Lake Conroe residents take action against deer population
By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
Feb. 1, 2010, 8:29PM
Brett Coomer Chronicle
A pair of deer run across Vail Drive in the Walden on Lake Conroe subdivision on Wednesday. The Walden community on Lake Conroe is trapping to reduce the population in the area.
Share Print Share Del.icio.usDiggTwitterYahoo! BuzzFacebookStumbleUponFor years, homeowners in a yacht club subdivision on Lake Conroe have delighted in feeding hundreds of big bucks, shy brown-eyed does and spotted fawns that live there.
But the deer recently have multiplied — and so have the concerns. Walden's neighborhood newsletter tells tales of deer chasing cyclists, joggers and even children waiting at bus stops.
So enough is enough, some residents say, as they now embrace a decisive solution.
Walden on Lake Conroe has become the second subdivision in the Houston area that is thinning its deer herds through a state-permitted program of trapping, slaughtering and donating the venison to feed the needy.
Texas Parks and Wildlife officials say 22 communities statewide have obtained similar permits this year to reduce deer populations. However, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and many Walden residents believe this should not be the management tool of choice for Texas.
Still, many other folks in Walden say deer have
increased beyond what a developed area could support. So much so, they said, that the animals were devouring landscapes and crashing into cars.
For proponents of trapping, the numbers prove their point: A 2008 survey estimated there were 492 deer living on 3,500 acres in Walden. That's more than four times as many deer that would be found in the same area in the wild, according to state wildlife officials.
The issue of deer encroaching into neighborhoods is not new, as suburbanization in the U.S. continues to eat up rural habitats. But finding solutions for the problem is creating tensions.
“The Walden community is divided. Many here just don't like to think about it,” said Linda Ross, a Walden resident and member of the U.S. Humane Society. “One man stood up at our community meeting and said he has heard the deer screaming after they are trapped. We're becoming the killing fields.”
PETA spokeswoman Tori Perry said her organization recommends non-lethal measures. This includes prohibiting the feeding of deer, which can artificially cause over-population. Other options, Perry said, include protecting landscapes through fencing and repellents or using deer-resistant plants.
“Deer are wild animals with strong flight instincts,” Perry said. “So this is absolutely terrifying for them to be trapped under a net and then tossed into a truck while fully conscious to endure noises and jostling while transported to a slaughterhouse.”
However, Gary Calkins, Texas Parks and Wildlife's leader over the Piney Woods, which includes Walden, said PETA's suggestions will only work when there's a slight increase in the deer population.
“When there is a real population crush, as Walden's experienced, PETA's methods would be reducing the number by starvation,” he said.
The president of Walden's improvement association, Scott Sustman, said residents moved there for the natural surroundings. “We love deer, but we've got too many,” Sustman said. “There are constant car accidents. Our road crews are regularly picking up dead deer. And we have reports of deer being aggressive.”
Walden's newsletter tells of deer chasing cyclists, joggers and even children waiting at bus stops.
“Our deer population was doubling every couple of years,” said Nancy Renfro, Walden's property manager. “We had to do something.”
The trapping program, which is permitted from October through February, began in 2008 and so far has removed 175 deer from Walden. Yet the deer are re-populating so quickly that the total population living there was only reduced by about 25, authorities said.
PETA contends other deer will move into the area to fill the void and surviving females will breed faster. Yet Walden authorities say other deer cannot easily migrate into Walden since it lies on a peninsula that juts into the lake, and the peninsula's narrow entrance is blocked by a busy road.
“When you start a removal program, deer rebound quickly at first. Some may have twins because of the release of stress on the population,” said Kevin Schwausch, a big game specialist for the state. “But as you continue, the numbers will come down.”
Arch and Peggy Payne, longtime Walden residents, are glad to see the deer population decrease, as many appeared to be sick and dying. “And we can't grow anything in our yard,” Peggy Payne said. “Once I planted 300 pansies and the next morning they'd all been eaten.”
However, other Walden residents such as Jack Keep have a solution: plant artificial flowers.
“I used to enjoy seeing a 17-member herd, but not any more. I think they're taking too many out of here,” he said.
The next trapping session was scheduled for last Friday but has been delayed indefinitely due to weather. Salt blocks embedded with corn have been placed in strategic areas where trappers are ready to snare deer by using remote controls to drop huge nets that are raised on poles.
Residents have tried to sabotage trapping efforts by walking barking dogs or flipping on flashlights to scare deer away. But anyone deliberately trying to spook the deer can be charged with a Class B misdemeanor.
Even so, Ross is considering mounting a protest: “I don't care if they do take me to jail.”
cindy.horswell@chron.com
