Archery hunt dropped as option to reduce deer population in Colorado Springs

A Colorado Springs city councilman said Thursday that the possibility of organizing an archery hunt within city limits to reduce the deer population no longer exists.

Councilman Don Knight said an urban hunt was never certain because no one determined where it could safely be done and because of concerns from the public and some council members.

“A deer can run farther after being shot by an arrow than it can after being shot with a rifle,” he said. “It makes the control of that, keeping it low visibility, keeping it from traumatizing young children, a lot harder to do.”

That scenario was mentioned by a citizen Wednesday night during a town hall meeting at City Hall on the deer situation.

“I was horrified to think that I might be sitting at my dining room table and see one of the does that I’ve known for five years coming down the hill with an arrow in it,” the citizen said.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers previously said urban hunts, even those using guns, are conducted safely and effectively in other cities, and even locally at the Air Force Academy and The Broadmoor.

“It would have been the cheapest solution for us and we could have made a profit from the sale of licenses,” Knight said.

The council and state wildlife officers want to reduce the city’s growing deer population but the message from the town hall meeting was clear: Don’t do anything.

A vocal group of citizens spoke against using an archery hunt or culling — hiring a professional — to reduce a deer population described as being much larger than it should be, with an estimated 3,000 on the west side alone.

The large population, wildlife officers believe, is unhealthy for the deer, damaging to plants and landscaping eaten by the animals and a traffic danger resulting in more than 300 deer-vehicle collisions every year.

Many of the citizens opposed to controlling the deer population also are against a proposed ordinance, similar to current state law, making it illegal to feed wildlife.

They said they would be uneasy if hunting, even with bows and arrows, was allowed in the city.

“We need to learn how to live in harmony with our wildlife,” a citizen said. “The deer aren’t hurting anything.”

Councilman Andy Pico said opponents have the wrong perception about the deer issue.

“We weren’t declaring open season and allowing people to hunt all over the city,” he said. “This would have been done only at certain times in certain areas.”

The council has yet to decide whether to approve culling or take no action at all. The next step is to accept proposals from consultants on the formation of a deer management plan.

“That plan will tell us where we can safely cull deer and how it would be done,” Knight said. “Any plan would have to use other lethal methods, not guns or archery equipment.”

The meeting on Wednesday night was the fourth time the city has heard public feedback on the matter.

“But this one was different from the others,” said Frank McGee, a state wildlife officer. “Most of the people attending were against reducing the deer population. In the others, the majority wanted something done.”

Knight said he hopes the council will vote on the matter in October, and if culling is approved, it will be tested in January.

“I know people may think we’re taking too long to decide something,” said Bret Waters, the city’s deputy chief of staff. “But we want to make the right decision. People have strong feelings about deer.”

Nearly 100 people attended the town hall in the City Council chamber.

In another development Thursday, Knight said the meat produced by culling would be tested for diseases, and if it’s considered safe, would be ground into hamburger and donated to the Care and Share food bank in Colorado Springs.

“They always have a demand for protein,” he said. “Culling would provide a lot of meat. Everything would be paid for from the city budget. But it’s more expensive than hunting. It would cost several hundred dollars per animal. We don’t know where in the budget the money will come from yet.”

Knight also said he and some fellow council members are disappointed about the amount of misinformation being spread about solving the deer situation.

“There’s even a petition going around and it’s based on false information,” he said. “And I’m surprised at the number of people who said they aren’t aware the city is discussing the matter, even though we’ve been talking about it for more than a year.”