SPRINGDALE — A roving band of scavengers is making life harder for some Springdale residents.
The scavengers are a herd of deer that are eating everything from garden plants to flowers to fruit tree leaves.
“There are about 15 of them in my patch of woods,” said Jack Clark, who lives on Elm Springs Road. “They ate up my garden when it was growing. They really liked the ends of the sweet potatoes. They got in my flowers, too.”
City officials have heard many complaints about deer living inside city limits, according to Mayor Doug Sprouse. Complaints in the area of the Elm Springs Road interchange on Interstate 540 seemed to climb after construction began on the nearby Walmart, he said.
AT A GLANCE
Deer vs. Vehicle
Tips to reduce the odds of a deer-vehicle confrontation:
• Deer generally travel in herds; if one is seen, there is a strong possibility others are nearby.
• Be aware of posted deer crossing signs. These are placed in active deer crossing areas.
• Remember deer are most active between 6 and 9 p.m.
• Use high-beam headlamps as much as possible at night to illuminate the areas from which deer will enter roadways.
• If a deer collision seems inevitable, attempting to swerve out of the way could cause loss of vehicle control.
• Don’t rely on car-mounted deer whistles.
Source: The Insurance Information Institute
Deer also are spotted regularly near Tyson Park and J.B. Hunt Park, said Capt. Ron Hritz of the Springdale Police Department.
“I was driving on Silent Grove Road one Sunday near Hunt Park and saw 12 within 30 feet of the road,” Hritz said. “People were stopping and taking pictures of them. The deer weren’t scared of them.”
With annexations and a growing herd, the number of deer inside Springdale city limits is increasing, said Wyman Morgan, city director of administration and financial affairs. When their habitat is removed by construction, the deer don’t have many places to go, he said.
“They probably are searching for food and end up in backyards,” Hritz said.
Munching those backyard greens leads to complaints across the region, said Capt. Brian McKinzie, regional enforcement supervisor for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.
“When I started this job, we might get two complaints a year,” McKinzie said. “Sometimes we get two complaints a day now.”
McKinzie has worked for the commission for 22 years, he said. He oversees a six-county area.
The increasing number of deer has led to more calls to police about accidents involving the animals, Hritz said. Those include collisions with vehicles and trapped or injured animals, he said.
“It’s almost once a week now,” Hritz said. “The calls started to increase about a year ago.”
Several times, officers have had to shoot injured deer, Hritz said. Many of those involve deer hit by vehicles, but several have been deer with broken legs. Deer have been injured when jumping fences, off of bridges or into a yard with a dog.
“I’ve seen several deer almost get hit,” Clark said. “They tend to bolt right out into the traffic.”
People have called Sprouse asking for permission to hunt the animals, he said. Most recently, a resident asked about using a crossbow or bow and arrows. Shooting firearms inside city limits is not allowed, Sprouse said, but the law doesn’t ban hunting.
“Our law doesn’t address using a bow and arrow to hunt,” said Ernest Cate, city attorney. “The mayor would not have to give permission for that type of hunting.”
People routinely ask Game & Fish officers to hunt animals that are destructive to crops or yards, McKinzie said. A commission biologist investigates the situation before a depredation permit can be issued.
Incidents of deer encroaching into human living space is a problem all over the state, said Ron Duncan, a Springdale resident and chairman of the Game & Fish Commission.
“In Northwest Arkansas, I hear about more problems in Rogers and Fayetteville,” Duncan said. “I didn’t realize it was becoming a problem in Springdale.”
Clark said he prefers the deer to be left alone, he said.
“When they started to show up in my yard, it was only two or three,” Clark said. “Now, I’ve seen five bucks and a couple of big does. I like seeing them.”
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