Culling, not hunting, likely solution to deer overpopulation in Colorado Springs

The possibility of an urban archery hunt to reduce an abundance of deer in west Colorado Springs did not go over well during a 90-minute task force meeting Friday.

“I can’t believe anyone would consider a hunt,” said Bret Waters, deputy chief of staff for Mayor John Suthers. “That shouldn’t even be on the table at this point.”

Task force members apparently are leaning toward culling, which is hiring a professional to kill and remove the animals.

“But we still have a lot of questions to answer before we make a final decision,” said Andy Pico, a city councilman and task force member. “There’s not an urgency to do this right now because if we do it, it’ll be (from) September to January. So we’re out of this season already.”

Frank McGee, of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told the task force that the west side has between 1,500 to 5,000 deer.

“It’s mainly because 70 percent of does and fawns survive the winters,” he said. “That’s a higher percentage than in their natural habitat. Plus, we plant things they like to eat, and we feed them even though we shouldn’t.”

McGee said to reduce the deer population by half over the next five years, 200 does and fawns per year must be removed, and 100 must be harvested annually to reach the same reduction in 10 years.

But Pico said he wants to know what the deer population is throughout the city.

“Places such as Palmer Park also have a lot of deer,” he said.

Despite evidence from CPW that urban hunting is widely used and considered a safe, effective and inexpensive method, several task force members are skeptical about it.

“Using a bow and arrow would be a dangerous or deadly weapon, obviously,” said Lisa O’Boyle, of the city attorney’s office. “There are certain restrictions around that. I don’t think we have anything specifically prohibiting bow hunting, as long as that individual is considered an authorized person.”

Another question is where a hunt would occur.

“If you’re looking at parks as one of the potential locations, that could be really challenging,” said Kurt Schroeder, of city Parks and Recreation. “We have a lot of people in the parks and it’s very difficult to control.”

McGee said hunters would be required to have a special license and show a certain proficiency with bow and arrow.

But the city would have to pay for a professional culling operation.

“Anywhere from $250 to $500 a deer,” McGee said.

Stephen Teegardin, owner of Bowhunters Edge Archery, said he’d rather see hunters given the opportunity to take down the surplus of deer.

“The meat could go the hunter, if they purchase the license, or perhaps to the homeless or one of the local agencies,” he said. “Why not give back to the people who are actually paying to support the wildlife population?”

McGee said other methods, such as birth control and relocation, are more costly and less effective.

“If you relocate deer, they go from having an easy time finding food to struggling to survive,” he said. “They’d likely die and could transmit diseases into new areas. Many people prefer non-lethal methods but hunting or culling really are the most humane solutions.”

City Councilman Don Knight said he wants more information on the matter.

“I’m not sure we really have a problem yet,” he said.

The task force will meet again on Feb. 16.

CPW also has or will supervise private deer hunts at the Air Force Academy and in the Broadmoor area.