They spread ticks, cause car crashes and even attack humans—deer aren't just a nuisance, they're downright dangerous—and as we wait to see what, if any, plan the province's Department of Natural Resources will put in place to control our numbers, one Canadian city has started a bow and arrow hunt to deal with their exploding urban population.
The Mayor of Kenora, Ontario, David Canfield, tells CHSJ News he highly recommends this method. Canfield says it's probably the best method possible for controlling the number of deer, because you only have a short range with a bow and arrow. He says deer are an emotional issue for people, but at the end of the day, it's about sustainability.
A few years ago New Brunswick's DNR considered bringing in archers to deal with the booming population. Another suggestion was to tranquilize the deer and bring them somewhere with low numbers, but the rate of deer death with that method was very high.
Rothesay's town council expressed shock at the numbers of car crashes caused by deer just this year: over 700. That number was revealed as the results from the Kennebecasis Valley deer survey came in.