Worthington targets no-feed ordinance to keep deer herds down

In response to a large deer population that has taken hold in Worthington over the years, the city is considering an ordinance that would prohibit residents from feeding the animals.

City management assistant Ethan Barnhardt prepared a report about the city’s deer population in October that focuses on strategies the city could adopt to help mitigate the growing herd.

He said the intentional feeding of deer would be prohibited under this ordinance in an attempt to deter the deer from settling into the area.

After discussing his report March 14, Worthington City Council on anticipates putting together draft language for a no-feeding ordinance over the next couple of weeks. This would be a first step toward addressing the problem of deer encroaching on roads, property and public areas throughout the city.

“Most Worthingtonians admire, value and even love the deer,” council president David Robinson said. “Yet too much of a good thing can cause problems. So it is with our deer, as their numbers have grown and grown in recent years. We’ve all seen it.

“This will likely be just the beginning of further study, community discussion and decisions about how to live long term in harmony with our deer,” he said.

Barnhardt said the city plans to present draft language to council within the next month or so.

Barnhardt said in his presentation to council that although no-feeding ordinances are a common first step for municipalities when addressing deer problems, the laws might be ineffective if feeding other animals isn’t prohibited, too. He said a no-feeding law might not be effective in reducing deer populations and such ordinances could be difficult to enforce.

However, he said, a no-feeding policy could have other benefits, particularly concerning the health of local deer herds and discouraging them from becoming comfortable converging on populated areas.

Intentionally feeding wild deer is “probably one of the worst things you can do,” he said. “Not only does it habituate the deer to feel comfortable coming into human environments, but a lot of the things that humans feed deer can actually be harmful for their health and can even cause different kinds of digestive issues and even lead to death.”

Barnhardt briefed council on some other possible lethal and nonlethal deer mitigation strategies during the March 14 meeting, including implementing a sharpshooter program and using birth control and sterilization methods. But nothing else is in the cards right now besides a no-feeding ordinance, he said.

Worthington’s deer population has grown over time on par with the rest of the state.

According to Barnhardt’s report, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates about 680,000 deer are in Ohio, leading to a significant increase in the number of complaints about them in recent years.

According to Barnhardt’s presentation, deer-related complaints in Worthington rose about 400% in 2021 from about 10 in 2020 to about 45 last year.

Moreover, 22 documented vehicle collisions with deer have been reported in Worthington between 2017 and 2021, resulting in property damage.

For more information, go to worthington.org/wildlife. sborgna@thisweeknews.com @Thisweeksteve