please do your jobs - strongly tackle this threat to public health, safety, sanity, and private
property. We don't owe anyone a "cute deer" photo op at our peril or expense. Saving - by feeding - the poor starving
wildlife is counterproductive, cruel, misguided, and simply wrong in so many ways, and should be prohibited by code.
Thank you for your attention to this serious problem.
David Simmonds and Jamie Melbo
PO Box 287
McCall, Idaho 83638
Cell 208-634-6929
2
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 11 of 60
Attachment A
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Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page I2of60
Public Commcnts
May 4, 2023
Attachment A
From: Erin Greaves
To: Sarah Porter
Subject: Julie Conrad - Feel free to share it to the council.
Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2023 3:02:08 PM
Attachments: jmaae001.onq
I think the reason why you might be sensing frustration or even anger from people is
that most feel that the town deer is a non -issue when there are so many other critical
issues facing our town.
Add to that, the last time the city had this issue on the table so -to- speak, it was a
major cluster, and had someone not heard about the ordinance allowing fish and
game to slaughter the deer if the "no -feed" ordinance was passed, it would have been
likely been pushed through without a word to the citizens, residents and taxpayers of
McCall, and with zero chance at a vote.
We are all still very weary and wary after that debacle.
Then on top of that, we are having to listen to Regan Berkley ad nauseum go on and
on and on about spreading fear in our community as well at the Treasure Valley about
lice, cougars, too many deer, etc, etc, etc.
The deer, mountain lions and any lice that *may* be present are ALL NON ISSUES.
It is truly embarrassing. She obviously does not know how to research, and yet the
city council seems to be taking every word hook line and sinker.
There are many of us that would like to muzzle her.
And after the Cascade town deer massacre, she should be fired.
Lice was not the issue, at all. They mangled the deer so badly in trying to trap and
herd them into horse trailers that the deer HAD to be euthanized (according to a fish
and game guy that was actually present). They killed the deer BEFORE they even
sent in the so-called lice to be tested. Lice does NOT harm the deer, humans,
domestic pets or livestock. This is very easily verifiable.
"Lice" whether "chewing" or "exotic" is a NON -ISSUE.
We are all very disgusted and angry with her behavior and her spreading of false
propaganda.
I hope that the city council, mayor and city manager can actually do a little research
on their own vs taking what Regan has to say as fact.
She obviously needs to justify her job. What else does she do during the year?
Fielding 3 or 4 calls a month about dead or injured deer due to speeding cars and off -
leash dogs???
Yesterday I was driving into town going North, and as I passed Growlers, 2 large
breed off leash dogs chased a small herd of deer into the street, down the street,
back across the street several times. The deer were literally running for their lives. I
nearly hit the dogs, deer and pedestrians who were trying to cross near May
Hardware as did several other cars. It was total chaos. I stopped in the middle of the
street with my hazard lights on and called dispatch. During those few minutes, the
dogs continued to chase the deer and had they caught up with one, and they may
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 14 of 60
Attachment A
have, they would have torn it to pieces. That is NOT a "deer problem". That is a dog -
owner problem and an off leash, aggressive dog problem.
There has been a marked increase of off -leash dogs on the golf course again chasing
and harassing the deer all around the course. I walked the course a few days ago,
and found three of the "dog signs" down on the ground as the snow had melted
around the stakes. I and a friend put them back up as best we could. They need to
remain up until golf season begins....end of May or likely er in June this year unless
the snow melts. And they need to be sunk into the ground BEFORE the snow falls
next year and the ground freezes so they remain upright. The city's/golf course
maintenance haphazard attempt at this necessary signage is ridiculous.
On another issue, I had four different friends of mine tell me about the three dead
baby deer on Reedy a few weeks ago. All hit by speeding cars on separate days (On
a 20/25mph side street with children playing).
All four of my friends called the city, the police dept. and fish and game and ALL were
told by fish and game that they "didn't have enough personnel to pick up dead
deer, and to gather a few neighbors, grab a trash bag, stuff the dead deer in the
trash bag and throw it in their trash cans." Can you imagine ANYONE,
particularly our visitors and vacationers being told that? Absolutely horrifying.
How is it that Regan has time to be interviewed by 7++ news outlets in the past
month??? NPR, BoiseDev, KTVB, Star News, Idaho Stateman, Free Press, Idaho
Tribune, and more....
She is on a warpath for no other reason than to incite fear in our town, save her job
and come out a savior protecting us all from the scary deer and scary lions that have
been here since I was a child.
That's 60 years.
She is a 30 -something female trying to justify her position in a "man's world of fish
and game" and it is absolutely disgusting.
We all see through it.
I know of at least one couple who moved from McCall after the last deer debacle, and
another very good friend who is talking very seriously about moving from McCall with
her husband because it is all too much to take with a three-ring circus of waging war
on the town deer when our town is literally falling apart.
Are we tired? Wary? Angry? Frustrated? Yes, and then some.
Sorry to unload, but this all-out war on the deer as well as Regan's mouth needs to
stop.
Julie Conrad
Erin Greaves
Communications Manager
208-634-8966
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 15 of 60
Attachment A
http://www.mccall.id.us/
http://www.facebook.com/citvofmccall
http://www.instagram.com/cityofmccall
Get Updates on your Mobile Phone
Text the word MCCALL to 91896
Cd9 cf
McCall
IDAHO
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 16 of 60
Attachment A
From: Anette Soickard
To: Erin Greaves; Sarah Porter
Subject: Fwd: McCall deer
Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2023 1:45:55 PM
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Get Outlook for Android
From: Edit Szanto <edit.szanto@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 3, 2023 1:02:59 PM
To: Bob Giles <bgiles@mccall.id.us>; Colby Nielsen <cnielsen@mccall.id.us>; Mike Maciaszek
<mmaciaszek@mccall.id.us>; Julie Thrower <jthrower@mccall.id.us>; Lyle Nelson
<Inelson@mccall.id.us>
Cc: Anette Spickard <aspickard@mccall.id.us>
Subject: Re: McCall deer
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Good afternoon,
Since I will not be able to attend the community forum tomorrow, I wanted to share with you
that in a matter of days, 177 individuals signed the "STOP the War on McCall Deer!"
petition.
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-war-on-mccall-deer
The text of the petition states:
Help SAVE the McCall deer! Ask the McCall City Council to STOP the war on deer!
Do you love McCall? Do you love seeing the deer in McCall? Do you OPPOSE
killing the town deer? Please SPEAK UP now before it's too late!
The McCall City Council once again is discussing the "town deer issue." We
believe that it is an artificially drummed -up issue based on misinformation, half-
truths, and scare tactics.
Deer were in the area well before there was a town there. It is us humans who
encroached on their territory. The McCall deer do not migrate. They cannot be
relocated. Even Fish and Game warned that if all feeding stops during the winter,
the deer would likely starve to death. Therefore, a "No Feeding" ordinance
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 17 of 60
Attachment A
would likely lead to one thing: the City authorizing the killing of the deer.
Some people are pushing the City Council to enact a "No Feeding" ordinance
that would penalize (even criminalize) feeding the deer in McCall. Residents and
visitors could be looking at misdemeanor charge, up to 6 months in jail, and up
to a $1,000 fine for feeding the deer.
If the Council enacts such ordinance, the next step will be the KILLING of the
deer. The City will either hire a "contractor" to kill the deer or allow the hunting
of the deer within city limits. Either way, it would likely not be a one-time killing
spree, it would likely be an annual event.
You could be walking with your kids or your dog on the walking trails in town,
and someone not that far from you could be stalking a deer, getting ready to kill
it with a firearm or a crossbow. Accidents waiting to happen. Who will be liable
for injuries to people and pets, or for property damage?
We feel that this would be very unsafe for people, children, and pets. We urge
EVERYONE, especially McCall and McCall area residents (full-time and part-time
residents) and those who like to visit McCaII to OPPOSE hunting deer within
McCall city limits and oppose KILLING the deer.
We urge McCall City Council to:
1) Do its own research instead of simply relying on information (or
misinformation) provided by others. Consider bias and special interests.
2) Think critically and question information, methods, and results presented. Act
wisely and with compassion.
3) Consider all stakeholders, including part-time residents, short-term renters,
visitors, taxpayers, etc. McCall is a resort town that relies on tourism.
4) Keep in mind that Fish and Game is funded primarily by hunters and anglers.
Its constituents are hunters. An important part of its mission is to provide a
continued supply of wildlife for hunting and trapping.
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 18 of 60
Attachment A
5) Gather your own data (including deer survey), and ensure that you have
adequate and unbiased historical data to make informed decisions. Do not make
rash decisions based on a very limited one-time data set provided to you by Fish
and Game.
