I have been a Fayetteville resident most of my life and I am writing to you today to discuss the rising deer population issue that many people around town are facing.
In my own experience, I have witnessed large groups of deer crossing my neighborhood. The deer tend to destroy landscaping and flowering plants as they roam.
I have also noticed more carcasses on the sides of the roads than I have in previous years. I even experienced the sight of a deer getting hit by a car on Ga. Highway 85 while I was on my way home from school. I was forced to watch it stumble around in the center of the road with a broken leg until police officers and animal control took care of the injured animal.
Many other residents of Fayetteville go through experiences similar to what I have described. Ben Nelms wrote an article (The Citizen, 10/26/16) detailing how the deer population is a subject of public safety, and of pest control. Nelms states how countywide data shows 744 vehicle collisions with deer since January 2015 and that there have 271 accidents so far this year with most accidents happening along highways.
Thankfully, there have been no human fatalities, but these accidents are surely costing many Fayetteville residents thousands in car repairs. Also many residents complain about deer as a pest in subdivisions and other public locations. Nelms says that some subdivisions residents are recommending the solution of killing the deer.
According to an article published on The Citizen website by Monroe Roark, this is a county issue and not just a one subdivision issue. Many meetings have been held between the Fayette County Board of Commissioners and the Whitewater Creek Country Club homeowners’ association over what to do, and it doesn’t seem like either side has come to a conclusion.
The Citizen produced an article on 10/25/16 on their website urging motorists to watch for deer because the fall season is the peak of deer activity, per the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division. This article warns the public to keep an eye out and informs about the unpredictability of deer. However, this does not solve the problem that there are too many deer to avoid.
Monroe Roark’s article contains some of the possible solutions offered from previous meeting on the issue. A decision by the board of directors of the Whitewater Creek Country Club homeowners’ association to have several deer killed and removed from the large subdivision property along Redwine Road has generated opposition by some residents and by others living in other areas of Fayette County. However, they received numerous emails explaining the rationale for the decision.
While killing would solve the overpopulation in Fayetteville, other issues would arise as a result, such as numbers going too low or laws being broken by firing guns within subdivisions. Another resident emailed an idea to the Fayette County Board of Commissioners suggesting the idea of making everybody slow down and changing all the speed limits. This idea doesn’t work either because most people won’t agree to lower speed limits and this may cause an increase in traffic congestion.
Other options for a solution include fences along roads, or professional wildlife control services being paid to patrol. Per this article, it seems that the best solution was to have professional deer removal conducted by the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services under a depredation permit.
However, I disagree with the solution of exterminating the deer within populated areas. I suggest tranquilization and relocation of the deer to less populated areas or to a wildlife refuge. The wildlife services, and possibly Animal Control, could go into the areas of Fayetteville with the most deer car accidents or areas with the highest number of sightings and fire small syringes of atropine.
The Oconee national forest seems to be the best place for the deer to be relocated to. However, anywhere away from major roads and neighborhoods would suffice.
Yes, my tranquilization and relocation method would be expensive — $400 per deer, according to Bloomington.in.gov. However, it is the safest thing to do in neighborhoods in order to keep families and children safe from stray bullets.
With the relocation, the overall population of deer would decrease to a more manageable level. Putting them into the national forest reestablishes what the wildlife preserve was made for.
Unfortunately, in the case of neighborhood deer overpopulation, no one plan of action is perfect. In low population areas, increased hunting or a longer season will help control the population without endangering people. Inside populated areas, catch and relocate is the better solution.
Animal activists would be happy to see many of the deer still living as they should in a natural habitat, homeowners would be happy to see the deer moved, drivers would be happy knowing there would be substantially less deer on the highways, and the hunters would be happy that they can continue hunting.
I hope my solution will make some headway with this matter and solve the problem once and for all. I thank you and appreciate your time spent reading my letter.
Michelle K. Smith
Fayetteville, Ga.
