PROVO, Utah (AP) - Dozens of deer have been relocated or killed during the first year of an urban deer hunting program in Utah that is helping homeowners maintain their yards.
Some 35 deer were killed and 28 were relocated through the program in Provo that ran from October to December, The Daily Herald reported (https://bit.ly/2lP9gtH).
The program was approved by the Provo Municipal Council in July and has been deemed a success by resident Claire Freedman, who said she has seen fewer urban mule deer causing damage to her backyard.
Freedman said the deer had become a problem over the past few years, with as many as 17 of the animals making a home in her yard at any one time.
“We couldn’t keep bushes and flowers,” she said. “We had to build a huge fence to keep them out of the flowers. Still they would get in and eat.”
Brian Cook of Humphries Archery led the team of bow hunters who killed the animals in what he described as an ethical and strategic process.
“It’s very delicate the way you remove the animal,” Cook said.
The hunters were required to follow guidelines set by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. They used crossbows and would often sit for hours without being able to make a kill because the deer would never get into the position to be taken down as required by state regulations, Cook said.
Freedman said she now only occasionally sees one or two deer in her yard.
Cook said meat from the dead animals goes to families in need.
“You do it for those families,” he said.
The cost to relocate and transport the animals is $200 per deer. In its first year, the program cost a total of $14,000.
Provo is contracted for the removal program through 2019 with the possibility for an extension.
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Information from: The Daily Herald, https://www.heraldextra.com
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