6) Consider the short-term and the long-term impact of adopting a "No Feeding"
ordinance.
7) Commit to non -lethal solutions and budget accordingly. Education efforts to
date have been minimal and insufficient. Other things such as road signs,
lowered speed limit in certain areas, fences, and other methods have not been
implemented.
8) Enforce existing laws first (speed limit, leash laws, etc.).
9) Exhaust all non -lethal options for controlling the deer population. McCall has
not explored all alternative options, and we request this is done before even
considering killing all or even some of the deer. Explore funding/grant
opportunities.
IMMEDIATE action is needed to SAVE the McCall deer!
Thank you very much,
Edit Szanto
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 19 01'60
Attachment A
From: Erin Greave
To: Sarah Porter
Subject: Fwd: trails and wildlife
Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2023 2:07:29 PM
Get Outlook for iOS
From: David Gallipoli <gallipolifish@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 3, 2023 2:06:36 PM
To: Julie Thrower <jthrower@mccall.id.us>; Bob Giles <bgiles@mccall.id.us>; Colby Nielsen
<cnielsen@mccall.id.us>; Lyle Nelson <Inelson@mccall.id.us>; Mike Maciaszek
<mmaciaszek@mccall.id.us>; Anette Spickard <aspickard@mccall.id.us>; BessieJo Wagner
<bwagner@mccall.id.us>; Erin Greaves <egreaves@mccall.id.us>; Michelle Groenevelt
<mgroenevelt@mccall.id.us>; Meredith Todd <mtodd@mccall.id.us>; Kurt Wolf
<kwolf@mccall.id.us>; Delta James <djames@mccall.id.us>
Subject: trails and wildlife
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
The Quandary of Balancing Trails and Wildlife 1 Sierra Club
David J Gallipoli
www.gonefishinstories.com
gallipolifish@gmail.com
203 314 1377
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 20 of 60
Attachment A
HOW TO USE THIS DEER CONFLICT MANAGEMENT & COEXISTENCE PLAN
This deer conflict management and coexistence plan has been prepared by The Humane Society of the United
States (HSUS) for use by communities (including, but not limited to, cities, villages, towns, counties,
homeowners associations, etc.) in humanely and effectively preventing and solving conflicts with white-tailed
deer. The information in this plan has been gathered from scientific and peer -reviewed articles, from experts in
the field of human -deer conflict resolution, and from successful deer conflict management models across the
U.S. We invite you to use this plan as your own or modify it as necessary to suit the needs of your community.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The HSUS would like to specially thank Laura Simon for her expertise and work in the creation of this plan. We
would also like to thank the following individuals for their expert review: John Hadidian, Allen Rutberg, and Colin
Berry.
PHOTO CREDITS
FRONT COVER: Richard Ellis. PAGE 4: RICHARD ELLIS, PAGE 6: ISTOCK; PAGE 11: ISTOCK; PAGE 13: RICHARD ELLIS; PAGE
17: (STOCK; PAGE 19: RICHARD ELLIS; PAGE 20: !STOCK
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 22 of 60
Attachment A
CONTENTS
CONTENTS iii
Introduction 1
Biology of white-tailed deer 2
Deer conflicts and solutions 4
The Comprehensive Approach 9
What communities can do: A step by step guide 11
Lethal Removal 15
A Note on Deer Fertility Control 17
Appendix A: Sample Resolution 18
Appendix B: Sample Public Survey 19
Appendix C: Sample Deer -Vehicle Collision Report Form 21
Appendix D: Tips for Avoiding Deer/Vehicle Collisions 22
Appendix E: Repellents & Scare Devices 23
Appendix F: Handling Orphaned Fawn Calls 26
Appendix G: Sample Public Complaint Form 27
Appendix H: Deer Fertility Control 28
Resources 31
Bibliography 32
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 23 of 60
Attachment A
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 24 of 60
Attachment A
Introduction
As cities and towns develop land and make changes to the landscape that make it more attractive to white-tailed
deer, the inevitable result is a growing number of human -deer conflicts, ranging from garden and ornamental
browse damage to roadway collisions. One of the most publicly supported and sustainable ways for communities
to resolve these conflicts is by promoting policies of co -existence, which acknowledge the need to resolve
conflicts while also encouraging appreciation of wildlife. Community leaders can and should promote ways to
resolve conflicts with deer effectively and humanely, on both an individual and community level.
The goal of this deer conflict management plan is twofold: 1) to provide a framework for evaluating community
issues with white-tailed deer and 2) to recommend step-by-step actions that address conflicts with deer through
a comprehensive, practical, effective, science -based, humane, long-term and community -supported plan.
The end result of putting a plan in place is a community that's more knowledgeable and better equipped to co-
exist with deer and other wildlife.
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 25 of 60
Attachment A
Biology of white-tailed deer
White-tailed deer are North America's most abundant large herbivore, with a range extending from southern
Canada down to South America. Because of their ability to adapt to human -dominated landscapes, white -tails
are also the deer species most commonly encountered in urban and suburban areas. For this reason, this
conflict -management plan focuses on white-tailed deer (referred to from here on as "deer"), although much of
the content presented also applies to issues with other deer species.
Deer are most active around dawn and again at dusk but may be active at any time of day, traveling well -used
trails to their preferred feeding and bedding areas. Their diet changes seasonally and varies locally based on what
is available. As ruminants, their 4 -chambered stomachs are very good at breaking down both high and low quality
food, digesting a varied diet including leaves, buds, twigs, fruits and nuts, grass, corn, alfalfa, and even lichens and
other fungi. They eat a wide variety of green succulent plants in spring and summer, and in the fall eager
consumption of acorns, corn and other tree nuts allows them to build up a store of fat that enables them to
survive the winter season, when only low -quality foods such as the buds and twigs of woody plants are available.
Deer prefer "edge" habitat, the boundary between forest and field, where abundant browse is accessible.
Because suburban landscapes mimic this desired type of habitat, providing food, water, and safe bedding sites
close together, it's no wonder deer exist at high densities in suburbs.
Deer live in matrifocal family groups consisting of the doe and her female offspring from this and previous years.
Bucks may aggregate at some times of the year in small groups, but during the mating season are more solitary.
In places like Canada and the northern U.S. (which have long winters with high snow cover), deer may "yard up"
temporarily in large groups to limit exposure to weather. A deer's home range is usually less than a square mile,
sometimes considerably less for does living in suburbs.
Mating season (or "rut") begins in November in the northern parts of their range and in January or February in
the southern parts of their range. This rutting behavior, combined with the onset of hunting season, means deer
are on the move, resulting in increased roadway crossings at this time of year.
Deer are highly adaptable; they adjust easily and quickly to changing environmental conditions. In lean years,
deer tend to have just one fawn or none, reabsorbing their embryos when their nutritional status is poor. When
their food supply is good, twins or triplets may be born.
When fawns are born they are reddish -brown, weighing about as much as a small cat, with those classic white
spots on their sides and back that serve to camouflage them. They need this camouflage because the doe
"parks" her fawns somewhere (often a suburban backyard) and only visits her fawns twice a day to nurse them,
usually around dawn and dusk.
At about a month old, the fawns will start traveling around with their mother, and imitate what she does. In this
way, they learn the features of their habitat, what and where to browse, who their predators are, and how to
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 26 of 60
Attachment A
avoid them. They are weaned sometime after ten weeks old. Male fawns usually leave after a year, but female
offspring separate from their mothers over a couple of years and may share their mother's home range as
adults.
Deer have quite a few predators, including coyotes, wolves, bobcats, dogs and people. They use speed and agility
to outrun these predators, sprinting up to 30 miles per hour and leaping as high as 10 feet and as far as 30 feet in
a single bound. Although they are great jumpers, fences that are 8 feet or higher typically deter them.
Public Comments
May 4, 2023
Page 27 of 60
Attachment A
Deer conflicts and solutions
ROOT OF CONFLICTS BETWEEN DEER AND PEOPLE:
There are several root causes of conflicts between deer and people in urban and suburban areas:
■ Suburban development: Conversion of farmland and forest to suburbs brings people and deer together in
an environment where both species thrive, inviting conflict. Suburbia's golf courses, parks, grassy lawns
and tree -lined or hedge borders and the flowers, ornamentals, bird feeders and vegetable gardens in
suburban backyards provide more food for deer in suburbia than mature woods where most vegetation is
out of reach in the forest canopy. For the deer, good nutrition means excellent physical condition and a
high reproductive rate; for people, proliferating deer in suburbs means browse lines, depleted gardens, and
road hazards.
