Residents vote for deer hunt in some Colchester County communities

People in some Colchester County communities surrounding Truro, N.S., have voted in favour of a managed deer hunt, but it will be years before it can begin.

Residents in six districts of the Municipality of Colchester, including Bible Hill, voted "overwhelmingly in favour" of the hunt as part of a plebiscite during the recent municipal election on Oct. 19, said a statement from the municipality.

The municipality's returning officer said 4,659 people voted for the managed hunt, while 1,401 voted no. Voter turnout on the plebiscite in those districts ranged from 30 to 47 per cent, while overall election turnout was 36.5 per cent.

"I'm not surprised because there has been so much destruction with the deer," said Colchester Mayor Christine Blair, who has been re-elected

She said the large number of deer in these communities are damaging gardens, creating dangerous driving conditions, and bringing in ticks that can carry Lyme disease.

"A lot of people are wanting to have ... vegetable gardens because of the cost of food is so high. So they want to do that, and it's very difficult to do unless they invest a fair bit of money in putting a fence around their property."

The municipality has been working with the provincial Department of Natural Resources, gathering deer population data in Brookside, Bible Hill, and Valley. It plans to expand the data collection to Salmon River, Truro Heights, Lower Truro, and Hilden in 2025.

Blair said they have about a year of data now, and the province needs three years before a managed hunt can be considered, so they could start in 2026 at the earliest for some communities.

The municipality will create its own deer hunt plan in the next few years, including where and when the hunting takes place and what methods are used.

Mayor warns against feeding deer

Blair said she's hopeful that Colchester residents both inside and outside the deer hunt areas will take this project as a reminder to never feed deer.

"It's still happening, and that's most unfortunate. It basically trains the deer to come and have a meal, and they do," Blair said. "It's not good for the deer, and it's certainly not good for the residents."

Colchester will look closely at the model used by Truro and Millbrook First Nation, Blair said, where hunters use bows and crossbows. The deer meat is donated to food banks, and the killed animals are also used for research.

The Town of Yarmouth is also collecting data and has a deer management group exploring various options to address the large deer population in that area, but no decisions have been made.