Animal invasion causes problems, draws cougars to S. Pocatello
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POCATELLO — Residents living in south Pocatello near the Bannock Highway are seeing an influx of deer — the worst infestation of the animal they’ve seen in decades of living at their homes.
Problems associated with the deer, according to Denise England, who lives on Country Club Drive, includes property damage, economic loss, hazardous driving and even mountain lions.
Ali Vargason saw a mountain lion in the area in mid-August on her way home from work. Earlier this week, her mother, Amy Vargason, saw three mountain lions on her way to work.
It’s an issue that hasn’t escaped the notice of Idaho Fish and Game.
“Complaints are on the rise,” said Jennifer Jackson, regional conservation educator for Idaho Fish and Game. “We are seeing more conflicts with deer now in the Johnny Creek, Mink Creek, Gibson Jack and Portneuf Area. … It’s a problem, and we’re aware of that. We’re seeing some tough conflicts out there — not just property damage, but we’ve also had complaints about aggressive deer.”
Deer are coming down from the mountains south of Pocatello because of the dry conditions in the spring and summer, according to Jackson. Because of the little rainfall, the animals are moving down in elevation to find food and water. And where the deer go, so too do their predators.
“What I see now is that it’s drawing in the mountain lions,” England said. “I see people’s lives becoming endangered.”
While mountain lions could pose problems in the future and the endangerment of residents, the deer are what the homeowners have had to put up with the most.
England invests thousands of dollars into landscaping and plants for her front yard. But unless she takes drastic measures in the form of covering up plants and staking unsightly barriers to protect them, the deer destroy them.
“Economically, it’s a problem,” she said. “Why should people spend money on things just to have them destroyed?”
England’s issues with deer from a financial standpoint also took a significant hit after a buck jumped out in front of her husband’s car on his way to church. The deer crashed into the side of the car, smashed the driver’s side window and dented the door. The buck’s head struck England’s husband in the arm. Had the buck managed to get his antlers inside the car, the driver could’ve been hurt. The monetary damage to the Englands was in the $2,000 range.
England hasn’t been the only resident in the area to deal with the nuisance the deer are causing. Her neighbor, Harold Farnlund, is 89 years old and tends to his backyard garden filled with vegetables. Despite a wire barrier to keep animals out, deer are still helping themselves to his tomatoes and squash.
Ginny Bright, another of England’s neighbors, constantly wakes up to deer crashing into the chain-link fence outside her living room. Another of England’s neighbors have eight deer — two bucks, a doe and five fawns — living in the backyard and defecating all over the lawn.
The problems with the deer come from multiple angles, and it’s the worst England and Farnlund have seen in their years of living in their respective homes. England has been at her house for 25 years — 36 for Farnlund.
“We’ve had a problem with deer off and on since we’ve been here,” England said. “It’s really gotten out of hand. … This has gotten worse since the end of May.”
Added Farnlund, “This is the worst deer we’ve had. There’s been a lot more of them around. They’re getting kind of domesticated, so that’s what we put up with.”
Jackson said the next step for finding solutions to the overgrowth of deer and the mountain lions they’re attracting is to begin having conversations between the city of Pocatello, the residents in the area and Idaho Fish and Game.
“We need to kind of be on the same page about what’s being experienced and kind of gain an understanding of what’s going on,” Jackson said. “Then we can come up with some solutions.”
Jackson speculated on what some of those solutions could be. She said an ordinance could be passed that would make it unlawful for individuals to feed deer. She also said deer could be relocated. A solution suggested by England — who was told the idea by an official at Idaho Fish and Game when she called about the dear in early June — was a little more direct.
“He was thinking of bow hunters,” she said. “He said, ‘But I don’t know how the neighbors would feel about them being in their neighborhoods,’ and I said, ‘It wouldn’t bother me.’”
Until discussions take place, Jackson says residents living in deer-heavy areas should understand they live in the urban-wildlife interface and that they should expect wildlife to be present. She urges individuals not to feed the deer and to not leave deer pellets or bird feed out for them to consume. She also encourages motorists traveling through the area to be cautious, and she reminds people it’s unlawful to allow their dogs to chase deer.
Questions, she says, can be directed to the Idaho Fish and Game office at (208) 232-4703.
This article was originally published in the Idaho State Journal. It is used here with permission.