• Wildlife feeding: Safe from harassment and hunting, suburban deer can quickly lose their fear of people
and pets and make themselves at home in backyards and on playing fields. Intentional backyard feeding
emboldens them even more, concentrating deer and worsening conflicts.
• Clashing values and perceptions: People vary in their values, perceptions and attitudes towards deer.
Hunters, wildlife watchers, animal advocates and deer feeders see and relate to deer differently. As a result,
residents will differ in their views on how deer issues should be handled, on what the deer conflict is, and
even if one even exists! Their desires and perceptions may be incompatible, leading to discord and
controversy.
BACKYARD AND GARDEN COMPLAINTS:
Much to the displeasure of gardeners, deer enjoy browsing on many of the ornamental plants (such as tulips,
roses, and hostas) commonly and widely used in urban and suburban landscaping. The best way to prevent deer
damage to gardens is to replace plants attractive to deer with more deer -resistant native species and to protect
highly desirable plants with repellents or fencing.
SOLUTIONS:
1. Alternative plantings: Encouraging residents to plant deer -resistant flowers and ornamental varieties
will bring the best results. There is a wide variety of less tasty yet equally beautiful flower and
ornamental options, and many gardening resources which your community website can link to, such as
the local Cooperative Extension Service, nurseries, and deer -resistant gardening specialty lists (see
Resources).
2. Repellents: A variety of repellent products, used singly (or better yet) in combination, can create a very
effective multi -sensory deterrent to repel deer. Commercial repellents work by creating unpleasant
tastes or odors, gastrointestinal discomfort, or a sense of pain (hot pepper or peppermint) when the
active ingredient comes in contact with the eyes, nose, or mucous membranes of the deer. There are a
variety of repellents on the market, yet some work better than others. Some of the more effective
repellents contain a sulphurous odor (e.g., rotten eggs), believed to induce fear by giving off smells that
deer associate with rotten meat or a predator. The trick is to not only choose the right repellent, but to
also apply it diligently - which means every 2 weeks and after any heavy rains. (Please see Appendix E for
recommended repellents and application instructions.
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3. Physical Barriers: There are many options for protecting garden and landscaping plants. An 8 foot
woven wire fence will keep deer out of larger areas, plastic netting can be used over particular bushes,
and individual protective "tubes" and fencing can be placed around prized seedlings until they grow out
of reach of the deer. There are also various options with electric fences. Some contain scent attractants
(to ensure quick contact with electrified material) or moveable polytape "fences," which consist of nylon
material with electric fibers running through it.
4. Scare -based devices: There are various scare -based products on the market, such as a motion -sensing
"Scarecrow" sprinkler device that is hooked up to a hose and blasts any animal moving within a set range
with a strong burst of water. Other devices pose a mild electric shock or emit deer distress calls.
Although deer may acclimate to scare devices over time, if moved around and put on an alternating
schedule, the deterrent effect will last longer.
DEER- VEHICLE COLLISIONS
It is estimated that each year there are roughly 1.5 million deer/vehicle collisions on U.S. roadways. Many factors
contribute to deer -vehicle collisions, such as traffic volume, driver speed and distraction, extent to which roads
bisect habitat, development patterns, extent of visual barriers, and speed limit.
Fortunately, there are many humane and effective ways to reduce the number of collisions involving deer,
ranging from increasing individual awareness and caution to implementing new technology and structures. One
community (Rochester Hills, MI) that implemented these solutions found a large drop in deer -car collisions in
the first year, and has experienced success with a multi -faceted approach for approximately $5000 a year (see
Appendix D for more information).
SOLUTIONS:
1. Public eduction: Some of the best collision -reducing efforts focus on public education of both current
and new drivers. The messaging should focus on the following points:
• Be vigilant. Watch from side to side as you drive, especially in areas of low visibility or where
shrubs or grasses are near the road.
• Watch for group behavior. Deer often travel in groups. If one deer crosses the road, slow down
and watch for more to follow. Females travel together in winter, and fawns follow their mothers
in spring and summer.
• Be extra cautious in the fall, when bucks are on the move due to rutting and hunting seasons,
and in the spring (May to June), when yearlings are seeking new territories.
• Be especially watchful at dusk and dawn, when deer tend to be more active.
• Use your high beams at night and turn down interior lights to see farther ahead. Slow down and
watch for the eye -shine of deer near road edges.
• Try to drive straight, avoiding swerving around wildlife; rather, try to brake firmly and blow your
horn. Animals are easily confused. If you swerve, deer may run into the vehicle rather than away
from it. And swerving could mean driving into another vehicle or off the road into poles or
fences.
• Slow down! Speeds below 45 mph result in fewer accidents with deer.
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2. Enforce speed limits in areas with deer. The lower the speed, the fewer collisions with deer.
3. Erect fences. One of the most successful techniques for alleviating deer/vehicle collisions is to use
fencing to prevent deer from crossing roads. Fences must be at least 8 feet high to deter deer from
jumping over.
4. Install wildlife crossing overpasses or underpasses to help deer and other wildlife safely cross busy
roads and intersections.
5. Install devices that warn deer of oncoming cars:
• Streiter Lite@ reflectors, which reflect headlights
to create an optical illusion of a fence and alert
deer to oncoming vehicles, have been reported
to reduce deer/vehicle collisions by 60 to 100
percent.
• Deer Deter devices alert deer to oncoming
vehicles by combining a strobe light effect with
ultrasonic high-pitched sounds. (Learn more at
http://deerdeter.com)
"Installing signs is just one step we can
take to lessen potential conflicts
between drivers and wildlife."
-LANCE DEVOE, PARK RANGER,
ROCHESTER HILLS, MI
6. Place moveable, changeable message boards at accident hotspots to alert drivers to pending roadway
dangers, and to broadcast seasonal tips such as when fawns are likely to be crossing the road behind
their mothers, or during the November "rut" when bucks are on the move and likely to be crossing
roadways in pursuit of does).
LYME DISEASE
Every year, 300,000 people in the United States contract Lyme disease. This tick -borne disease may begin by
causing a telltale "bullseye" rash and flu -like symptoms which can later lead to various debilitating conditions.
The culprit in the spread of Lyme disease is /xodes scapu/aris, the Black -legged tick. Originally, the tick was called
a "deer tick," a misnomer that has perpetuated the false belief that deer alone are responsible for Lyme disease.
In truth, Lyme disease has a complex ecology in which multiple hosts and varying landscapes affect both its
presence and its impact on people.
This tick carries a disease -causing bacterium (Borre/ia burgdorferi) in its bloodstream. The tick has 3 life stages;
it transforms from a larvae into a nymph and then into an adu/tover a 2 year span. At each life stage, the tick
takes a blood meal while injecting bacterium into a new host. Then the tick drops off and molts into the next life
stage.
The black -legged tick is carried on many different species of birds, some lizards and all mammals. It seems to
prefer a progressively larger host; small rodents like white-footed mice are the primary host for larvae and
nymphs, while deer are a preferred host for adult ticks. The tick distributes itself widely through the movements
of all these hosts. Birds help transport the tick, and therefore the disease, to new areas. Even though the black -
legged tick has so many hosts, deer are the most visible, which led to the tick being mistakenly called the "deer
tick." Communities often advocate for deer culls in an attempt to reduce the number of disease -spreading ticks.
However, there are reasons that killing deer doesn't reduce the population of Lyme -disease causing ticks:
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1. The Black -legged tick has well over 100 hosts, including all mammals, lizards, and many popular
songbirds.
2. Studies have shown that the removal of one host isn't enough to suppress the Lyme -disease causing tick
(Ostfeld, 2011, Jordan et al, 2007). Even when a high proportion of deer are removed from a location,
the ticks switch to other hosts or congregate in higher densities on the remaining deer.
3. Deer removal programs may also put the public more at risk by creating disease "hot spots" (S. Perkins
et al, 2006; Ostfeld, 2011). That is, mature ticks that normally latch onto large hosts (i.e., deer) are more
likely to end up on people and dogs after deer populations have been reduced.
There's good reason why the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and health authorities don't recommend
hunting to control Lyme disease - because it hasn't been shown to work.
