by BRAD ROLLINS
A black buck wanders through land neighboring Ruby Ranch, oblivious of subdivision boundaries. (Photo by Cyndy Slovak-Barton)
Urban – and suburban – deer populations are the subject of discussion in two corridor communities where residential growth is encroaching on former habitat for both native and exotic species.
In the Ruby Ranch subdivision near Buda, where a herd of non-native Axis deer are thought to be remnants of a former game preserve, the homeowner’s association issued a statement on the “very sensitive” subject after a local resident suggested that trapping of exotic deer is a violation of the subdivision’s deed restrictions.
No doubt owing to that sensitivity, homeowner’s association officials are reluctant to say much about at all about the deer situation, including characterizing how extensive deer hunting or trapping is in the subdivision or how the homemade deer management program is affecting the size of the exotic herd.
Grady Meyer, the HOA president, required that questions be submitted in writing and, in response, provided terse responses along the lines of, “We do not know how many exotics are in Ruby Ranch. To our knowledge, there has never been an official count,” and, “The board does not know if there has been an increase or decrease in the exotics.”
The HOA board’s written statement, issued this month, says that deer trapping is not a violation of covenants and restrictions and that it is powerless to curb the practice, which has been witnessed by some Ruby Ranch residents. Discharging firearms within the subdivision violates subdivision rules but not state law, and “it is difficult to get the sheriff’s office to take action against an offender,” according to the statement.
The statement also cites a state Parks and Wildlife official who says exotic deer and antelope species in the subdivision are harmful to native white-tailed deer and that, under law, they belong to the person on whose property they are on at any given time.
In San Marcos, officials are considering a program to curb the burgeoning population of native whitetails, which are blamed for traffic accidents and property damage. Officials have floated proposals that include a ban on feeding deer and undertaking a deer census as the first step toward a more comprehensive population control program.
Should officials pursue a management program, they can expect to pay handsomely for it, San Marcos Public Services director Rodney Cobb recently told city council members. The city of Lakeway, for example, has spent about $330,000 on its deer management program since 1999. That breaks out to an average of $33,000 a year for a program that removes about 125 deer a year – or $264 per animal.
