Texas Town Now Overcome With Nuisance Deer!

The news team at KXAN reported on a major issue in Granite Shoals Texas yesterday.

Oh, Deer

Granite Shoals is experiencing a major rise in its white tail deer population. The Hill Country town is introducing a new program to try and control the overpopulation issue. When the number of deer in your area grows too large not only is it a problem for the eco-system, but it also poses a much higher risk for traffic accidents.

State the Facts

While Granite Shoals is experiencing an uptick in the deer population, that state of Texas as a whole has seen a decline in the population. In 2016, the population of white tail deer in Texas was 5.5 million. Today the white tail deer have been reduced to a population of about 4.7 million. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) the number of deer in the state of Texas has decreased due largely in part to a drought. However, the deer will grow in numbers in areas near water or where there is plenty of food and no predators.

Studies Show

Peter Hutnick is the Chair of the Granite Shoals Wildlife Advisory Committee. Mr. Hutnick is in charge of monitoring deer populations. Hutnick pointed out that this was the first year that Granite Shoals had a deer population over 2,000. In 2019 that number was just around 950.

Locked and Loaded

The number of white tail deer has to be lowered and maintained. The city has started to discuss a harvesting program to sustain a healthy population. The program would allow hunters to bow hunt in certain areas, and the venison would then be donated to help feed needy families. The committee wants to make it clear that this program is all about population management.