Vermont grapples with too many deer in some suburban areas

Lisa Rathke, Associated Press Updated 9:07 am CST, Saturday, November 10, 2018 MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont wildlife officials are trying to figure out how to reduce an overabundance of deer in some suburban and other areas of the state. They say the overcrowding is impacting deer health, damaging forests and causing property owners to complain about the animals chomping down their landscaping. Parts of the Champlain Valley from Burlington up through St. Albans in Franklin County are the biggest areas of concern, said Nick Fortin, deer biologist with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. “We’re starting to see damage to young trees, forest regeneration. And also declining health of our deer like body weights,” he said. “They’re not unhealthy, they’re still healthy but they’re beginning to decline. Presumably that’s due to overabundance, too many deer.” Communities around the country have grappled for years with too many deer in suburban areas by expanding archery hunting and in extreme cases relying on sharpshooters to do the work. “A lot of times it’s not a one size fits all. It can be a combination of things,” said Steve Lightfoot, spokesman for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. “The issue we face mostly in these communities is you’ve got different viewpoints. Some folks, they love to see the deer and they feed them. And that creates a bigger issue because others don’t and they see their backyard plants getting browsed to near nothing and there’s also the issue with traffic safety. Deer and cars… [Read full story]