Dear Action Line: Looking out my window into the backyard last week, I counted 20 deer, including four beautiful bucks and two sets of twins. A mountain lion has been visiting our in-town neighborhood lately, twice caught on camera walking across a neighbor’s front porch. I couldn’t help but think about the book, “Beast in the Garden.” Does the city of Durango or Colorado Parks and Wildlife have estimates of the deer population in the city limits? I certainly understand why deer have set up shop, but are there plans to manage the herd as they roam in increasing numbers around our streets and yards? I am rather alarmed at how tame they’ve become and how much damage to landscaping their sheer numbers can cause. – Janet
Dear Janet: Ah yes, the continual “clash between civilization and wildness,” as the “Beast in the Garden” website describes the theme of the book. It is “a tale of nature corrupted.”
The website likens this 2003 book about mountain lions invading Boulder to “Jaws,” but in nonfiction form. Action Line might never go outside again. Where is Chief Brody/Roy Scheider when you need him? (“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”)
For some answers, we turned to the aforementioned Parks and Wildlife. John Livingston, the agency’s Southwest region public information officer, gave Action Line a bunch of material to work with. So let’s get on with it.
“The reality is, we don't have an estimate on the number of town deer, but we also don't manage our herds at that level,” Livingston said. “Deer in the city limits of Durango are all part of a greater herd. While humans might understand city limits, deer do not.”
Just as the town’s population swells seasonally with tourists, the deer population also fluctuates. Migratory deer visit seasonally, adding to the resident deer population. In Janet’s neighborhood there’s a resident deer population of around 20 to 30 much of the time, Livingston said.
But are the deer really thriving?
“There is a common perception that because we have a lot of town deer that the herds around here must be doing well,” Livingston said. “However, both the Hermosa and San Juan herds have population estimates at the low end of CPW’s objective range, and we have lowered objectives for these herds.” Loss of habitat and disease have diminished their numbers.
Herd management plans go through a public comment process, and that occurred most recently in 2023. Those plans, which can be found on the CPW website, will be in place through 2024. (The Hermosa and San Juan regions are “data analysis units” used by CPW. Hermosa is a long north-south strip of land west of Durango stretching up past Silverton; San Juan is a huge area east of Durango going basically to the Continental Divide.)
City residents have expressed interest at times in formulating a plan, but nothing concrete has come of it, Livingston said. “Ultimately, there hasn’t been a strong enough interest to implement control measures.”
A few things residents and the community can do to reduce the number of in-town deer:
“The first is to stop feeding deer, whether intentionally or unintentionally. We have a lot of people who feed the deer. … Not only is this technically illegal in Colorado, but it can lead to a lot of unintended consequences.”
Such as an increase in mountain lions:
“Non-natural food sources can actually cause more harm than good for the deer, but it also helps attract mountain lions into town. Lions primarily prey on deer, and if deer are present, lions also will be. All of Southwest Colorado is good mountain lion habitat, so people should expect them to be present where there are deer.”
Bird feeders are another issue. Deer feed directly off them or clean up what falls onto the ground.
Residents can be wise about gardening. Plant things that are not palatable to deer. Don’t plant fruit trees or flowers that deer will nibble at every spring. Livingston suggested leaning on the local Colorado State University Extension office as “a great resource for that kind of information.”
“People can also haze deer away from their homes,” Livingston said. “Bang on pots, yell, blow a horn or set off a car alarm. It’s OK to make them feel uncomfortable around your house if you don’t want them there.”
Be aware that deer, particularly bucks during rutting season and does with fawns, can be aggressive, especially around dogs.
“Never assume it is safe to approach deer, and give them space, especially if you have dogs,” Livingston said.
Durango is of course not the only town dealing with deer. Livingston suggested those who want more information about urban deer issues and solutions check out this online fact sheet from Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies: http://bit.ly/3xtB79o.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Maybe some Action Line regulars already figured this out, but Roy Scheider was also in “Marathon Man,” which came up in last week’s column.
