The News-Herald provides a nice overview of how Cleveland area municipalities have been struggling with record deer numbers.
Come springtime, Carole Clement will break out the coyote urine.
She will begin her annual ritual of using it to soak cotton strips that she places atop sticks erected around her gardens.
"It's kind of a universally known deer repellent," the Mentor resident said.
She lives near Veterans Park, where a recent deer count indicated a large overpopulation.
Clement, an active member of several conservation groups, addressed City Council last year about the deer threat to vegetation.
"In 50 years it's going to be ‘Veterans Meadow' because they've eaten all the seedlings and the young saplings," she said.
Deer in Lake, Coyahoga, and Geauga Counties face minimal hunting pressure and now reside in ever-increasing "no hunting zones" subdivided residential housing developments. Recently several parks and municipalities have ended sharpshooting due to budget constraints.
Several organizations are looking at developing a regional deer management strategy, with the Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership taking a lead role.
Source:
News-Herald