SOLUTIONS:
1. Public eduction campaign about the need to routinely check oneself and family members for ticks after
being outdoors, taking precautions like wearing light-colored clothing, tucking in sleeves and socks, using
tick -repelling products on your skin and insecticidal sprays on properties, doing habitat alteration to
reduce tick and tick -host habitat, and consulting a doctor immediately when signs of Lyme disease or the
characteristic rash occur. (see CDC website: www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html)
2. The 4 -poster: This device uses deer to kill ticks. It contains a corn bait to attract deer, and when they
eat the corn, a chemical (10% permethrin) is applied (by rollers) to their necks and shoulders, killing
95%-98% of the adult ticks. This device has been tested by the USDA in a 5 state, 7 year research
program and has proven extremely effective in reducing tick numbers (McGraw and McBride, 1991). A
study done at the Goddard Flight Center also found that by using the 4 -Poster system, adult ticks were
completely eliminated by the 2nd year of the study; and all stages were reduced 91-100% by year 3
(Solberg et al, 2003). The advantages granted by this kind of device seem to outweigh any disadvantages
stemming from the supplemental feeding of deer. This device is well suited to a community level
approach.
3. Damminix Tick Tubes consist of cardboard tubes filled with permethrin-treated cotton balls which mice
use for nesting material. The ticks that feed on mice in the spring and fall are exposed to permethrin
and killed. This product is commercially available and well suited to a property -level approach.
AGGRESSIVE DEER
Rarely, there have been cases of deer being aggressive towards dogs and people. The cause of this is often
protectiveness over fawns, or sometimes humans going into enclosures where bucks are in rut. These incidents
are very rare, not always verified, and often associated with different individual perceptions.
SOLUTIONS:
Educating the public about:
• Not approaching a deer with fawns
• Keeping dogs on a leash (particularly during fawn -rearing season, which occurs late spring to
summer)
• Hazing methods such as approaching a deer and opening and closing an umbrella, clapping hands and
yelling, or shaking an aluminum can with coins inside.
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BIODIVERISTY LOSS/FOREST REGENERATION:
Deer can certainly impact ecosystems and have a strong influence on forest biodiversity. However, many other
factors impact forest biodiversity in largely invisible ways, such as acid rain, insect damage, parasitic organisms,
invasive and other competing plant species, pollution, and weather extremes. In addition, the natural process of
forest growth stages (i.e. succession) means that as forests grow, trees mature and their canopies shade out the
slower growing plants below. The result is that forests become less diverse as they age. Sun -loving flowers may
be shaded out of existence with or without deer.
While we may want to see a certain flower grow somewhere, this doesn't mean it "should" be there. There is no
forest blueprint for what should grow. What we want to see in the natural world is influenced by our aesthetic
preferences —which may not be grounded in any biological reality. It's vital that community leaders have baseline
data collected so that deer impacts can be measured, and make sure any action plan is tailored to achieving very
defined and realistic goals which can be reliably assessed.
SOLUTIONS:
There are various ways to increase biodiversity and forest regeneration. Borrowing from the field of forestry,
one can utilize the following techniques: permanent or moveable fencing, overstory thinning, small patch cuts,
liming, fertilization of soil, stem protectors, etc. The first step, however, is defining exactly what is to be
achieved, and understanding the growing conditions and type/extent of habitat manipulation required for the
desired plant species and assemblages.
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The Comprehensive Approach
There is no one solution to conflicts with deer. A good deer conflict mitigation program will be comprehensive
and multifaceted. The focus needs to be on managing deer conflicts, not deer numbers. Many communities get
mired in arguments about how many deer they have and how many deer they want, and lose sight of more
effective, less costly, and more publicly acceptable ways to manage deer conflicts.
THE PROBLEM WITH NUMBERS
One of the biggest challenges with focusing on deer numbers, rather than deer conflicts, is that it's
extraordinarily difficult to determine how many deer "should" live in an ecosystem or community. Often, the
terms "biological carrying capacity" and "cultural carrying capacity" are used, but what do those terms mean?
Biological carrying capacity (BCC) is the number of deer a given piece of land (or ecosystem) can
support. If BCC is exceeded, that means there's not enough food for all and some deer will starve.
Except in the most extreme and prolonged winters, adult deer rarely starve in suburbs; before deer
populations reach that point, fawn production and survival drop off. However, the term is often
misapplied. You may hear that "BCC has been exceeded" because people see localized signs of heavy
browsing. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the deer are in critical condition - or that they
are anywhere near exceeding their biological carrying capacity. It may just mean that they are eating
certain kinds of plants more heavily than others. Likewise, you may hear that 25 deer per square mile
(or another number) is what your community "should have." This one -size -fits -all recommendation is a
political judgment that has nothing to do with biology. Depending on the type and quality of food and
cover, different kinds of habitats can support different numbers of deer -there's no one magical
number that any community "should" have.
Cultural carrying capacity is the number of deer that is desired or tolerated by people in a given
community. Yet this concept is impossible to define because no one level of deer will satisfy all
residents. For a gardener, 2 deer may be too many, yet for a nature lover or hunter, 25 deer might be
welcome. Surveys show us that people tend to assume that wildlife numbers are parallel with conflict
occurrence and severity. That is, people's desires for more or fewer deer are dependent on whether
they're experiencing conflicts, and the severity of those conflicts. If the conflict is resolved without
removing deer, their tolerance level goes up and they perceive there to be fewer deer, even if the
number of deer remains exactly the same. Community leaders need to be aware of this phenomenon,
and be careful to focus programs on reducing wildlife conflicts, rather than overly focusing on wild
animal numbers.
Another problem with focusing solely on deer numbers, rather than conflicts, is that progress can be difficult to
measure. Obtaining an accurate count of the number of deer in a community can be both expensive and difficult
(with all survey methods involving biases and varying margins of error).
CRUCIAL ELEMENTS OF A DEER CONFLICT MITIGATION PLAN
The focus for an effective deer conflict management plan needs to be on addressing the root cause of conflicts
with deer by using an adaptive management framework, i.e. one that is flexible and allows for modification as
conflicts or unforeseen issues arise.
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There are several elements that are crucial to the success of any deer conflict mitigation plan:
• Collect site -specific data to indicate the localization and seriousness of the conflict. The focus needs
to be on assessing and defining your community's specific deer -related conflicts.
• Set clear, achievable and measurable goals. These goals need to be tailored to address specific conflicts
and have clear benchmarks to assess program success.
• Use strategies that are long-term and site specific. Avoid "quick fix" strategies that don't provide long-
term benefits.
• Create an ongoing monitoring program. A solid monitoring system is vital for assessing whether the
program has achieved its goals, in addition to seeing what changes need to be made. This could be as
simple as setting up a resident complaint and/or collision reporting system.
• Clearly spell out the long term -costs and time -line. The public needs to know how much public money is
supporting the program, over what time period, and where and when certain activities will occur (including
those which might impact them, such as park closings).
• Public outreach, education and involvement are pivotal to program success 8( community support.
Make sure the public is part of the process, is solicited for their input, informed of all key meetings and
decisions, is educated about how to co -exist with deer and resolve conflicts, and if possible directly involved
in providing data and assessing outcomes. The community's web site and all other outreach and media
avenues should be used to achieve this goal.
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Attachment A
What communities can do: A step by step
guide
The goal is to create a Deer Conflict Management Plan which clearly outlines the community's deer -related
conflicts and attempts to resolve them in a site -specific manner. The focus needs to be on managing deer
conflicts, not deer numbers!
STEP 1: GATHER LOCAL DATA:
a. Conduct resident surveys: Surveys can to be distributed through a town -wide mailing with either the
survey itself attached (with a return envelope) or through a link to an online survey platform (such as
SurveyMonkey). These surveys need to objectively measure residents' attitudes towards deer, the type
and severity of their conflicts with deer, and their preferences regarding ways to manage these conflicts.
Sample survey questions are included in Appendix B.
b. Deer -car collision data should be collected through a robust accident -reporting system, with data
collected by the Public Works or police department which includes date, time of day, exact location of
accident, injuries (and severity), damage to vehicle, light conditions, etc. (see Appendix D- sample
Collision Report form). Using this data, identify collision hotspots for warning sign/device placement and
mitigation measures and flag the locations of roadway sightline barriers which need to be removed.
c. A complaint reporting system is helpful for centralizing all deer- related complaints into one central
source and logging them into a universal database which includes type of complaint (damage to garden/
ornamentals, collisions, orphaned fawn, deer sighting), level of severity, and exact location.
d. Collect information on the location and type of deer attractants in town, such as location of public
flower exhibits, roadside or roadway- divider floral beds and who maintains them (ex: Garden Club), and
to what extent they contain deer preferred flower species. Also record location of people who feed deer
for follow-up visits.
e. Deer habitat can be assessed by plotting on a map or Geographic Information System all parcels of
public and private green space, noting areas of high deer density and possible deer corridors.
f. Deer feeder locations and any areas where feeding stations have been reported should be identified.
