Volunteers help conduct deer count in east Colorado Springs

It’s only the second year ever that an urban deer count has been conducted in Colorado Springs, and the last count focused on the western side of Interstate 25.

But it’s the first time ever a count has been done in the east part of the city.

“There is a lot of deer in town, and there is no doubt about it,” said Aaron Berscheid with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Last year, they estimated there are at least 20 deer per square mile in Colorado Springs alone.

“When you get that many deer within a populated area, you’re going to have feeding issues where people feel like they can feed the animals, which is not a good idea because then they get used to humans,” he said.

It’s that growth in population that the city is trying to manage.

“This count is basically just getting us statistics on the numbers of groups that we find. This isn’t a population estimate,” Berscheid said.

In fact, it could be two years before they have a number for the deer population in the city.

Teams visited the west part of the city early Monday but focused on eastern Colorado Springs during the afternoon.

Berscheid is helping conduct the count in the Black Forest area.

“A lot of the trees here are good habitat for them,” he said.

Over the years, the city has discussed management plans and ordinances. But for now, the Colorado Springs City Council has postponed the efforts to reduce the population.