Nuisance deer in Bountiful are euthanized, given to families in need

BOUNTIFUL, Utah — They can be cute, but in Bountiful even Bambi can be a nuisance.

“They can cause a lot of problems. A lot of damage to yards and to gardens,” Bountiful City Manager Gary Hill said.

Hill also says some deer have become a public safety concern as the city continues to grow where deer used to live.

“We’ve had reports over the years of deer being aggressive toward people. Definitely toward animals and then many deer auto accidents,” Hill said. “Residents asked the city council to see what they can do.”

Because of those issues, Bountiful teamed up with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

In the past, the deer would be tranquilized and relocated, but because of chronic wasting disease concerns and a low survival rate for relocated deer, the DWR scrapped that program.

Now, the deer are trapped and euthanized.

In Bountiful, there have been 17 deer euthanized so far this year with 45 last year.

“These are deer that don’t migrate necessarily down from the foothills. These are deer that are bred in town and in some of our valleys and backyards,” said Hill.

If a property owner is having problems with deer being a nuisance, they can call the city and the city will set a trap for the deer.

When one is caught, a police officer who is trained in how to properly euthanize the deer will do so.

That deer is then given to needy families who have signed up with Bountiful so the meat can be harvested.

“To date, the last two years of this program, I believe every deer that we’ve euthanized has been taken by a family,” Hill said.