STEP 2: DO MAP OVERLAYS
Once all the above data is collected, map overlays can be created showing accident hotspots, location and type
of complaints, location of deer feeding activities, and where certain attractants are that entice deer into
roadways. Plotting this type of data will give you a clear picture of what and where your community's specific
deer conflicts are, and where solutions can be applied in a site -specific manner.
STEP 3: CREATE PUBLIC INPUT CHANNELS
The extent to which any deer program is accepted by residents mostly depends on their perception of how fair
and open the process was and if their concerns were heard. To this end, the following can be done:
a. Conduct resident survey (as outlined above)
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b. Set up a deer task force. To be effective and credible, this committee should be balanced, with all
important stakeholder positions fairly represented.
c. Have open public forums to discuss the deer situation. Residents should be encouraged to speak at
these forums. Guest/expert speakers can also be very helpful, but again, credibility requires that diverse
views are represented among speakers.
d. Present easily accessible information to public: The town or city's website and other outreach/ media
connections can be utilized to provide good information to the public about deer conflict management
methods such as how to deer -proof your garden or yard and avoid collisions, and why not to feed deer.
It can also be used to keep the public apprised about what the town is considering, any key meetings, and
the work of its deer committee. Make sure that any report or information includes long and short-term
costs (direct, indirect) and a specific timeline. The media and other information distribution channels
should be utilized to maximize public awareness, education and outreach.
STEP 4: CREATE ACTION PLAN: UTILIZE RANGE OF NON -LETHAL OPTIONS FOR SITE -SPECIFIC
APPLICATION
After completing the Evaluation phase, set out the Action Plan as approved by the Deer Task Force and
community leaders, and based on public input. One designated person should be in charge of overseeing the
deer program (i.e. serve as the Deer Program Coordinator). The Coordinator could develop a master list of
volunteers who, after appropriate training, can speak to those residents who call with complaints, do site visits,
and even give samples of repellents or information about deer -resistant plants for those who are having
backyard deer issues. The deer program can and should be promoted as a source of community pride, as
something that is achievable with some effort on the part of all residents, and something that can bring about a
harmonious relationship between residents and their community wildlife. Components of the action plan should
be specific, measurable, and specific to the root causes of conflicts with deer in the community:
A. Deer Damage to Gardens
a. Public Education: Put conflict -solving information on community website (including web
links to local resources), and informative flyers in community mailings on where to find
deer -resistant plant lists, repellents, and fencing options. Local Cable TV and news media,
electric bill inserts, and other information distribution channels should be considered along
with special public presentations given for residents on conflict -solving methods.
b. Host deer -resistant gardening workshops for residents which are presented in the evening
or on weekends by an expert and also include site visits to homes for private consultations.
c. Promote deer -resistant flower and ornamental species in all community landscaping and
floral displays. Collaborate with garden club and local beautification committees to ensure
that all town floral displays contain deer -resistant species and use these to publicize
preventative gardening strategies.
d. Set up town study plots. Have a deer -resistant garden plot next to a deer -attracting garden
plot, plus various plots to which certain repellants are applied (along with control plots for
comparison). Put photos of deer damage (or lack of) on website and use study plots to
educate residents how to garden defensively.
e. Host deer -proofing demonstration days - Utilize boy scouts and other local volunteer
groups to put up fencing or tree guards at local parks and have "deer discount days" at local
garden stores (i.e. where deer deterrent products are discounted on certain days, etc).
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B. Deer -Car Collisions: Once local deer collision data has been collected and analyzed, the following
solutions can be applied. Coordinate a roadway maintenance plan which is overseen by a designated
person:
a. Do educational outreach (i.e. "Don't Veer for Deer" campaign): put information on
community web site, PSAs, local media. Focus on peak months (Nov -Dec rut and May -July
fawn rearing). (See Appendix D for more information)
b. New driver education: get driving tips and Don't Veer for Deer campaign literature to all new
driver education programs (partner with high school, driving school, programs for the
elderly, etc).
c. Reduce visual barriers on roadways: do vegetative management and brush removal to
increase visibility on major roadways and negotiate with private landowners about reducing
roadway brush on private property adjacent to major roads or accident hotspots.
d. Treat collision hot spots, utilizing speed bumps, fencing, movable changeable message
boards, warning devices (ex: Streiter lites, Deer Deter Wildlife Crossing Guard
(http://strieter-lite.com ; http://deerdeter.com), and evaluating hot spots for possible lower
speed limit designation
e. Investigate possible salt replacement alternatives for winter.
f. Set up and maintains accident -reporting system and continue mapping accident locations
and other details.
g.
Use Rochester Hills MI "Don't Veer for Deer" campaign as a model - see
http://www.rochesterhills.org/index.aspx?NID=569
C. Deer feeders
a. Develop educational literature, publicizing how feeding is not good for the deer.
b. Encourage neighbor -to -neighbor sit-downs and have town personnel conduct diplomatic
visits to offenders.
c. A deer feeding ban ordinance can be passed to discourage the feeding of deer, and contact
information provided for the reporting of violators.
D. Lyme disease
a. Public education campaign focusing on personal prevention steps, including links on
community website to CDC and other expert resources regarding disease prevention
methods (personal protection measures, landscaping practices, etc.
b. Tick Management: Consider drawing up community -based plan for strategic placement of
4 -Posters (see Lyme disease section for more information on 4 -posters).
E. Biodiversity issues
a. Seek out collaboration with local Natural Resource schools/universities to have college
students do field survey work to objectively assess deer impacts and browsing levels on local
flora and establish baseline data.
b. Consider use of forestry methods (fertilizing, temporary or permanent fencing, stem
protectors, etc) to protect valued plant communities.
F. Aggressive/Habituated deer
a. Assessment: Have local animal care and control professional evaluate the situation.
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b. Educate residents about temporary and rare nature of aggressive deer situations,
importance of keeping dogs and people away from fawns, and describe hazing methods they
can use if a deer comes too dose or becomes threatening.
G. Orphaned fawns: This topic should be included in all educational materials and in spring -summer media
(See Appendix F for more information):
• That the vast majority of seemingly "orphaned fawns" are NOT orphaned and should be left
alone.
• It is common to have fawns "parked" in yards and fields by their mother and as they rely on
environmental camouflages for protection. The doe will nurse her fawn twice a day but stays
away the rest of the time since her odor will attract predators (fawns are odorless). Once
the fawn is about a month old, it will travel around with its mother.
• Only if the fawn is injured, wandering and vocalizing all day, and/or a dead lactating doe is
found in the road should the fawn go to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
• If the fawn is picked up by a well-intentioned resident, the resident needs to be advised to
quickly return the fawn to the original site for the mother to reclaim.
STEP 5: PROGRAM ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING:
1. Set up a robust resident complaint and deer -car collision reporting system and monitor over time to see
if goals are achieved and if accidents and "nuisance" complaints decline over time (See Appendices B, C
and G)
a. Resident complaints: record type, extent, duration, location of complaint, time and date
b. Collision reporting: accident location (exact), time of day, if injuries, damage to car(s), if just
dead deer in road, etc.
2. Conduct resident survey every year to measure resident satisfaction with program, see if satisfaction
ratings increase.
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Lethal Removal
It is commonly assumed that hunting or organized deer culling will decrease the deer population; however, there
are issues with this approach:
1. Increased reproduction: Deer are very adaptable, and their productivity is keenly tied to their food
resource. When there are fewer deer in an area and abundant food, they will maximize their
reproduction - i.e. having twins and triplets in the spring instead of a single fawn. This causes their
numbers to rebound quickly after any deer removal. Therefore, even if deer numbers can be
lowered, they don't stay at that level.
2. Immigration of new deer to area: Deer from the surrounding area may take advantage of any
vacated niche. This, combined with a high reproductive rate, can lead to deer numbers bouncing
back quickly after any depopulation effort.
3. Deer moving to sanctuary areas once hunting or professional culling commences: Deer will
move into unhunted "safe" areas within their habitat (or even make long distance movements) in
response to hunting or culling activities. Once lethal control has ceased, they move right back into
their original territory.
4. Increased removal effort: Even if deer numbers are lower after lethal removal efforts, it then
requires more effort by hunters or sharpshooters to take out the same number of deer (since the
deer will be scarcer and warier) in subsequent years. Lower deer numbers also make the
environment less attractive to hunters, and drive up costs for professional culling.
5. Recurring challenge: Getting deer numbers to a low level, and then keeping them at that level, can
be extremely difficult and result in the need for perpetual annual hunts or culling activities.
