HSB deer trapping on hold for Thanksgiving holiday

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Already more than 450 deer have been trapped in Horseshoe Bay, with more scheduled to be removed after the Thanksgiving holidays, officials said.

So far, 454 deer have been trapped and removed, said city manager Stan Farmer on Monday, Nov. 24. Trapping will pick back up again Dec. 5-17.

Cherokee Capturing Service, out of Dripping Springs, has been trapping Horseshoe Bay’s deer for at least eight years, said owner James Bonds.

Two crews have been working in the city since early October.

“The goal is not to eliminate the deer population, but to manage it based on Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s recommendations,” he said, adding that his company has no say on the number of deer caught and removed. Limits are set by TPWD surveys.

The TPWD biologists who survey deer populations and determine acceptable, healthy populations for a given area “are some of the best around,” Bonds said.

HSB personnel and TPWD team up for the city’s annual deer survey, which showed 2,400 deer inside the city limits this fall. “That’s the most we’ve had going back over a decade,” Farmer said.

The city budgeted $90,000 for the removal of 600 deer, at $150 a piece. Trapping costs $125 plus $25 for processing, Farmer said.

The company sets net traps baited with deer corn, placed in areas with “high traffic and abundance,” Bonds said. One net can hold as many as 15 deer. Does and bucks are caught in similar numbers.

Death is rare in the trapping process, and when it happens it is usually because a deer had already been injured, Bonds said.

For the full story, see Friday's Highlander.