Deer Management In Eden Prairie

Minnetonka MN

24 November, 2020

5:07 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Eden Prairie: November 23, 2020 Eden Prairie's bi-annual deer management program is scheduled to begin in December and continue through March at multiple sites throughout the City, typically beginning at dusk and into the evening when deer are most active. During this time, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) wildlife professionals will work to reduce the City's deer population. The deer management program was instituted more than 20 years ago, after a resident task force extensively studied deer overpopulation in Eden Prairie and presented its findings to the City Council. Before the program was implemented, there were nearly 280 deer-versus-vehicle collisions per year in Eden Prairie — a number which has now fallen to less than 30 per year. The goal of the program is to maintain the white-tailed deer population within the City at 20 to 25 deer per square mile of suitable habitat. This is in accordance with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) guidelines, which state that one square mile of good habitat can reasonably support 20 to 25 deer. "The goal of this program is not to eliminate deer from Eden Prairie," said Parks and Natural Resources Manager Matt Bourne. "Rather, we are working to maintain the deer population in balance with the available natural habitat." Residents with questions about the deer management program can contact Bourne at 952-949-8535. Safety concerns can be directed to the Police Department at 952-949-6200. Did you know that feeding deer in suburban areas is detrimental to the animals? The artificial feeding of deer results in multiple family units of deer being attracted to or "patterned" to modify their normal feeding areas. Wild deer should live and move through their non-residential habitat feeding on a wide variety of native plants. However, when corn or other feed is introduced they tend to feed more on the yard plants of adjacent residential properties as they move to and away from the artificial feeding source. In addition, having piles of food available will concentrate deer in residential areas where they then become less wary of humans and cars due to frequent contact. This interaction makes them more likely to be struck by a car or run into a picture window or the patio door of a home. Finally, artificial feeding makes deer more reliant on the "easy food" and can modify their health. Wild deer can become dependent on feed stations and spend an abnormal amount of time in and around the neighboring residential properties. This can lead to other types of property damage such as bucks rubbing on the trunks of small trees and an accumulation of deer feces on lawn areas. For these reasons, the City of Eden Prairie and the Minnesota DNR do not recommend supplemental feeding of deer. This press release was produced by the City of Eden Prairie. The views expressed here are the author's own.