A La Crosse committee decided Thursday that only lethal ways should be considered to reduce the deer herd in Hixon Forest and surrounding bluffland, starting as soon as this winter.

The city’s Deer Abatement Committee recommended culling start after the regular hunting season.
The committee still needs to decide whether sharpshooters should be hired or a special hunt organized, similar to annual disabled hunts at Goose Island.

Sharpshooters are an effective, but expensive, option, said Parks and Recreation Director Steve Carlyon.

“I do believe this is the right thing to do, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t hunt and probably couldn’t ever kill an animal,” said committee member Mark Terpstra.

The overabundance of deer in the area is well-documented and proven in high browsing lines and the number of vehicle-deer collisions, Ron Lichtie, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources has said.

The deer can become susceptible to starvation or disease and the population could collapse altogether, according to Lichtie.

An estimated 84 to 118 deer per square mile can be found in one section of the forest, whereas Hixon Forest really can only support 10 deer per square mile, Lichtie told the committee in past meetings.

Committee member Dave Lange was especially concerned with the effects of overpopulation on the ecosystem and shrinking plant diversity.

A 2004 ecological inventory of the 800-acre Hixon Forest found some of the most common plant species absent in some areas.

Committee members will focus on Hixon Forest and surrounding blufflands in city limits and will invite adjacent towns and unincorporated landowners to participate.

State regulations already pare down the list of possible remedies, eliminating both birth control and relocation.

“The problem I have with non-lethal (means) is we’re just driving our problem into somebody else’s yard,” Terpstra said. “And to move deer and lose 80 percent because of the stress, in my opinion, is inhumane.”

Any committee plans still require approval of other committees and the Common Council. Carlyon said he also is working on an ordinance regulating deer feeding.

Samantha Marcus can be reached at (608) 791-8220 or smarcus@lacrossetribune.com.

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