Deer herd grows in east end of island
The herd of deer on the eastern tip of the island – Pointe‑aux‑Prairies and Coulée Grou parks and a couple of golf courses out that way – continues to grow, but – unlike Longueuil – Montreal isn’t making any plans to deal with them.
Update Monday: City says it’s waiting for a study from a committee of experts formed in 2022 to decide what to do and that it isn’t taking the issue lightly. Can’t help wondering if they’re cowering from the potential wrath of Anne‑France Goldwater.
steph 10:58 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
How is it Boucherville managed to cull 319 deer last December, without much fuss? St-Bruno culled 80.
Blork 12:48 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
The thing about the Longueuil deer is that they live in a large and very-used park right in town, so hundreds of people see them and interact with them every day. Imagine if 100 deer lived in Parc Angrignon and were just sauntering around the walking paths and ski trails every day, like enormous squirrels. When they’re that present, people become attached to them.
I don’t think that was the case in Boucherville and St-Bruno.
Blork 14:33 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
You can get a sense of the Longueuil situation in this Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blork/albums/72177720306455005/
dhomas 16:09 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
I see the deer in the East almost every day. I also see some that have gotten hit by cars. But mostly, I see that all vegetation is being eaten, out in RDP. Even shrubs and hedges. They run out of food in the wooded areas and go eat plants from local residences, right off the side of the road. They become dangerous to themselves and to motorists.
steph 16:21 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
Don’t they pose a serious security threat? I imagining I’d want to avoid hand feeding a ravenous 200lbs deer. Haven’t they been damaging the ecosystem? Beautiful pictures by the way.
Blork 16:34 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
The deer do indeed eat a lot of the forest’s greenery, which is one of the reasons for the cull. (It’s actually harming the ecosystem.)
While I haven’t heard of any collisions with vehicles around Parc Michel-Chartrand I’m sure it happens given how often I see them standing right at the edge of one or another boulevard. They’re also all over the small side streets at night. I literally see more deer walking down my street at night than I see racoons.
@Steph, they are unbelievably docile, and very skitterish. “Ravenous” in appetite maybe but not in temperament.The majority are does (females). The bucks tend to not come so close. The does will come right up to you hoping you’ll feed them, but if you make any sudden moves, even a twitch, they run away. Although one time I had one walking next to me for a bit while I gently patted it’s back. It was like walking alongside a Great Dane.
That said, I don’t recommend feeding them. (There’s a photo of me feeding them in that Flickr album, but that was from 2016 when the deer population was much lower and wasn’t as much of a problem.)
Blork 16:37 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
Correction: incredibly GENTLE (more so than “docile”).
Kate 18:29 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
Also “skittish” : )
Ian 18:41 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
Great pictures!
Blork 19:22 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
Yeah, skittish. Although I will fall back on my heritage and claim that “skitterish” is how we say it in Nova Scotia. Kinda like the way we say “jeet yet?” instead of “verily honourable sir/madam/Mx/, may I enquire as to the temporal state of your fair luncheon upon this day; be it past or future?” the way we’d say it around here.
Kate 20:28 on 2024-02-17 Permalink
Excellent photos, Blork. The doe looking at you with big sweet sad eyes…!
Blork 00:55 on 2024-02-18 Permalink
I know, right? You can see why people get attached!
Kate 09:39 on 2024-02-19 Permalink
I was wondering: you walk around there quite often, so do you ever recognize specific animals, or feel that they recognize you?
Blork 11:43 on 2024-02-19 Permalink
I do sometimes recognize specific animals. The antlers on the males are good ways to recognize individuals, especially since there aren’t a lot of males (“oh, there’s Bob with the tiny antlers, and there’s Fred with his eight points!”). Less so with the does, as there really isn’t much to differentiate them aside from size and fuzziness, but since there are so many, there could be a dozen small fuzzy ones and you think it’s the same one every time. Now and then there will be one with an odd patch of fur or a spot of fur missing, or a stain, etc. that you recognize when you see them.