After citizen complaints about deer in Worthington more than tripled between 2019 and 2021, city council asked staff to research the issue.
A new report compiled by staff contains an analysis of deer population control measures in other Ohio communities, a review of the costs and methods to implement such programs and a look at city-specific data. The report by management assistant Ethan Barnhardt is scheduled to be discussed during council’s 7:30 p.m. meeting Monday.
The report finds there is not enough data or evidence currently to determine population control is necessary.
Population control programs include permitted bow-hunting or sharpshooting, birth control and anti-feeding ordinances. But, the report finds all of the ideas have associated costs and restrictions and some are more effective than others.
It’s not clear if the herds in Worthington are dense enough to be considered a public nuisance.
Density stats
To learn more about the status of the herds in Worthington, the report states the city could conduct an aerial survey or an infrared count.
Data the city does have includes the number of collisions between deer and vehicles and the number of times dead deer were picked up on the side of the road.
In one case study in the City of Mentor in Lake County, collisions with deer peaked at 98 a year before being cut down to an average of 26 annually when a registered-hunter archery program was implemented. The population went from an estimated 1,100 in 2011 with a density of 39.3 per square mile, to less than 500 with half the density. The program used 40 registered hunters in the 2020/2021 season to harvest 57 deer.
In Worthington, just five collisions with deer were reported in 2021. There were three in 2020, one in 2019 , seven in 2018 and six in 2017. There were eight dead deer picked up off the side of the road in 2021, 13 in 2020, nine in 2019, nine in 2018 and 12 in 2017, according to the report.
The report finds birth control and anti-feeding ordinances wouldn’t be effective tools in Worthington, and finds any archery or sharpshooter program would need funding, someone to administer it, a permitting process and a search for appropriate properties. Most of the programs cost around $60,000 annually, according to the report.
While the report finds that “the city has not been immune to the growth of the deer population and continues to receive complaints from some residents,” it also offers reasoning for the increase in complaints.
“This jump may be attributed in part to the creation of the online form and contact information which were shared widely on social media during the height of fawning season this past year,” Barnhardt’s report states.
Complaints weren’t recorded in 2017 or 2018. Twelve complaints about deer were filed in 2019, nine in 2020 and 44 in 2021. Some complaints refer to landscaping, property and garden damage.
The city did spend $1,300 on tree guards last year and found about 30 trees were damaged by deer in 2020. About half are expected to be replaced at $200 a tree, the report states.
The report recommends the city conduct citizen surveys to see if residents think the problem does rise to a level to that merits action.
