Town and Country considers sharpshooters and sterilization for deer population

Nov 28, 2008 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- HD | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- TOWN AND COUNTRY -- The deer stared at the officers. Blood dripped off its face and onto the floor of the Home Depot. Its right antler was missing. The police had shot it twice with pistols.

The first shot to the neck knocked it to the ground, but the deer popped right back up. The second shot didn't seem to bother it all.

"It was the Terminator deer," said Alderman John Hoffmann.

The "Terminator" deer, a 10-point buck, had wandered through the Manchester Meadows shopping center on Nov. 1. It tried to attack a deer mannequin through the glass window of a Home Decorators store before meandering into Home Depot.

It has become a symbol of the town's problems with the four-legged creatures -- nature clashing with modern development. Now, the city is moving forward with plans to control the deer population, though the solution may not appease everyone.

For years, some residents have argued that deer have so infested the city that some must be killed. But deer advocates plead with city leaders to spare the animals and sterilize them instead.

The city is considering both options.

Town and Country's Deer Task Force, made up of four aldermen, has met more than two dozen times over the past year to find a solution.

It agreed earlier this fall that the city needed to immediately reduce the size of the herd, estimated to be between 600 and 800. But it also argued to keep any lethal means of dealing with the deer to a minimum. That's why it also suggested having some sterilized.

The Board of Aldermen hasn't officially agreed to a plan of action, though it's taking some tentative steps forward. In October, the board approved seeking proposals from urban wildlife management companies to provide sharpshooters and sterilization.

The deadline is Monday, but so far, the only response has come from a Connecticut-based company called White Buffalo Inc.

The city, if it decides to press ahead, would aim to cull 100 deer and sterilize about another 100 by this winter. The sterilized deer would be clearly tagged to keep them from being shot.

The chairman of the deer task force, Bill Kuehling, acknowledged that by trying to satisfy the different groups, "we might have pleased no one."

Deer advocates are still complaining about the brutality of killing animals. Others, like Hoffmann, fret about the cost of sterilization, which ranges from $750 to $1,000 per deer.

The deer management program would cost the city between $133,000 and $176,000 -- or up to 1.7 percent of its budget.

'TOWN AND CARNAGE'

Town and Country's oversized lots, ample vegetation and the nearby Queeny Park provide prime deer habitat.

Residents complain of deer causing car accidents, wandering into houses and becoming so accustomed to humans that they no longer fear them.

But some residents argue that the animals give the city its charm. They agree the population needs to be reduced but say killing deer goes against the very nature of Town and Country.

"They might as well rename it 'Town and Carnage,'" said James Ambrozetes, a city resident who runs the website www.urbandeer.info.

Ambrozetes says shooting deer is often cruel, and he questions whether the animals are killed instantly or suffer prolonged, painful deaths.

Ambrozetes vowed that if the city hires sharpshooters, he would videotape them. "If they aren't going to do it right, I want it on the evening news," he said.

Anthony DeNicola, president of White Buffalo, said his company has managed wildlife for cities and counties across the country for the last 15 years. White Buffalo, he said, has a good track record for avoiding safety mishaps.

"I wouldn't be in business" otherwise, he said.

In Town and Country, sharpshooters would shoot at the deer from tree stands, so their rifles would be aimed toward the ground, DeNicola said. They would also use bullets that disintegrate on impact.

Erin Shank, an urban wildlife biologist with the Department of Conservation, said a few cities in Missouri, such as Fulton and Boonville, have used sharpshooters.

DeNicola's company is the only firm in the country that can provide Town and Country the services it wants, Shank said.

"He's very good at what he does," she said.

The Department of Conservation has to approve a deer management plan. But if Town and Country wants to put a plan in place this winter, time is running out. The approval process takes time, Shank said.

To shoot deer in a populated area, you must bait them, Shank said. And baiting needs to take place during the winter, when less food is available.

'A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN'

In the Home Depot incident earlier this month, the deer that wandered into the store had previously meandered by a display of deer mannequin at a nearby store. It tried to attack the display through the glass, but only bent a door jamb and broke its antler.

Then it walked into the receiving area of the Home Depot. Employees contained it to that area, which is separate from the main part of the store, according to the police report of the incident.

Police officers tried to coax it out the door, but the deer acted as if it would charge them, officers wrote. It gritted its teeth, snorted and scraped the ground with its hoof.

Ambrozetes argued that the police department should keep tranquilizers on hand for such instances. "You should be able to dart them," he said.

That might have worked better than the bullets from the officers' pistols.

The second bullet hit the deer just above the right eye, jerking its head back, according to the police report. Soon, an officer showed up with an assault rifle and shot its body.

This time, the "Terminator" buck did not get back up.

The Home Depot incident underscores the need for the city to do something soon, some city officials and residents say.

"It's a health and safety issue that is a disaster waiting to happen," said Chuck Lenz, a resident who has been petitioning aldermen to find a resolution.

sdeere@post-dispatch.com -- 314-340-8116

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