10:17 AM CST on Friday, February 4, 2005

By Allan Turner / Houston Chronicle

The timeless battle between humans and wildlife is growing ugly in San Jacinto County, where herds of white tail deer numbering in the hundreds relentlessly chew their way through garden and forest, possibly upsetting the balance of nature and endangering their own future.

The plague of Bambis has split the normally placid Lake Livingston hamlet of Cape Royale into acrimonious pro-deer and anti-deer factions as community leaders prepare to launch a trap-and-slaughter campaign that could reduce the white tail population by 300 by mid-March.

In keeping with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department regulations for communities that opt to kill deer, the residents' group will distribute the resulting venison - as much as 12,000 pounds - to needy residents of San Jacinto and surrounding counties.

Bob Lamb, treasurer and spokesman for the Cape Royale Property Owners Association, said community volunteers have counted as many as 500 animals in the roughly 1,000 acres that make up the subdivision. Vegetation in the surrounding forest has been stripped up to four feet from the ground, he said.

``To those who had their vegetables eaten, this was a problem 10 years ago,'' Lamb said. ``We've focused on it for the last 18 months. We don't want the herd to deteriorate. We want to protect the balance. We think this is a win-win situation.''

``We don't have a deer problem,'' retorted retired Texas Ranger Charlie Hodges, who has lived at Cape Royale almost two years. ``We have a people problem. We have people who don't like deer because they eat their flowers. There are flowers they can plant that are just as pretty that the deer won't eat.

``When I first got here, my neighbors were complaining because their dogs were eating deer crap. They had to spend money at the veterinarian. But that's not a deer problem, that's a dog problem.''

Hodges is among residents who feed the deer at his home.

``These aren't wild deer,'' added another pro-deer resident, Rusty Brewington. ``They'll eat out of your pocket.''

The Cape Royale deer problem is similar to that faced by other Texas communities, notably the upscale Austin suburb of Lakeway. Not only did the animals chew their way through landscaping in that resort community, but they frequently caused auto accidents, said Lakeway spokeswoman Linda Winn.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, that town began trapping animals and relocating them to more congenial locations. Several years ago, Winn said, the community of 10,000 changed gears, trapping and slaughtering the animals and distributing the resulting meat to needy families. The most recent trapping, starting last fall and ending several weeks ago, reduced the Lakeway herd by about 300 animals.

At Cape Royale, the man vs. animal debate has been intensified by claims that the property owners' group did not adequately publicize the decision-making process. An informal poll taken about two years ago showed residents opposed trapping and killing the animals, Lamb said. Since then, he said, the animals have been ``eating and multiplying.''

``Because of our surveys (of deer population) and talks with Parks and Wildlife for more than two years we reached a consensus that we need to take more action,'' he said. ``There were various suggestions. One (resident) suggested opening the subdivision to bow hunters - but we couldn't have people discharging guns or rifles in populated areas.'' Lamb said a January meeting was devoted to the deer problem, and that all sides got a thorough hearing.

But resident Bobby Adams claimed the property owners association didn't adequately publicize the meeting.

``A lot of people aren't happy how they attacked the whole situation,'' he said. ``I don't think this has been studied enough. We need a constructive plan. They say they're doing this to help the deer survive. Hell, how are they going to survive if you kill them?''

Lamb said association directors considered relocating the animals. But, he added, ``you cannot just transport wild animals into other herds - it's against the law. That would have been an easier solution for us, and less expensive.''

Clayton Wolf, Texas Parks and Wildlife's big game program director, noted his agency provides several options for communities with deer problems. In some cases, hunts are permitted, though Wolf noted community hunts are not common in Texas.

Trapping and relocating animals can be an economical option, but finding a willing recipient can be a challenge. Lakeway shipped many of its deer to Mexican ranches.

``If a receiving landowner wishes to help defray costs,'' Wolf said, ``it can be almost free for a community.''

Sometimes, though, landowners seeking to restock their ranches with deer prefer animals from managed ranches rather than the scrawnier specimens found near human communities. Deer populations scheduled for relocation must be tested for chronic wasting disease, a prion disease similar to mad cow disease and scabies in sheep. No cases have been found in Texas. Lamb estimated the trap-and-slaughter program would cost several thousand dollars.

In Cape Royale's pine woods setting, a deer needs about 20 acres to adequately browse.

``That doesn't mean deer can't survive on less,'' Wolf said. ``In a productive environment, 10 acres may do. But if you have only five acres, you'll be changing the way the forest will look.

``Most of the sprouting trees will be eaten - the only ones left will be those that are unpalatable.''