Dalton deer: What you might not know

Recently, the mayor of Dalton Gardens and the City Council sent out a survey to residents to get their opinion on deer within the city limits of Dalton Gardens. The survey was a topic of discussion by the Deer Committee. The committee was established to research and provide information and recommendations to the council on deer in Dalton Gardens. The committee was comprised of several individuals who wanted or were amenable to a hunt, including the committee chair, and the option of hunting was thoroughly discussed. However, after committee members researched local concerns regarding deer, it was recognized that education was the best place to begin discussions. To that end, the council created a deer newsletter and survey to get the public's opinion on deer within city limits.

As a member of the Deer Committee, I would like to point out that the information in the newsletter is a general overview of deer, designed for a broad audience and not necessarily representative of the deer population in Dalton Gardens. While time was taken to put the survey together, it unfortunately missed important questions regarding the public's opinion on hunting within city limits or around the city's perimeter.

Hunting poses a serious safety threat to families, children, livestock, and companion animals and would not address the deer browsing concerns which were the original impetus for the council's actions. By its design, the outcome of the survey could be perceived by the council as permission to pursue a hunt. For that reason, I would like to share some of the committee findings as they pertain to Dalton Gardens. Note that the research was done in 2011.

1. It was important to ascertain the number of deer browsing complaints and what areas the complaints were coming from. A conversation with the city clerk revealed that "there were not enough complaints about deer to warrant tracking." According to the city clerk, the word "complaint" was better described as "seasonal venting" which only happens in the spring and fall. As of Jan. 11, 2011, there were no official documented complaints about deer.

2. A letter from Captain Soumas from the sheriff's department stated there have been only eight reports of deer vehicle accidents within the city limits of Dalton Gardens in the last five years. (A deer vehicle accident is reported when damage is $1,500 or greater.)

3. According to Lakes Highway District, five to six deer carcasses are removed from Dalton Gardens annually.

4. Regarding fear of deer transmitting disease to people or pets:

a. Dave Hylsky, an environmental health specialist for Panhandle Health District stated in phone conversations that there are zero to two cases of Lyme disease in the five northern counties of Idaho each year. It should be noted that the black legged tick transmits Lyme disease. Black legged ticks feed on up to 54 different mammals. No sign of increase in tick populations has been detected in Dalton Gardens.

b. There have been no signs of bovine tuberculosis in humans or tuberculosis in ANY deer populations in the five northern counties of Idaho.

c. Brucellosis has not been detected in the five northern counties of Idaho. (Brucellosis does not 'fall' off deer; it is a bacteria spread through ingesting milk or meat of cows that have contacted the bacteria through intermingling with deer in the fields. Brucellosis can also be spread through direct medical contact such as delivering calves.)

d. Salmonella can be found in any warm blooded animal. It has never been investigated in deer in the five northern counties of Idaho.

e. Mr. Hylsky also states that leptosporosis, which is spread through urine, is "theoretically" possible, but there has never been a known case locally and, in fact, residents have more to fear catching something from their dog.

5. Laura Wolf, a biologist for Fish and Game, stated in a phone conversation that "while any animal can follow another animal into a neighborhood, there are no statistics for the premise that predators follow deer into urban areas and there are no recorded accounts of deer attracting predators into Dalton Gardens."

The Deer Committee spent a great deal of time discussing hunting and a no-feeding ordinance. While Fish and Game employees expressed support for any decisions the council makes, it was stated that a no-feeding ordinance would be ineffective as most Dalton Gardens' property owners have ornamental plants, fruit trees and/or livestock feed/salt licks that attract deer. Hunting and trapping was also not recommended for the following reasons:

• Killing or removing deer does not necessarily lead to a reduction in the size of the herd. "Whenever there's an abrupt, short-term drop in the deer population, a phenomenon called 'Compensatory Rebound' takes effect. Since the same amount of food is now available to a smaller number of animals, the bodies of the deer react by becoming more fertile, with more incidences of twin and triplet fawns, and with yearlings going into estrus early. This actually leads to an even greater population of deer the following year" (Journal of Wildlife Management 49).

• Once a deer hunt has been implemented, the killing itself creates the need for even more killing, which must be maintained year-after-year at great expense to taxpayers.

• Any remaining or new incoming deer will still eat residents' flowers and gardens.

For more information, we recommend a very informative presentation on "Living with Deer" by wildlife biologist Laura Simon at www.deeraustin.org.

Jamie Smith is a Dalton Gardens resident.