For six days in January, employees of Rapid City, South Dakota sat on apple and alfalfa bait sites to cull their urban deer herd by 100. The effort was part of Rapid City’s annual deer management strategy.

Their deer management strategy is designed to decrease the risk of auto accidents and property damage to city resident’s dwellings.

Prior to the annual cull, city officials conduct a yearly survey in areas of historic deer population. After the survey is complete the results are reviewed and a harvest number is set. This year’s target of 100 deer to be harvested was down from 150 last year and down from a high of 300 in the past.

Mule deer doe, whitetail bucks, and whitetail does were all part of the harvest.

“We hope the reduction of deer indicates our program is working” said Lon VanDeusen the manager of the harvest.

Author: Cody Assmann, Wide Open Spaces