May 9, 2024 |
Photo – A Rawlins deer shows no fear of photographer – Bigfoot99 file photo
During Tuesday’s Rawlins city council meeting, Mayor Terry Weickum’s wife, Debbie Weickum, spoke about aggressive deer during the citizen’s participation portion of the meeting. Mrs. Weickum said 16 years ago, a deer got into her yard and killed her dog. After the incident, the mayor’s wife said she has worked to create an Urban Deer Advisory Committee to institute a yearly deer cull in the city.
Mrs. Weickum said the culling ended in 2023, after Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward refused to have his officers participate in the program. The mayor’s wife said another aggressive deer recently got into her yard and threatened to attack her and her dog. She asked that something be done about the deer population in the city.
Later in Tuesday’s meeting, City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave said she was asked to investigate reestablishing the Urban Deer Advisory Committee.
Maberry-Nave said deer have been a problem in Rawlins since the 1990’s. The city attorney said numerous attempts were made to have Wyoming Game and Fish allow a deer cull in the city limits. It wasn’t until 2018 that the Urban Deer Advisory Committee was formed to find a way to keep the deer population in check.
The following year, the city began a yearly deer cull.
Maberry-Nave said the committee disbanded in 2020. The city attorney said a new committee needs to be created before another deer cull can occur.
Mayor Weickum said the deer must be killed because they have only gotten more aggressive since people started feeding them.
To institute another deer cull, the city must obtain an in-town big game take permit from Wyoming Game and Fish. Mayor Weickum said Game and Fish explained that killing the deer is the only option.
Because Game and Fish refuse to actively participate in the deer cull, Mayor Weickum said the city was forced to purchase costly hunting equipment. In the past, the mayor said Rawlins police officers would lure the deer into less populated areas of the city to kill them.
Mayor Weickum said the deer are too aggressive. The mayor said the city must form a steering committee and begin culling the deer once more.
Mayor Weickum said Game and Fish permitted the city to kill 50 deer during the last cull. The mayor said the deer meat was donated to needy families.
Councilwoman Tonya Lewman asked City Attorney Maberry-Nave to investigate why the previous Urban Deer Advisory Committee disbanded. Councilwoman Lewman said she was told that the city opposed the deer hunt. Mayor Weickum specifically blamed Police Chief Ward.
Councilman Darril Garner said Chief Ward did not oppose the deer kill. Councilman Garner said the police chief simply did not want to shoot deer within the city.
Mayor Weickum said Councilman Garner was not at the meeting he was speaking about. Councilman Chris Weisenburg called a point of order and the council moved on.
City Attorney Maberry-Nave was asked to collect more information about reforming the Urban Deer Advisory Committee and present it to the council at a later date.