SPECIAL CHALLENGES FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS TO CONSIDER BEFORE INITIATING LETHAL
CONTROL:
1. Inaccessible hunting areas: Many community hunts or culls are limited to larger public green space
areas for safety reasons. This is particularly problematic in densely populated areas. Even where
density is lower, some private landowners will not want hunters on their properties. These
challenges of access, combined with localized deer home ranges in urban and suburban areas, mean
that deer killed in one area may not be the ones causing conflicts elsewhere.
2. Safety concerns: Residents in urban and suburban communities may be concerned about safety
issues such as stray arrows or shotgun slugs going into their yards or homes, and panicked or
wounded deer darting onto roadways.
3. Ethical concerns: Before instituting any lethal control program, it should be determined that there
are no humane alternatives available that could be used instead. Lethal control should only be used
when necessary to protect human safety and when no humane alternatives are available. If lethal
control is deemed necessary, any control method should predictably and effectively cause the least
amount of harm to the least amount of animals.
4. Controversy: Any sort of cull or hunt will result in a certain amount of controversy. In the worst
cases, for example when wounded animals are seen by distressed citizens, the public can become
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divided and angry, drawing time and attention away from other issues of public concern.
5. Logistical issues: Wounded deer may run off huntable property onto private land. Therefore the
town may need to consider:
• Will adjoining landowners be asked to allow hunter trespass for blood trail tracking purposes?
• Will public parks be closed during hunting periods?
• Will other recreational activities be impeded?
• Will set -back restrictions (pertaining to firearms discharge within a certain distance of a
dwelling) be amended to allow for more hunter access?
6. Additional liability insurance: Town attorneys need to explore if the town or community is
covered for all liability in regard to culling activity.
7. High direct and indirect costs: If sharpshooters are used, there will be a recurring annual cost. If
public hunters are used, there are indirect costs for the community such as law enforcement staff
time and overtime, and restricted use of town green space.
8. Use of public funds: Doing "something" (e.g. a deer cull) may appease those who want to see
action taken, but if the conflicts aren't solved, then it's ultimately a waste of taxpayer dollars.
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A Note on Deer Fertility Control
Deer fertility control is an innovative and advancing field with demonstrated applicability to suburban and urban
deer populations. Options range from immunocontraception (using a vaccine that induces an immune response
to block reproduction) to surgical sterilization (which involves surgically removing reproductive organs or
interrupting the fertilization pathway).
Most of these tools are still in experimental phases, and thus are not available for general use at this writing.
However, researchers are refining and field-testing deer fertility control methods, while policy managers pursue
federal and state registration to allow for future management applications.
A more detailed description of fertility control methods is provided in Appendix I.
For more information about fertility control options or to further discuss the process of conducting a pilot
project, please contact HSUS via email: wildlife@hsus.org.
Additional resources may also be found through The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control:
www.wildlifefertilitycontrol.org, or through the Science and Conservation Center: www.sccpzp.org.
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Appendix A: Sample Resolution
Resolution No.
A Resolution Approving a Deer Conflict Management Plan
WHEREAS the City of has a duty and responsibility to protect their health, safety and welfare of its
residents; and
WHEREAS it is recognized that deer are a natural part of the landscape and the ecology of the region, despite
human encroachment upon their habitat; and
WHEREAS deer provide great pleasure to residents and are beneficial to the community as a whole, and
WHEREAS deer may create conflicts due to their browsing activities and movements and certain human
activities may serve to unintentionally create or exacerbate such deer -human conflicts; and
WHEREAS due to the varied interests of persons and organizations regarding actions that can be taken in the
management of deer, a written management plan is desirable to ensure that the varied interests are evaluated
and considered when seeking to address conflicts with deer, and;
WHEREAS the purpose of the Deer Conflict Management & Coexistence Plan is to provide effective long term
solutions to deer conflicts, including education, habitat modification, hazing, exclusion, repellent methods, and
tolerance, to resolve and reduce human -deer conflicts within the City in a humane, ecologically sound, and
effective manner; and
WHEREAS deer -related conflicts can be resolved through public education about deer -resistant gardening,
defensive driving, tick -borne disease prevention, and feeding bans along with effective roadway signage and
maintenance practices, among other recommended actions; and
WHEREAS the City is directed to prioritize nonlethal methods, including education and methods list within the
Deer Management Plan, as primary methods in deer management; and ,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF that the Deer
Conflict Management Plan attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference, is hereby approved.
The resolution shall be effective immediately.
Adopted and approved this day of
Attest
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Attachment A
Appendix B: Sample Public Survey
Name
Address
Phone (cell) (home) Email:
1. Do you enjoy seeing deer in the community?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Sometimes
d) In the community, but not in my yard
2. Are you experiencing any deer issues currently?
Yes No
3. What deer -related issues are you/ have you experienced in the past year? (*Browsing = eating of
vegetation)
a) Deer -auto collision
b) Browsing* of vegetable gardens
c) Browsing* on ornamentals/ flowers
d) Browsing* of crops
e) Human -habituated "too tame" deer
f) Neighbor feeding deer and attracting them to my yard
g) Other:
4. Rate the level of severity of any deer issue you've experienced in the past year:
Use a 1-5 scale here, with 1 being caused no problem to 5 being caused a severe problem:
a) Deer -car collision
b) Browsing on vegetable garden
c) Browsing on ornamentals/ flowers
d) Browsing of crops
e) Human -habituated "too tame" deer
f) Neighbor feeding deer
g) Other:
5. Have you taken any actions to alleviate the deer issues?
Yes No
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6. What actions have you taken? (circle all that apply, and indicate how successful the action was on a 1-5
scale —with 1 being ineffective and 5 being highly effective)
a) _Tolerance / no action
b) _Switched to planting deer -resistant flower/ plant varieties
c) _Used fencing/ netting/ barriers
d) _Used repellents
e) _Scare devices
f) _Hazing - i.e. using scare tactics to re -instill natural fear of humans
g) _Other -
7. What kind of deer conflict management program is acceptable to you?
a) Prefer non -lethal (no killing of deer) options only
b) Prefer Lethal (killing of deer) options only
c) Combination of both options above for managing issues
d) No opinion/Don't care
e) Other:
8. What specific actions are acceptable to you?
a) Do nothing/ leave deer alone
b) Non -lethal population control measures -dart deer with contraception vaccine or use surgical
sterilization
c) Non -lethal conflict mitigation measures - public education and workshops on deer resistant
gardening, prevention of Lyme disease, preventing deer -vehicle collisions, etc.
d) Lethal measures - archery hunting
e) Lethal measures - shotgun hunting
f) Lethal measures -sharpshooting program
g) Other:
9. How do you feel about deer?
a) I enjoy the presence of deer,
b) I enjoy the presence of deer, BUT I am experiencing some conflicts
c) I do not enjoy the presence of deer and regard them as nuisances
d) I'm concerned about collisions
e) I'm concerned about Lyme disease
f) Other:
10. Please provide additional comments or a description of issues that you would like to make the
committee aware of regarding deer.
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Appendix C: Sample Deer -Vehicle Collision
Report Form
DATE OF ACCIDENT (month/day/year):
EXACT LOCATION (street intersection or address):
TIME OF ACCIDENT (specify a.m. or p.m.):
TYPE OF VEHICLE:
ROAD CONDITIONS:
Wet
LIGHT CONDITIONS:
Dawn
WEATHER:
Dry
INJURY SEVERITY:
Dry Dirt
Daylight hours Dusk Evening
Rain Snow Ice Windy
Human injury Human fatality Deer Injury
VEHICLE DAMAGE?
None Minor Significant
DEER INFO:
Fawn Adult (M or F)
Severe
Did driver hit deer or swerve/ not hit deer ?
Deer run off? yes no
ANY SIGNAGE/WARNING DEVICE NEARBY?
Yes No
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Deer Fatality
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Appendix D: Tips for Avoiding
Deer/Vehicle Collisions
This kind of information can be put into educational materials, posters, fliers and web site text to help residents
reduce the likelihood of collisions with deer:
BE VIGILANT: When you drive, make a habit of watching from side to side, especially in areas of low visibility or
where roadside shrubs or grasses are close to the road.
WATCH FOR GROUP BEHAVIOR: Deer tend to travel in groups. If one deer crosses the road, watch for more to
follow. Female deer tend to stay together as "doe groups" in winter and have young fawns following them in the
spring.
BE AWARE OF SEASONS: In the fall (Nov -Dec), bucks are on the move due to rutting and hunting seasons. In
spring (May- June), fawns are following their mothers. Be extra careful driving at these peak times of year.
