Thermopolis Re-Starts Deer Management Program

The Thermopolis Police Department will restart their deer management program again this year.
After taking a year off in 2017, the town of Thermopolis has decided to bring the program back to life. According to an article in the Northern Wyoming Daily News, the program was originally intended to mitigate wildlife collisions and property damage.
The town has received 30 licenses for off-duty police officers to harvest deer at the outskirts of town in an attempt to keep the deer numbers down. And the article adds that officers have been trained by the Wyoming Department of Game & Fish in removing glands to send to the state to test for chronic wasting disease.
The police department attributes the large population of deer in part to residents throwing feed and birdseed in their yards, which attracts the deer.
The town pays for the licenses and meat processing, which is done by a local processor. The meat from the harvested deer is donated to needy families in the community.
The program is comparable to a program that’s seen a dramatic reduction in deer concerns in Cody in the last two years.