Deer control

/ hsoi

Waterton Lakes National Park has a mule deer problem. The deer wander into the town because… it’s safe. But that the puts hundreds of deer into the town, which can cause its own set of problems… but then a bigger one happens too, like other animals that prey on the deer wandering into town.

It’s all a big problem.

Parks Canada is taking a really cool approach to working with the problem.

Adapt the natural abilities of… Border Collies.

The whole concept is cool, but it’s also just cool watching Jill (the collie) work. I love watching smart dogs.

6 thoughts on “Deer control”

  1. Its very cool to watch the dog work.

    Saw something similer a while back, might even have been the same town, and I wondered then, how long it’ll take the deer to figure out the dog’s all “herd” and no bite. Guess it hasn’t happened yet

    • I reckon the deer aren’t willing to find out. I would guess the techniques are set so the deer will always be wary. If the ultimate point is for the deer to figure “predator here, must avoid this area”, the dog has to always come off as a threat (tho it isn’t, but the deer don’t know that).

    • Border collies will absolutely bite. They’re obviously bred to be somewhat inhibited, so as not to damage livestock. But in the event of a defiant herd animal, a good BC will run up and “nip” them on the back of the leg to motivate them to get their ass in gear.

      I frequently encountered this “nipping” or “herding” behavior at work and on consults. Oftentimes, folks will get a collie, or heeler, or aussie because they’re super cute puppies. As the pups grow into unemployed adults, their artificial evolutionary adaptations become present in the form of nipping owners, kids, pack members, etc.

      That’s a great video, John. Thanks for sharing. It’s always nice to see a BC in it’s element.

      • Well, I think Ruth meant attack… that the BC isn’t truly a predator, isn’t truly a threat. Just that it will act like one.

        Bottom line: so long as the deer THINK it’s a threat, that they THINK the area will be dangerous to them, they’ll leave. Plus the fact it’s a BC and not just some sort of predator, it will help to herd and move them out. So it’s really a smart way to go about this deer management.

        • Dogs may have been domesticated, but they are most certainly still predators.

          Domestication is likely achieved via gene expression. Despite their human-altered phenotype, the core of their genotype is the same.

          I can assure you that prey drive is still very present in domesticated canines.

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