BE AWARE OF TIME OF DAY: Deer are most active at dusk and dawn. Be watchful, especially during early
morning and evening, when wildlife may be moving across roads.
USE HIGH BEAMS: At night, use your high beams to see farther ahead. Slow down and watch for the eye -shine
of deer near the road edges.
DRIVE STRAIGHT! Do not swerve to avoid wildlife but stay in your lane, brake firmly, and blow your horn.
Animals are easily confused. If you swerve, you may collide with another car, telephone pole, fence or other
roadside object. Also deer may run into the vehicle rather than away from it.
IF YOU HIT A DEER: Pull off the roadway. Turn on the vehicle hazard flashers, and be careful of other traffic
when you leave your car. Don't attempt to drag a deer off the roadway unless you know it's dead and it's safe to
do so. An injured deer can cause serious injury.
See: http://www.rochesterhills.org/index.aspx?NID=569 and www.deercrash.org for more information and
http://www.michigandeercrash.com/Deer_Crash_Brochure.pdf for a sample brochure
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Appendix E: Repellents & Scare Devices
Repellents are products that are meant to disrupt and reduce deer browsing. However, deer are very adaptable.
Therefore, the effectiveness of repellents will depend on a number of factors:
• Seasonal changes in plant palatability
• Local deer taste preferences
• Availability of alternative foods
• Time of year
• Deer density
• Type of repellent and concentration of active ingredients
• Durability of the repellent and how often it is applied
Plants are most vulnerable in winter when snow cover or extreme cold reduces food availability, and in early
spring when young, succulent spring growth on ornamentals may occur before native plants. In addition, most
repellents require reapplication at regular 2-3 week intervals and after heavy rains. This is why people may
consider repellents to be labor-intensive and not always cost-effective, particularly over larger acreage. On the
more positive side, repellents are easy to apply and invisible, thus having much aesthetic appeal.
WHAT MAKES SOME REPELLENTS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHERS?
Odor -Based Repellents: The most effective deer repellents tend to be those that produce sulfurous odors and
are considered "fear -inducing." These repellents depend completely on detection through odor. It is believed
that deer associate a sulphur smell with the presence (or carnage) of a predator or spoiled food. Not all
sulphurous odors are equally effective, however. For example, compounds containing garlic seem to be less
effective than sulphur compounds in urine.
Aside from fear -inducing odors, repellents use other modes of action (some repellents combine several modes
of action) which include:
• Taste: These include bitter ingredients that presumably create a bad flavor. Taste receptors in deer are
different from those in humans; some compounds which are very bitter to people don't bother deer at
all. Taste -based repellents must be continually applied to the growing parts of plants. Taste -based
repellents seem to have a shorter duration of effectiveness than odor -based. This may be due to the
lack of an associated odor cue, so deer repeatedly sample growing plants and quickly notice if the hot
pepper flavor is absent from any plant parts.
• Pain: these include ingredients like hot pepper (capsaicin) or ammonia, which cause irritation on
contact with the mucous membranes, eyes, mouth, nose or gut.
• Conditioned aversion: these products cause animals to form an association between the treated item
and a feeling of sickness, usually gastrointestinal.
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TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL REPELLENT APPLICATION:
1. All repellents work best if applied before the deer's feeding pattern becomes established. This means
applying repellents before bud -break and as new growth appears. The goal is not to break a browsing
habit, but rather to prevent one from forming!
2. Repellents need to be reapplied after heavy rains. Routine reapplication every 2-3 weeks is vital so that
new, growing plant parts are protected as well.
3. Deer may become accustomed to the same repellent and ignore it over time. Alternating repellents may
help to keep the deer confused and more wary.
4. At the height of growing season, choose an odor repellent over a taste -based one. Taste -based
repellents need to be constantly applied to any new growth to keep the whole plant tasting bad.
HOW DO I CHOOSE A REPELLENT?
Many repellents are stocked by local garden, farm supply or hardware store, and it's a good idea to ask what
seems to be working best in your area.
NON-COMMERCIAL REPELLENTS:
Soap Bars: Hanging a bar of soap from a bush or tree will help protect it. Be sure to leave the soap wrapper ON
and drill a hole through the center of the soap and suspend it with a string. The brand of soap must be high in
tallow fatty acid, like Irish Spring. Glycerin and coconut -based fatty acid soaps do NOT seem to repel deer well.
Disadvantage: the sphere of protection is limited to the immediate area around the tree/bush. Be sure to hang
the soap bars no more than 3 feet apart, up to a height of 6 feet, all around the tree/bush.
Human Hair: Although hanging sachets of human hair costs very little, it does not consistently repel deer. Hair
can be obtained from beauty salons and barbershops quite easily, however. Hair should be bagged in 1/8 -inch
mesh bags or nylon stockings, and contain at least 2 handfuls of hair apiece. Bags should be hung at least 3 feet
apart from each other and up to a height of 6 feet if the tree/bush to be protected has a wide diameter. Refresh
the bags monthly with fresh hair.
HOMEMADE SOLUTIONS:
• Mix 3 eggs well in a blender. Mix with 1 gallon of water. Spray on plants. Reapply after heavy rains.
Disadvantage: this solution may clog sprayer.
• Mix 4 eggs, 2 oz. red pepper sauce, 2 oz. chopped garlic. Blend with enough water to make 1 quart.
Strain and apply with spray can.
A SAMPLING OF COMMERCIAL REPELLENTS:
Deer Away Big Game Repellent (BGR): This product comes in both a powder and liquid) and has scored well in
repellent studies. BGR is an odor -based repellent comprised mostly of putrescent egg solids. It is usually available
in garden stores.
Miller's Hot Sauce and Deer Away Deer and Rabbit Repellent: Both of these products rely on trigeminal nerve
irritation in the mouth caused by the hot pepper sensation. The effectiveness of any capsaicin-based (hot
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pepper) product appears to depend largely on the concentration of capsaicin used and that the product be
reapplied every 2-3 weeks (or less) so that any new plant growth is covered.
Hinder: This is an odor deterrent, based on ammonium soaps high in fatty acid. This is one of the few products
that can be used on garden vegetables. It is usually available in garden stores.
Milorganite: This human sewage -based fertilizer is primarily an odor deterrent, available at most garden stores.
Recommendation: Spread in a wide band around the perimeter of a garden, reapply as directed and after heavy
rains. It is usually available in garden stores.
SCARE DEVICES:
Another way to deter deer is to scare them. However, deer tend to habituate to most scare devices over time.
Their initial fear of a device that looks, moves, or sounds strangely may even result in curiosity followed by rapid
habituation as the deer learns that the device is not harmful. Here are some examples but this list is not all-
inclusive:
• Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler: This is a motion sensor combined with a sprinkler that
attaches to a spray hose. When a deer comes into its adjustable, motion detecting range, a sharp burst
of water is sprayed at the animal. By combining a physical sensation with a startling stimulus, this device
appears to be more effective than other devices that rely on sights or sounds alone. This device
reportedly is effective for other mammals that may come into gardens.
• Havahart #5250 "Electronic Deer Repellent": This highly portable "repellent" consists of 3 stake -like
devices, cotton and a scent lure and is aesthetically colored to blend into the environment. The deer are
attracted to the lure and receive a mild electric shock when they reach it. The concept is to train them,
through aversive conditioning, to stay away from gardens. This 3 -post device covers 1200 square feet of
garden, according to the company. The current produced by this device has very low amperage and
duration of only a few milliseconds.
• Ultrasonic Devices: There are several devices which are intended to repel wildlife by producing high -
frequency, short-wave ultrasonic sounds that are inaudible to people but are heard by the target
animals. While ultrasonic devices placed in yards and other outdoor areas can be effective for keeping
deer away, devices like "deer whistles" meant to be affixed to car bumpers to prevent deer -auto
collisions have not been shown to be effective.
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Appendix F: Handling Orphaned Fawn Calls
In late spring and summer, residents may see a helpless -looking fawn curled up in their yard. They often assume
the fawn is orphaned, and grab the animal. They don't realize that this is the worst thing they can possibly do.
What's happened is that the mother deer has "parked" her fawn somewhere that seemed safe in the night. The
fawn is completely dependent on her spotted coat (blends into the landscape) and on being scent -less to avoid
detection by dogs, coyotes, and other sources of danger.
Only when the fawn is a month old will she start traveling around with her mother. Until then, she stays put -
more or less —and waits for her mother to come back and nurse her 2-3 times a day - usually in the early
morning or at night. The doe does not stay with her fawn because she doesn't want to attract predators.
