WILDWOOD, Mo. — To help manage the local deer population, the city of Wildwood’s deer program culled 361 deer, surpassing its goal for this year.

This is the second year Wildwood has taken part in the deer culling program, which is in partnership with White Buffalo, Inc., a professional wildlife management organization.

The overpopulation of white-tailed deer has been an ongoing problem, according to the city’s website, which mentions that numbers have “exceeded sustainable levels.”

Overpopulation can cause the suffering of deer and other animals because of competition for resources; excessive deer herds can harm local ecosystems; and deer can transmit diseases to humans, livestock and pets, such as Lyme Disease, Babesiosis and COVID-19, among other problems, according to the program overview

“This increase raises concerns about resident safety, health risks, environmental impact, property damage and animal welfare,” the city’s website states.

The program’s goal is to reduce the deer population from 73 per square mile to 40 across a 30-square mile where the majority of deer collisions have been recorded, according to the program’s overview.

Wildwood reports ‌1,213 deer-related crashes between 2019 and 2023, which averages to more than 242 per year.

The 40 deer per square mile is “well above” the recommended limit of 20 by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Over the course of 29 nights, from Jan. 15 to Feb. 14, culling operations averaged over 12 deer per night, which took place at 33 designated sites that encompassed north of State Route 100 and east of State Route 109.

A total of 215 of the culled deer were female, 146 were male, 269 were adult deer, 92 were fawns, and 322 were antlerless deer, according to the program overview.

Approximately 12,400 pounds of ground venison were donated to Share the Harvest and 51 deer were donated to St. Louis Zoo’s Red Wolf Recovery Program.

City officials are now working on population surveys in key areas and will continue to partner with White Buffalo, Inc. for the next phase of the program.

“While this reduction is a significant improvement, there is still much work to be done,” the program overview states.

Last year’s culling program began in the highest deer population density, which included northern boundaries of Shepard, Strecker and Valley roads.

The program resulted in 300 culled deer that occurred from Jan. 16 to Feb. 10, 2024.

More than 9,000 pounds of ground venison was donated to Share the Harvest and 81 deer were donated to the St. Louis Zoo’s Red Wolf Recovery Program.

There have been no safety concerns reported or incidents over the first two years of the program, according to program overview.

Property owners in Wildwood may be eligible to participate in the deer culling program. For more information, visit the city of Wildwood’s website or email deer@cityofwildwood.com.