We’ve heard the stories of the impact a deer herd is having within the Ely city limits. Gardens (both flower and vegetable) destroyed by deer eating them. Near misses and vehicles hitting deer crossing city streets. And to top it off, wolves killing deer within the city limits.
Enough is enough, it’s time for the Ely city council to act on this issue. Wild animals belong in the woods, not in town. There has been a drastic increase in the number of deer in town over the last 10 years. Twenty years ago it was a rarity to even see a deer within the city limits. Now it’s commonplace.
There are two steps the city council can take to help rectify this problem. The first one is easy, make it illegal to feed deer within the city limits. Right now it’s bad enough to have deer walking around neighborhoods in twos or threes. When people feed deer, those numbers increase. This can also spread disease for the deer who are feeding in the same location.
Babbitt has already acted on this and Ely should do the same. Ask anyone who has flowers in their yard and they will tell you deer have plenty they can find to eat. No one should be allowed to put out feed for deer. That is step one to this problem.
Step two can be controversial, although it is already being done in communities around Minnesota. Currently there are 16 cities that offer special hunts, some have had them for years, others come and go as the deer population warrants. Cities work with the Minnesota DNR to put in a special hunt to reduce the number of deer in town.
This is normally done with archery hunts, where hunters have to be elevated a certain number of feet above the ground to reduce the chance of an arrow passing through an animal and inadvertently striking something else. Whether it’s a tree stand or even a garage roof, there are ways to do this safely. Oftentimes the DNR requires hunters attend a mandatory training meeting before they can hunt in town.
It’s likely there will be opposition to managing deer in town but there’s one thing everyone should be able to agree upon. Deer are wild animals. They need to be managed as such.
It’s time for the city council to take action.
