As the deer population around the Kahite neighborhood has risen to a herd of more than 300 based on some estimates, residents are considering taking action to mitigate nuisance and safety concerns in partnership with the Tellico Village Property Owners Association and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Kahite resident Tom Greene, who sits on a 10-person action committee that was formed to look at options for addressing the problem, said that in 2010 the deer population in the 600 acres that includes Kahite and surrounding areas was about 150. He said deer have become a “significant nuisance.”
“They don’t fear you,” Greene said. “You can walk right up to them. You don’t want to do that because they’re liable to kick you. You can yell at them, blow the horn, and they just look at you.”
He said based on a committee study conducted earlier this year, 80 percent of residents in the neighborhood favor some type of measure to help reduce the deer population. Options have ranged from organizing an open hunt to bringing in an animal control professional to using a wildlife birth control drug called porcine zona pellucida.
Greene said the action committee will seek approval from the POA and the state before moving forward on any options.
Ben Layton, TWRA big game biologist for Region 3, said although the state has not done an official survey of the area, the “biological carrying capacity,” which is the amount of deer a particular habitat can support, was on the high side.
“Really, it’s been an issue for several years now,” Layton said. “The deer population has been continuing to grow. As late as four or five years ago some residents were complaining about the deer herd. They were eating the shrubbery and doing damage to their yards.”
He said the area should have about 40-50 deer per square mile.
“They are probably exceeding that two or three times based on their survey,” Layton said. “… Probably to have a healthier deer herd you would need to reduce the numbers.”
Trapping and relocating the deer was a costly option that could be associated with high mortality rate, Layton said, noting that relocated deer typically do not thrive in new surroundings. He said TWRA does not have any plans to relocate deer in Kahite at this time.
John Cherry, public relations manager with the POA, said about five years ago residents in Kahite considered options for controlling the deer population, but no steps were taken.
“But there was clearly not enough support, nor was the issue as well-researched,” Cherry said.
Cherry and Greene said the deer problem was an “emotional” issue for some residents, and the committee that is looking to address the problem includes people who are in favor of reducing the numbers by decisive action and residents who are more concerned about animal safety.
“They have a cross-opinionated group,” Cherry said. “They do have opinions from all sides represented on the committee, which is a healthy thing.”
While POA officials didn’t have any concrete figures on deer-related wrecks in Kahite, incident rates for car crashes and wrecks involving deer along Tellico Parkway, which is in the main portion of Tellico Village, were below the state average in both categories, Cherry said.
Greene said the action committee in Kahite plans to make a decision on how to control the deer by April or early May.
“They are just making sure they are getting input from as far and wide as they can, so they have a little more of a community feel for what the solution would be,” Cherry said.
