TEGA CAY, S.C. — Leaders in Tega Cay are finally taking action on the city's deer issue.
During a Monday night meeting, city leaders approved a plan to cull 80 deer, which will cost just over $60,000. This move should make a dent in the city's deer problem.
At the meeting, Tega Cay City Council held a second reading of an amendment to the city’s code on discharging firearms and firearm-like devices to control wildlife. The ordinance currently states the city may grant special permission for it.
Back in September, officials said that over 1,000 deer were living within city limits. At that time, city leaders said that it would take killing about 350 deer to get the population under control.
A paragraph will be added that allows city council to grant, by a majority vote on a case-by-case basis, the temporary use of firearms, including air propellant guns for darting, to manage wildlife.
City leaders had been weighing whether to hire sharpshooters or use birth control darts to control the deer population. Neighbors who have seen the deer wreak havoc in their own yards say it’s past time to make a decision.
A few months ago, South Carolina wildlife officials gave Tega Cay approval to hire sharpshooters to kill 80 deer a year.
But there was some pushback from the community, leading the city to consider birth-control darts as an option.
On Monday, leaders are hoping that after culling the deer, and once the city is in a better place, they can move to only using a wildlife contraceptive to maintain a stable deer population within the city.
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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