STURGIS, S.D. – The city of Sturgis is beginning its municipal deer harvest program this week.
The program is in response to complaints about the increasing number of deer in the city, as well as agressive behavior by deer in parks and along trails.
Under strict guidelines regulated by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, the police department is required to complete a Deer Population Study each fall. Based on the study, the G.F. & P. determines if the deer population should be curtailed.
The goal of the program is to mantain a healthy and viable urben deer population.
In 2018, the initial year of the Sturgis program, 20 deer were harvested. This year, authorities plan to harvest 60 deer.
All deer harvested through the program are given to residents who submit an application in advance. Those applications are available at the Sturgis Finance Office.
