Deer count begins

The city of Custer’s annual deer thinning project is set to begin, with city employees set to travel around town to see how many deer are in town and how many the city should request to remove. After doing the count, the city requests to take out a certain amount of the deer from the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks.

Rex Harris, the city’s community development director, said at the Oct. 15 meeting of the Custer City Council it has been his observation that there are more deer in town this year than in years past, and a surprising number of bucks are hanging out within city limits.

Harris said he had heard there is an especially large amount of deer congregating at Rocky Knolls Golf Course this fall.

Alderman Jim Hattervig said he read in the Rapid City Journal that Rapid City would do its deer thinning project differently this year, thinning only in areas where the city receives complaints about the deer. Hattervig wondered if such a strategy could work in Custer.

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