People don't realize this, and instead "kidnap" many healthy fawns, mistakenly thinking they're orphaned. They
don't realize the mother is frantically looking for her baby, and that the fawn needs to be raised by its mother in
order to learn vital survival skills.
If the caller has already picked up the fawn, they should be instructed to:
• Promptly return the fawn to exactly where she was found. (Let the caller know that, contrary to
popular myth, the doe will not abandon her fawn due to human scent.)
• Do not stay at the site or the mother will stay away.
ONLY under the following circumstances should the caller be instructed to take the fawn to a licensed
wildlife rehabilitator:
• If the mother is definitely dead (ex: if roadstruck - the undersides can be checked for signs of lactation).
• If he fawn has been crying and wandering around all day.
• If the fawn is definitely injured (i.e. broken leg --- not to be confused with their normal wobbly stage
when they first start moving around.)
Rehabilitators can be located by going to: www.humanesociety.org/wildliferehab
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Appendix G: Sample Public Complaint Form
Name Date:
Address City:
Email
Phone
Is complaint at your home? If not, location:
COMPLAINT TYPES: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Browsing flowers aggressive to person
Browsing vegetable garden _ Neighbor feeding deer
_Browsing trees/ ornamental CONCERNS (NO ACTUAL CONFLICT)
Concern about having collision
Collision with own vehicle
Concern about Lyme disease
Collision with other vehicle
"Too many deer"
_Caught in netting or fence
Concern for deer welfare
_Came into house or dwelling
Orphaned fawn
At birdfeeder
Want to hunt in town
_Aggressive to pet
Don't want hunting in town
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Appendix H: Deer Fertility Control
OVERVIEW
The first step for a community considering the use of fertility control to manage deer population numbers is to
closely evaluate whether it is justified based on the characteristics and severity of deer conflicts. It is important
to determine whether fertility control will really address your community's particular concerns. Once this has
been discussed, and your community's plan seeks to include a fertility control component, the next step would
be to contact a fertility control researcher or service provider to further discuss your community's goals,
problems, and possible solutions and learn about what options might be practical and logistically feasible. At this
time, most fertility control programs for deer are multi -year research -based projects and require significant
scientific justification and oversight in order to be carried out in the field.
Fertility control options may be initially expensive and labor intensive, but because these options result in few or
no fawns being born, they provide a long-lasting effect and prevent that "bounce back" in deer numbers that
would otherwise occur every spring fawning season. Laboratory and field researchers continue to develop, test,
and refine deer fertility control tools and techniques. The following material will provide additional information
on different methods and applications of current deer fertility control efforts.
IMMUNOCONTRACEPTION
Immunocontraception is a fertility control method that uses the body's immune response to prevent pregnancy.
There are multiple immunocontraceptive products being utilized, researched, refined, and field-tested for use in
deer.
The most extensively tested immunocontraceptive is porcine zona pellucida (PZP), a protein based vaccine that
is given to females via intramuscular injection (either by hand or with a dart delivered via CO2-powered dart gun
or blowpipe). This injection causes her to produce antibodies that bind to her egg coating and block sperm
attachment, thereby blocking fertilization during breeding. Currently, PZP is being tested on deer in the field
under state -issued scientific use permits.
Currently developed PZP formulations utilized include:
• Native (PZP) -Provides ayear of contraception with two initial treatments. Contraception is extended
for one or more years with annual boosters. May be delivered by dart or by hand. Native PZP is EPA -
Registered for use in deer as ZonaStat-D, but ispendingfinal revisions; state registrations, which
will be needed for management use, are pending. Native PZP is manufactured at the Science and
Conservation Center in Billings, MT. http://www.sccpzp.org/
• PZP- 22 - Combines the native PZP vaccine with a set of controlled -release PZP pellets that extend
contraception to approximately 2 years or more with a single injection. Past studies in deer have
documented the success of hand -injections. Field studies testing effectiveness and longevity of remotely
delivered PZP-22 booster treatments are underway . PZP-22 is not yet registered with the EPA, nor with
any individual states.SpayVac® - Is a PZP vaccine produced by Immuno Vaccine Technologies, Nova
Scotia, Canada which has demonstrated multi -year effectivity with a single dose. The mechanism of
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action of SpayVac@ may differ somewhat from that of native PZP and PZP-22. SpayVac R is not yet
registered with the EPA, nor with any individual states.
Another immunocontraceptive agent that has been effectively used in deer fertility control programs is
GonaConTM. In contrast to PZP-based vaccines, GonaConTM works by specifically targeting the hormone GnRH
(gonadotropin releasing hormone). GnRH is a normally occurring hormone that stimulates and regulates the
production of sex hormones in males and females. Antibodies produced in response to GonaConTM injections
neutralize naturally -occurring GnRH and block the release of these sex hormones, resulting in infertility. Because
the steroid hormones blocked by GonaConTM influence behavior and manyphys/olog/ca/processes, it should be
applied with caution until more field testing has been completed. In particular, use on males should be avoided
because of its demonstrated effects on antler growth.
• GonaConT"" - was developed by the USDA/APHIS National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins,
Colorado, and registered by the EPA for use in white-tailed deer in 2009. In captive studies, this vaccine
has also demonstrated multi -year fertility control in female deer (approximately 2 to 4 years) with a
single injection.
SURGICAL STERILIZATION
Surgical sterilization involves a much more invasive process than immunocontraception, but once performed is
permanent. Like other methods of fertility control, surgical sterilization is still in the experimental stages (with
the exception of the state of Maryland, where this method is permitted for deer management outside of
research). This method requires the management team to have specific expertise in both chemical capture
(sedation darting) and veterinary anesthesia and surgery.
Though sex -specific, there are multiple methods of surgical sterilization procedures being applied in the field, all
of which are performed under anesthesia by a licensed veterinarian with adequate training in such techniques.
For female deer:
Ovariectomy - ovaries are surgically removed. This procedure yields permanent infertility, as animals
cannot reproduce without ovaries and eggs present for impregnation.
Tubal Ligation -Fallopian tubes are clamped and separated so eggs won't travel from the ovary into the
uterus. This method is commonly referred to a getting one's "tubes tied", and since the sex organs that
produce and house eggs are still present, there is a very small chance that an egg could still find its way
into the uterus and the animal could become pregnant. Therefore, since a pregnancy can technically still
occur (although rare), this method does not guarantee permanent infertility 100% of the time.
For Male Deer:
Vasectomy- the vas deferens are clamped and separated to avoid the advance of sperm from the
testicles into the seminal stream. Similar to tubal ligation, since the sex organs (testes) that produce and
house sperm are still present, there is a very small chance that sperm could still find its way into the
seminal stream. Therefore, since release of sperm can technically still occur (although rare), this method
does not guarantee permanent infertility 100% of the time. Castration, or removal of both testes, in NOT
recommended in deer. Given the role that testosterone plays in deer behavior and antler growth, the
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testes should remain in the body to avoid potentially life threatening side effects related to inhibited
antler development.
Fertility Control Field Research Requirements
At this time, most fertility control methods are only permitted for use under the auspices of research by field
scientists. Regardless of the method of fertility control, research projects require sound scientific study design,
where the purpose and outcomes will contribute to the existing body of research and knowledge within the field.
Research permits are awarded at the discretion of the individual state's wildlife and natural resource authorities,
who generally require a full research proposal be submitted. Additional review and permissions from
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees may be required under the Animal Welfare Act and other
applicable laws. Depending on the technology being tested, EPA authorization may also be needed.
For management applications, fertility control project plans must still be reviewed and permitted by the state
wildlife authority. Each state wildlife authority will impose requirements that they see fit for their individual
state's requirements and needs.
For more information about fertility control options or to further discuss the process of conducting a
pilot project, please contact HSUS Staff via email: wildlife@hsus.org
ADDITIONAL FERTILITY CONTROL RESOURCES
Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control: www.wildlifefertilitycontrol.org
Science and Conservation Center: www.sccpzp.org
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Resources
DEER -VEHICLE COLLISIONS:
• www.deercrash.com - put together by various DOTs with methods and reviews
• www.michigandeercrash.com/Deer_Crash_Brochure.pdf - sample brochure
DEER -RESISTANT PLANTS:
• hwww.deerresistantplants.com
• www.easywildflowers.com - great native flower resource
• wildlifehotline.org/deer.html
• www.humanesociety.org/deer
• www.deerproofyourgarden.com -gardening expert Sandy Baker is available to give public presentations,
private landowner garden assessments, and make deer -proofing recommendations for communities
• Local garden stores
• Local Cooperative Extension Service - for listing of native deer -resistant plants
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Attachment A
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