Pocatello homeowners seeing increased problem with wildlife

Some people in Pocatello are saying wildlife coming into neighborhoods has become a bigger problem than ever. Recently, near the Johnny Creek area, one home reported three cougars in its backyard. Residents said this is because the cougars are following the deer, which are becoming the biggest problem of all.

Denise England lives on Country Club Drive. She said she’s well aware that she lives in a deer-populated area and that there are always going to be deer. But she said they’re becoming a huge nuisance.

“I understand that the animals were here first, I don’t have a problem with that,” England said. “The only problem I have is that it’s out of control, it’s literally out of control.”

England said she’s used to deer roaming around yards, but in the 25 years she’s lived in her home, this year is the worst she’s seen.

She said not only are deer becoming bigger and bigger pests, but more and more costly.

“I’ve spent thousands of dollars on the front yard and the back yard and the come and they devastate the garden,” England said.

She said it’s also depressing because gardening and being outdoors is a favorite hobby of hers. So it’s sad to see all that time and effort ruined so quickly.

England said she’s not alone, her neighbors are having the same problems and are frustrated.

She said the deer are eating food from gardens, trampling flowerbeds, leaving behind tons of poop all over yards.

England said she also thinks it’s becoming very dangerous for the neighborhood. Deer are often on and near the road, which she said is a pretty heavy-traffic area. She said deer have tried to attack her husband while he’s been out on walks in the neighborhood. Her husband even had a pretty scary encounter with a deer while driving.

England said her husband was slowly turning at an intersection by their house when a deer ran at his car.

“It actually attacked his car, smashed in the door and the window, got half of its head into the car, would’ve gored him if he’d gotten his horns in there,” she said.

England said it cost $3,000 to have the car repaired.

She believes the deer could pose a bigger problem and a danger because most seem too comfortable around people.

“They are no longer afraid of us at all,” England said. “They’ll just come right in your yards. I had a couple of them that came up on my front porch to eat geraniums. I thought they were going to ring the doorbell and ask me if I had any more food.”

Idaho Fish and Game said because of a couple mild winters, reproduction and survival rates among mule deer have been high. So it has seen an increase in the deer population.

Zach Lockyer, regional wildlife manager with Idaho Fish and Game, said it’s a tough situation all-around.

“We are aware that this is an issue and we’re in discussions on trying to come up with some solutions,” Lockyer said. “It’s a real challenge because we’ve got a lot of homeowners. We have people that really like deer, we also have people that have problems with deer, and in that urban interface it’s really hard to control numbers.”

Lockyer said fish and game is working with the city and other agencies to find the best solution. He said tolerance and public education will be key. He said they will do their best to educate people on how to handle the situation, post deer signs, speed limits, etc. He said if it continues to be a huge problem, they may have to look for other solutions.

England said she understands fish and game has challenges to work through and procedures to follow, but she just wants to make sure that something is being done.

“I would like to see a plan from whatever agencies have to come up with a plan,” she said. “And I want to see deadlines. I want to see that we’re going to do this, it’s going to be accomplished by this time period, then we’re going to do this and we’re going to do that.”

Fish and game said it’s important people remember speed limits and safety when driving in areas with high wildlife traffic. Lockyer said people also need to remember not to feed the deer. He said try not to leave out anything that can attract deer either, like piles of apples or birdseed.

England said she hopes to see progress from fish and game soon. She said she’s tried everything else.

“I’ve done everything I can,” she said. “I’ve put up plants that deer don’t like, I’ve put up trellises, I’ve even put on my sprinklers which seemed to help a little bit. But what else can I do?”