The Cody City Council discussed how they might curb the city’s deer population on Tuesday night, but the council has not resolved to cull the herd.

There are approximately 300 deer within city limits.

Cody Police Chief Chuck Baker told the council during a special meeting that a chapter 56 permit from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department would allow police to remove up to 50 anterless deer per year.

Baker said his department would use a .223 caliber AR-15 type rifle with a silencer to shoot deer; night vision equipment would be employed for nighttime hunting.

Baker said two officers would hunt deer: One to shoot the animal and the other to ensure public safety. Bait would be used to lure deer to locations where it would be safe to shoot. Sites would be on city land or private property with the landowner’s permission, the chief said.

Deer killed in collisions with cars or subsequently euthanized would not be included in the 50-deer quota, Baker said.

He said 200 people and counting had provided contact information to accept venison procured by Cody police.

In a city survey that drew 1,760 responses, 60 percent favored reducing the deer population.

It would cost about $100 per animal if five deer can be taken in an allotted six hour session, Baker said. In the first year, he figures the start-up cost would total approximately $6,000.

“We’ve built in some overtime,” Baker said. “It would be my hope we can reduce that cost over time.”

Two officers working a six-hour session would cost $540, if they remove five deer, Baker said. Multiplied by eight sessions, that’s $4,320 in labor costs annually. It is feasible the officers can take more than five deer per session, so the cost would be less than $100 per deer, Baker said. He added that the ongoing cost would be evaluated annually.

Cody resident Dewey Vanderhoff said he believed the cost could be much more than $6,000 per year.

When an officer kills a deer, a sample would be taken to send to the Game and Fish for chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing, Baker said. If the animal tests positive it will be properly disposed of.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk and moose and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization recommend that people do not eat CWD-positive animals.

Under the conditions of the permit, all deer — unless diseased — would be given away.

Those receiving the donated carcasses would be responsible for field-dressing and processing, according to the police’s deer reduction plan.

A dumpster would be designated for donation recipients to discard deer entrails and non-edible parts, Baker said.

If remains are disposed of properly, Cody Game and Fish Wildlife Supervisor Alan Osterland said he does not see it as a significant problem attracting bears.

A member of the audience said police don’t respond to calls reporting sick or injured deer.

The police’s top priority is attending to the well-being of its citizens, said Cody Mayor Nancy Tia Brown. Answering calls for injured deer must be handled when officers have the time, she said.

Baker said he has a procedure for planned hunts, but not responding to single incidents of injured deer. “All of this would be at our convenience to minimize costs.”

Baker is not recommending the hunt, said Councilman Stan Wolz.

The first year harvesting 50 deer will barely constrain the propagating population, Osterland said. However, culling 50 deer yearly will incrementally reduce the number of reproducing females, thus checking the population. Game and Fish will continue conducting trend counts to monitor numbers.

Sheridan was removing 100 deer per year under a chapter 56 permit and has now reduced its quota to 40 because the population has been reduced, Baker said.

Responding to a question, Baker said he did not know if there were fewer car-deer collisions in Sheridan since the advent of that city’s deer reduction efforts. He will document Cody calls to determine if there are fewer car-deer wrecks.

Have there been any human injuries documented in Cody as a result of car-deer collisions? Vanderhoff asked.

There is no record of human-deer related injuries, according to police records.

“Do you see any positive value to having deer in the community?” Vanderhoff asked. Are there any non-lethal methods to thin the herd?

There is no approved contraceptive for mule deer and white-tail deer contraception is expensive, Osterland said. Trapping deer is costly and results in high deer mortality.

Vanderoff suggested that the city could ask the Wyoming Department of Transportation to erect fences on busy roads like Big Horn and Yellowstone avenues.

However, Councilman Jerry Fritz, a Department of Transportation employee, said he guarantees the department would not build fencing.

Vanderhoff said he believes the Cody population has plateaued, but the city will harvest its deer into the foreseeable future.

The intention of Tuesday’s meeting was to understand the plan outlined by police and ask questions, Brown said. A full copy of the proposal is on the city’s website, attached to the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. More discussion will follow at the council’s Tuesday, Nov. 1, meeting which begins at 7 p.m.

“Please encourage people to attend on Tuesday night,” Brown told a radio reporter.

Culling could begin by the first of the year if the council so directs it, Baker said.