With cities and farms taking over what used to be woods and wild lands, most of the deer’s natural enemies have disappeared or retreated to areas more hospitable to their needs. Modern man is one of the few predators left for the species.

Deer might look lovely in picturesque landscapes, but the damage overpopulated deer can inflict on a community is sometimes devastating. More than a million traffic accidents are caused by deer each year. On average, 200 Americans lose their lives yearly in those accidents. Deer can also destroy small crops and carry disease-infected parasites like ticks.

To counter this, many cities throughout the country have instituted programs to manage their deer populations — in cooperation with state authorities. Some allow hunting within the city limits: For example, Mason City, Iowa, works with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to reduce deer herds.

Last season, Mason City hunters who were approved by the police department could harvest and report three female deer on city-approved land from Sept. 16 until Jan. 10. Police chief Jeff Brinkley said, “This has been a great opportunity to provide additional locations and options for bow hunters while working to impact our urban deer herd that contributes to property damage and vehicle collisions inside of Mason City.”

“Since the start of the DMZ program in 2016, there have been 343 deer harvested inside the city limits by bow hunters. We have also had several private property owners who have invited hunters onto their property to help control the deer population,” he continued. “I hope that there is continued interest from hunters who are looking for a convenient way to fill DMZ tags and harvest additional deer.”

Sheridan, Wy., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Roundup, Mont. – the state with the highest number of deer collisions in the West – also allows for bow hunting on private property and certain public lands within the city limits. Roundup’s program focuses only on mule deer, a major problem in the area. In Pittsburgh and Rapid City, S.D., the meat harvested from these hunts goes to feed hungry residents through local food programs.

Scott Anderson, parks division manager for Rapid City, reported that 200 deer totaling nearly 55,000 pounds of venison have gone to feed the poor in the last 10 years through a local food bank. The city’s deer management program has been in effect since 1995. Each fall, city officials count the number of deer, compare that data to other years and make a recommendation on how many deer tags to issue. In 2015, two sportsman’s groups began to donate funds to process the deer into ground venison, which is distributed through Feeding South Dakota.

Since the program’s inception, officials have learned how to manage the hunt. A handful of city employees, proficient hunters, handle the task. “My main goal is being safe,” Anderson stressed.

Reducing the deer population puts residents on either side of the fence. “I get calls on both sides,” he commented. “Some love the deer, say that they moved here because of them.” Others see deer as a nuisance.

The only caveat to the program is that the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks dictates that hunters cannot kill mule deer, only whitetail.

East Lansing, Mich., put its deer removal program in place about four years ago. Cathy DeShambo, director of Parks, Recreation and Arts for the city of East Lansing, explained how her city takes a very thorough and analytical approach to dealing with pesky deer.

“In the 12 years we’ve been deeply engaged in deer management, it’s only been the last four years that we’ve entered into agreements to remove deer and reduce populations,” she said. “Prior to that, we spent a lot of time doing community education and working with partners at Michigan State University.”

Much of that involved conversing with experts in deer ecology. In years of study, members of the department also learned that the better the environment for deer, the more likely that does would birth twins or even triplets. Additionally, DeShambo and her team spoke with other cities to see what practices they implemented to control deer populations. They also communicated with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and looped in the local community, sending out surveys and hosting public events to both receive public feedback as well as to educate members of the community.

About four years ago, public opinion seemed to shift toward the reality that too many deer were roaming about the city. Vehicle accidents due to deer had risen, a tipping point in choosing removal. “People were frustrated with the amount of deer activity they were seeing and the amount of damage they were seeing. This was over time, and it was increasing,” she said.

Though DeShambo stated that it was not “realistic to count the number of deer in the city,” her team studied deer activity and the impact caused to local parks. Collaborating with MSU, they tracked deer activity through the use of trail cams both in public areas and also in some private properties that had received complaints about deer activity.

Keeping nonlethal measures in place, the city council decided it was time to remove some deer to thin the population. The removal took place in early January.

Instead of allowing hunters from the general population into problem areas, USDA Wildlife Services biologists came in with hunting rifles. DeShambo stated that “you can remove quite a few deer in an evening in a park system, and you can do it very safely,” providing the deer cooperate. To ensure that they would, trail cams and bait had been utilized prior to the hunting days.

“One thing I really want to emphasize is that there is absolutely no pressure on them to take a single deer. What we’re concerned with is safety, and also that removals only occur in the safest possible circumstances.”

Though the city doesn’t set a quota on the number of deer to be removed, DeShambo said that in the four years the program has been in place, 245 deer have been removed in 14 nights. Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger pays to process the venison and donates it to the Greater Lansing Food Bank to distribute to those in need.

The parks from which deer are removed are not small neighborhood playgrounds but boast 35-30 acres of land and up to 150 acres, “with large greenspace,” noted DeShambo. Other cities in Michigan remove deer by firearms, like Meridian Township, which organizes a managed hunt, and several other cities utilize a professional firearms removal program similar to East Lansing’s.

DeShambo has been asked over the years if other, more humane methods could be employed, but some are not legal in the state of Michigan. Others are too expensive.

“We will always look at those programs and other options every year as we evaluate our own program, but currently, this is the tool that we’re able to use. And it’s the tool of choice, based on surveying our residents.”

Next Article: Traverse City seniors receive free fire, CO2 protection