There are around 150 deer living within the one square mile that comprises the boundaries of the town of Joseph, Oregon, and residents there have had about enough of their crap.
Dist. 29 State Sen. Bill Hansell has informed Joseph Mayor Dennis Sands that he intends to introduce a legislative counsel amendment — 1066 — during the upcoming session that begins Feb. 1, 2017, to address issues related to excessive deer populations. Hansell’s bill requires the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to institute a pilot program for deer population control that would allow a city to petition the state’s Wildlife Commission to remove deer if the ODFW determined they constituted a public nuisance.
It's long overdue. ODFW has been "managing" their deer populations to nuisance levels, and it's about time to force them to clean up after themselves. They won't do it on their own, so they need a kick in their collective butts from legislators. Hansell's bill would also criminalize feeding deer within city limits, which is also an overdue provision, as there are some stupid people who will do that sort of thing unless there's a hammer to drop on them.
