Near and Deer

As the deer population increases in the suburbs of Bellingham, Washington, a more threatening presence follows close behind, setting locals on edge.

Story and Photos by Thomas Hughes

December 11, 2020

Alexarc Mastema, a resident of the Sunnyland neighborhood in Bellingham, Washington, often wakes to find a family of black-tailed deer sleeping in his front yard. When slipping past them to get to his car, only a few steps separating them, the deer don’t bother getting up.

Encounters like this may come as a surprise to those living in other parts of Washington, but for locals of Bellingham this is nothing out of the ordinary. Mastema is one of many residents who report Columbian black-tailed deer, the most common species of deer in the state, frequenting Bellingham neighborhoods. It is not uncommon for residents, Mastema included, to report the same deer returning to their neighborhoods and yards routinely.

“I would wake up in the morning, look outside and they were sleeping in the yard. Or in the evenings, I would be out having my evening beer and either the mom or the brothers would come in and they would just settle down and just bed down for the afternoon,” said Mastema.

While some Bellingham residents don’t mind the deer visiting, others see the animals as a nuisance. In 2017, complaints about the growing deer population prompted the city to issue an ordinance prohibiting the intentional feeding of deer in Bellingham.

For Sunnyland resident, Amanda Norenburg, the problem was deer snacking on her garden.

Norenburg started her vegetable garden in 2008, but the deer headaches only started about five years ago. It has grown worse ever since. This summer, Norenburg put up a two-meter-tall fence of plastic netting in the hopes of stopping the deer. It didn’t work.

“They didn’t really jump over it, but they did figure out that they could scoot under it,” Norenburg said. She ended up taking down the fence.

The animals aren’t only garden pests. Deer can be dangerous to people and pets.

Trisha Miller, a Bellingham local, watched a deer kill her chihuahua this summer. Miller and her husband had seen deer interact with their dog before and thought nothing of it when their dog went out to greet a buck in their yard.

“We thought that they were going to play again, but all of a sudden [the deer] just came up on its hind legs and came down really fast and … just took her out so quick,” she said.

In addition to these issues, the increased deer population in Bellingham has given rise to another problem that quickly captured the public’s attention. In the past couple years, there have been cougar sightings around the city, with footage taken as recently as this October in the Barkley and Whatcom Falls neighborhoods.

“It’s important for people to understand that an increased amount of cougar sightings does not necessarily mean an increased amount of cougars,” said Robert Waddell, a district wildlife biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

That being said, there is a trend of cougars moving in closer to suburban areas, according to Waddell.

“Part of that is we’re moving further and further into the cougar habitat,” he said.

As territorial predators, juvenile male cougars must choose hunting grounds at around a year and a half in age. Occasionally these cougars are forced into less ideal territory, like the outskirts of a suburb, by competing males.

“Once that cougar moves in there, it’s got an abundance of prey from raccoons, to deer that might be there, to domestic pets,” said Waddell. He said because of this, there could very well be a correlation between the amount of deer that live in Bellingham and increased cougar sightings in suburban areas.

“The key thing is habitat,” Waddell said. Developing further into the habitat of these creatures could also be a major factor in the increase of deer activity in the suburbs of Bellingham, according to Waddell. His agency has seen black-tailed deer populations declining in the forested areas of Western Washington, however an increased presence in urban and agricultural areas.

There is a hope that following the transfer of thousands of acres of land around Lake Whatcom from the State Department Natural Resources to Whatcom County, the land can be used to support growth of forests that could better cater to the deer population, according to Mark Gardner, a legislative policy analyst for the Bellingham City Council.

However, except for the 2017 feeding ban, the city isn’t taking further steps to control the city’s deer population.

“[The ordinance] really leans more towards education, not enforcement, although there is a penalty,” said Gardner.

Waddell stressed the importance of educating people about deer, especially those living in suburbs. Residents should not feed wildlife and should know how to protect their property. The Fish and Wildlife Department has a webpage detailing ways to prevent conflict with deer, including putting up deer fences and applying deer repellent.

It is also important to know that deer birthing seasons are during the early summer months, and that the animals will be more aggressive when protecting their young, according to Waddell. Keeping small pets on leashes or supervising them closely when there are deer around are the best ways to ensure they don’t get in harm’s way.

“Understanding how to coexist with the animals is crucial. We have deer here, and we are going to have deer in Bellingham,” said Waddell.

Thomas Hughes is a senior who is working towards a double major in visual journalism and music.