The City of Syracuse is once again preparing to address its ongoing deer overpopulation problem. The deer and tick management program is entering its seventh year. The city’s chief policy officer Greg Loh acknowledged deer culling is an unfortunate but necessary reality.
“This is not a topic that any of us relish to be undertaking, but one that the circumstances of our ecosystem and human interaction with it have created," he said.
Deer continue to destroy property, cause car accidents, and spread ticks that carry Lyme Disease. For a second year, Loh said they’re using a trap and euthanize method that captured 55 of the 137 deer culled last year.
“This was necessary because there are parts of the city where the deer population continues to be very high, but because of the close proximity of people's houses, the use of firearms is not feasible," he said.
Deer are concentrated primarily on the city’s southern half, especially on the southeast side.
Loh said they rely heavily on what they call Deer Diarists, volunteers who track deer in their neighborhoods. One of them is longtime eastside resident Bob Haley, who says he’s seen a difference on his typical city lot.
“One time, we had 14 deer. That was quite a few years ago," he said. "We're way down in the count.”
While the program has broad support, it has its critics. Meadowbrook resident Nancy Larson takes issue with it being named a “tick and deer management program.” She’d rather the city call it what it is.
“It is really a deer killing program as far as I'm concerned. The numbers of deer have definitely come down," she said. "There are a great number of people who very much enjoy the presence of the deer. It's part of the neighborhood.”
Since the program began, 641 deer have been removed. The venison is sent to food pantries that feed Syracuse families. City leaders are working with New York State to renew the program.
