City of Urbandale wants to cull the herd to reduce number of auto accidents and property damage.
The city of Urbandale will once again allow a bow hunt of antlerless deer in some parts of the city, in an effort to thin the city's teeming deer population.
The Urbandale City Council voted during its meeting Tuesday to allow bow-hunting from Sept. 11 to Jan. 30 as part of the Polk County Conservation Board's annual controlled bow hunt for antlerless deer.
Urbandale police officer Jeff Casey, whose department oversees the bow hunt for the city, said recent studies showed Urbandale has about 135 deer per square mile west of Interstate Highway 35/80, compared to a county average of 43 per square mile.
Deer were responsible for eight motor-vehicle collisions in 2005, 33 in 2006, 26 in 2007, 24 in 2008 and 24 in 2009, Casey said, adding that one of the goals of the task force is to thin the herd to about 30 per square mile to help prevent accidents.
"That's the recommended number to prevent more damage than we're already seeing," Casey said. "We're consistently seeing property damage in addition to the traffic situations caused by deer. Bow-hunting can have a considerable impact."
Source: DeMoinesRegister
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