Lakewood deer, your days might be numbered.
Some local officials and an Oakbrook resident have raised the idea of a bow-and-arrow hunt in the north Lakewood neighborhood as a way to reduce damage that deer are doing to yards and gardens.
The City Council discussed the possibility of a hunt at a recent meeting.
“I’ve seen the deer wandering around from home to home and in the streets,” said City Councilman Ron Cronk. “Some people are up in arms about it.”
Residents showed him the damage that foraging deer did to their shrubs, flowers and gardens. He said people had wire cages over their plants.
He said if hunting occurs, it must be safe; he doesn’t want arrows flying all over the neighborhood.
Cronk has discussed the situation with state Sen. Mike Carrell, a Lakewood Republican.
“Lakewood can do something,” Carrell said. “It’s a big problem in Oakbrook, and it’s accelerating.”
If the deer population keeps growing, he said it’s a matter of time before cougar move in. “Where you have deer, you have things that eat deer.”
Carrell said hunters could position themselves up in trees, in tree stands, and shoot down on the deer to ensure the hunting doesn’t endanger people.
Other options include euthanizing the animals, or tranquilizing and removing them to wilder areas, Carrell said.
A bow-and-arrow hunt in Oakbrook is possible if the city authorizes it by ordinance, said Marian Snyder of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Some outlying cities, including Ocean Shores and Sequim, allow such hunts. They are limited with some safety restrictions, she said.
But state wildlife officials can’t recall a limited bow-and-arrow deer hunt in the urban Seattle-Tacoma area, at least in the past two decades, she said.
William Edwards, an Oakbrook resident, wrote Carrell about the deer damage problem.
Edwards said a deer with two fawns roamed in his yard last year, darting out in front of moving vehicles and creating problems in his neighborhood. This year, there are two bucks, a doe and two fawns.
He said he tried to shoo them away, but they’re used to being around humans and won’t leave.
He said he can’t figure out where to turn for help.
State wildlife authorities told him they will remove bears and cougar that stray into cities because they endanger people. City animal control officers will pick up stray dogs and cats, he said. Private companies will trap varmints.
That leaves the deer to forage without fear of repercussions.
Deer also are found in Lakewood’s Lake Louise neighborhood, Fort Steilacoom Park and other areas of the city, officials said. The animals also roam through Steilacoom, University Place and parts of Tacoma.
“I battle it in my yard,” said University Place Mayor Gerald Gehring. “People deal with it as best they can with electric fences, motion sensor lights and repellents.”
In Oakbrook, the deer likely wander over from nearby Chambers Creek Canyon, a natural area.
Lakewood City Councilwoman Helen McGovern, who lives near the canyon, said she occasionally sees a few deer. She’s not interested in doing anything about it.
“Of all the priorities in our city,” she said, “they don’t even make my radar screen.”
Capt. Dan Brinson, regional head of enforcement for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said bow hunting is allowed in season in Region 6, which includes Lakewood.
City officials would need to determine what posed the greater risk to people – the deer or the hunters.
“Generally speaking,” Brinson said, “deer aren’t a danger to people.”
Lakewood officials said they would work with state wildlife authorities to determine the best way to manage the urban deer problem.
City spokesman Jeff Brewster said Lakewood has no ordinance that allows deer hunting. While some City Council members briefly mentioned the concerns and a deer hunt at their Oct. 8 meeting, they haven’t scheduled any major study of the matter, he said.
In nearby Steilacoom, Town Administrator Paul Loveless said browsing deer often trim the hedge outside his office window.
Residents complain about damage occasionally, he said, as the deer wander off North Fort Lewis and come into town. Other folks like the animals, even though they eat the roses.
“It’s part of the local community,” he said. “The quality of life in Steilacoom would be decreased without the deer.”
Rob Tucker: 253-597-8374
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