Just down the hill from the LNC is a weedy meadow that’s become an arena for sparring bucks. Yesterday in the rain, my approach interrupted this old guy’s shoving match with a younger deer. You can still see a clump of his opponent’s hair on the tip of one antler prong. As fascinating as it is to watch the show, I can’t help but think it’s bizarre that urban forests have become (mostly) unchecked deer population increase zones. We really wake up to this fact during the rut, when bucks and does rush across busy streets and venture fearlessly into nearby neighborhoods.
Urban and suburban white-tailed deer have a better chance of reaching old age than their country cousins. I called the buck in the opening pic an “old guy” because he has visual characteristics that suggest full maturity, if not actual old age. Whitetail bucks reach maturity in five to six years; if that old he has likely attained his maximum body size. This is particularly evident during the rut, when mature bucks put on much more bulk in the neck and shoulders. Though this buck has a very large rack, antlers are not a good predictor of age.
This smaller buck was the old guy’s sparring partner, while one or two others watched from the edge of the meadow. No does were in sight, but the pungent scent of deer musk lingered in the wet air.
I’m sure I missed the best challenge of the day, which likely came from the large buck (pic above) who was standing at the top of the meadow. None of these deer were particularly fazed by my presence; though bucks tend to stay out of sight most of the year, hormones had made them oblivious. And city deer lead a charmed life – it would be unusual to find such a concentration of large bucks if there was any level of hunting pressure.
So many well-matched bucks mean plenty of competitive behavior. The wet meadow is already churned up by sparring matches, the blackberries flattened. Buck rubs are everywhere (as if young trees are not scarce already in this forest!).
How many deer is too many for one little urban forest and surrounding neighborhoods? I’ve heard no calls for culling in our urban area, despite increasing DVC’s (deer vehicle collisions). There’s no doubt our little forest fragment is massively impacted, and it’s easy to see: young trees and shrubs rubbed or eaten, soils churned by a multitude of deer trails, herbaceous plants heavily browsed, leading to a monoculture of non-edible White Snakeroot
A number of cities, including nearby Cincinnati, have taken the initiative with urban deer management. As described in this 2017 article, “Cincinnati to continue use of bow hunters to cull park deer…” https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/05/31/350593001/350593001/
Unsurprisingly there has been opposition: “Cincinnati Urban Deer Advocates” is a group supporting the restoration of the city’s No Public Hunting ordinances and nonlethal approaches to stabilizing of the deer population in area parks. It’s the “Bambi syndrome” again – if coyotes were this obviously numerous, the calls for eradication would be loud and clear.
Even hunters can have their qualms about the idea of killing urban deer. As one of my deer-hunting forest friends said “I couldn’t shoot them when they just stand there, there’d be no sport in it. It would feel like murder.”
one forest fragment 
Marianna metcalf
Yes, a thorny problem, with no obvious answer in sight.
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Phyllis Fitzgerald
I, for one, would approve of a bow-based culling, as they are doing a lot of damage to the Preserve, to the detriment of the forest.
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oneforestfragment
Thanks Phyllis! The Office of KY Nature Preserves, Metro Parks, and KY Dept of Fish and Wildlife need to hear from everyone who thinks urban deer populations in this area need management. That’s the only way it will happen.
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Jim Sky
I am unsure about the ethics of hunting deer that are so acclimated to humans, but until I become a vegetarian, it feels hypocritical rail against it. Are there other methods being used to reduce deer populations? Relocation? Poisons? How about trained dogs that could simply chase the deer away?
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oneforestfragment
culling by trained sharpshooters is the most humane but most expensive option. Bow hunting is more realistic considering it’s a populated urban area. Birth control also very expensive but is being attempted in places that can afford it. Relocation – expensive and they often die from the stress. Chasing them away begs the question – to where would we chase them? Poison – I can’t advocate poisoning any wildlife. As we know from coyote poisoning it’s very problematic. Not only inhumane, but gets into the food chain and poisons other animals.
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Jim Sky
>”Chasing them away begs the question – to where would we chase them?”
Well, I was thinking, simply chase them from the area you are trying to preserve. Where they go to is a separate problem, but at least it isn’t solved at the expense of the forest. The result would be same as if they were fenced out. Ultimately, they will only occupy places where they are tolerated. This page shows some interesting related stories:
http://www.deerfriendly.com/dogs-for-urban-deer-management
Yes the poison idea stinks and is more inhumane than hunting..
You mention birth control, which does look expensive ($500 – $100 per doe) but I wonder if there are grants for such things. Of course, anything you do will require some kind of yearly maintenance budget.
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Jim Sky
I meant to say $500 – $1000 (not 100) per doe as per the deerfriendly.com website.
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Greg Sheehan
Maybe the bow hunters could get a special license and be supervised for safety in the urban areas. Then a set percentage of the deer meat could be used to feed the homeless at the shelters. It would be a double benefit for the community. We would need to find deer meat processors who would work cheap or free.
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Janie Kanzler
Something needs to be done to thin out the population of deer. There are way too many roaming the neighborhoods off Newburg Road.
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oneforestfragment
Thanks Janie – KY Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Metro Parks and Office of KY Nature Preserves need to hear from all of us, that’s the only way anything will get done.
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