Our View: The deer are here to stay

The city’s resident deer population continues to divide residents.

Some would like to see the deer hunted by marksmen or officers while others would like to watch deer as they walk through their properties and eat their plants. The issue is so divisive that a city survey reflects a near-even split between those who love the deer and those who would love to see them leave.

While this thought may draw some ire from one half of our readership, we think the city will be forced to live with the deer as the proposed population control ideas already discussed aren’t sufficient methods of dealing with the herd.

A lot has been said about bringing in a group to kill deer in city limits but the major thing people tend to forget about is the liability the city faces utilizing this method of population control. A stray bullet or arrow could have massive consequences if it hits a person. Property damage is another concern, as a missed shot could result in a difficult conversation between city officials and the resident whose living room window was shot out.

Another proposed method would utilize officers or animal control to shoot sterilizing darts at the does, which would slowly drive down deer numbers. This method, while humane, is problematic as well because the drugs involved do wear off over time, meaning does would need routine applications for the method to work. This would be compounded by the problem of identifying which does were darted and which were not, and the logistical issue of identifying every doe in Green River.

At the Star, we too feel the impact deer have on the green-thumbed residents of Green River. A small flower planter we have in front of our building turns into a snack bowl for deer once the flowers come up in bloom. We can certainly imagine what it’s like for residents with large flower beds and shrubs to wake up one morning and see the results of a deer feeding binge. While it’s certainly bothersome for homeowners, there are methods of keeping deer from wrecking havoc on a flowerbed.

A few residents have concocted mixtures they spray on their plants to make them unattractive to hungry deer.

Using a combination of fragrant soaps and mild pesticides, some have reported success in reducing the amount of attention their properties receive from the deer.

At this point, we think Green River’s deer are a part of the city. They’ve taken up residence here and while it can be a hassle, the city’s residents can do a few things to keep them from being a nuisance. Until a reasonable and cost effective solution can be found to permanently deal with the deer, Green River’s residents will be forced to continue living with them.