Powell River is not at the point where it needs a cull, but the number of urban deer living within city boundaries has grown and can soon become a problem, according to BC Conservation Officer Service officer Andrew Anaka.
Anaka does not have exact numbers for the deer population, but said the number of animals, particularly in the city, has increased dramatically. Seeing a doe with two or three fawns, when they would usually only have one, is not uncommon, he added.
"We're seeing tons of deer and people are hunting them now," he said. "It's becoming noticeable."
Powell River district WildSafeBC coordinator Francine Ulmer said the population increase is due to urban areas having abundant food sources for the animals and leash laws have kept dogs from chasing them away.
She added that residents have a high tolerance for the animals, but they should be more concerned as deer attract cougars into residential areas and create other problems.
Seven deer have been humanely destroyed since the beginning of September after being struck on the road by cars and trucks. Anaka said for each deer he has to take care of, there could be as many as three more killed in accidents. That number has been increasing as the number of deer in the city climbs, he added.
Anaka said a number of fawns have been taken to animal rehabilitation shelters in the Lower Mainland as a result of the accidents.
Bow hunting deer within the city limits is legally permitted, as long as hunters respect private property, are more than 15 metres off the road and 100 metres from dwellings, said Anaka.
"That does help reduce the population," said Anaka. “It's really our only way to control it."
In the meantime, Ulmer said she encourages people to use electric fences and ensure fruit trees and other shrubs are pruned regularly.
She added that while motion-activated lights and sprinklers are not 100 per cent effective, they do startle deer and dissuade them from entering into yards.
