Multimedia Reporting (Kuhr-Musser)

Douglas County is one of the worst counties in Kansas for deer, averaging over 200 deer-related accidents a year since 1995. But in Lawrence, deep within the city limits, a small group of deer have found a home among busy streets.

Across 15th Street from Templin Hall, residents in the quiet Westwood Drive neighborhood see deer on a regular basis. Barbara Watkins, KU Academic Outreach coordinator, is one of these residents.

Watkins has a somewhat special relationship with the deer. She took care of a young deer she called "Fawn" during the summer of 2001, feeding it and helping it survive. Eventually, the deer grew too big and wildlife services received complaints from neighbors that the deer may become dangerous during rutting, or mating, season. Kansas Wildscape removed the animal from the area. But five years later, Watkins saw a familiar sight.

The young deer named "Fawn" explores Barbara Watkins' yard in summer 2001. Deer still inhabit the wooded area between Engle Road and Iowa Street.

“There are two twin does that come up from the woods and up into the street,” Watkins said. “We feed them grapes and corn every now and then.”

The animals graze in the grassy center of the circular Westwood Drive. They cross the street in complete confidence, forcing drivers to slow and sometimes stop for them to pass. The deer inhabit the wooded area between Engle Road and Iowa Street.

“I think I’ve seen them at least two or three times in the past few months,” Ryan Gilchrist, Wichita, senior, said. “I think they’ve been around for a while.” Gilchrist has been a resident of Westwood since August.

How do these large animals, living so close to busy city streets, survive and thrive?

The vehicle clouded Iowa lies close to the west. Fifteenth Street, congested with campus traffic, lies only a backyard’s distance away. Yet somehow, the deer don’t seem to mind. In fact, they’ve survived in these tight boundaries for a long time.

The Lawrence Solid Waste Division is responsible for the removal of animal carcasses from the road. According to Bob Yoos, the division manager, there have been no reports of deer being killed by vehicles in that area for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve had several reports on the outskirts of town, some near 31st and up west on Sixth, but never in that area,” Yoos said.

Yoos said that several deer sightings have occurred in the wooded areas on Bob Billings Parkway, which they have for quite some time. Like the deer in the Westwood area, those deer rarely come into contact with traffic.

(Information for graph provided by Lloyd Fox, Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department, graph by Matt Doubrava.)

University of Kansas Professor Michael Greenfield, an animal behavior expert, said that these particular deer needed to adapt in several ways in order to survive.

“The critical factors may include ability to avoid vehicles, nocturnal behavior, and adjustments in diet,” he said. “All of these may be allowing deer to remain in the Templin Hall area.” He said as long as they can adapt like this, they can live well with humans, and there is no need to remove them. He is not surprised that the deer have made Lawrence their home.

“There’s a lot of food for them and there’s a lack of hunting,” Greenfield said. “As long as they can adapt, it’s perfect for them.”

Greenfield is a resident of Engle Road. He has seen the deer crossing Iowa Street at about 2 a.m. Greenfield and Bob Yoos believe that the deer have habitually learned the heavy traffic times, and it has become natural for them to avoid those vehicle rushes. They had to alter feeding patterns and times, adopting a more nocturnal lifestyle. The deer only travel across streets late at night or early in the morning.

Greenfield says that deer have only populated Kansas since the 1950’s, when forest areas became more common in the eastern part of the state. The deer moved here from areas like the Ozarks in Missouri. The population continues to increase. There used to be less than 100 deer per square mile. The numbers have increased to over 300 per square mile in the past few years.

"Fawn" lying down in the woods behind Watkins' house. Watkins owns about one acre of woodland that stretches towards Iowa Street.

The truth is they can cause a few problems. . Todd Olson, the owner of Critter Control, receives calls concerning deer in the city limits.

“I get calls on a weekly basis about deer damaging flowers and gardens,” Olson said.

Deer in Lawrence have a reputation with residents for over-grazing. Olson said they can cause severe damage to people’s property; mostly flower beds and vegetable gardens. Olson said he has heard of implementing a motion-censored “water cannon device,” which sprays the animals when they get too close to a certain area. The biggest threat, though, is to drivers.

“There is a risk involved,” Olson said. “Mostly with auto collisions. The only predators they have are cars.”

Experts agree that deer can become too tame; too comfortable with people. Feeding the animals is something they strongly disagree with. If they caused too much of a nuisance, there might be a request for their removal. However, that may never be the case. Although they have caused some yard damage and pose risk to traffic, the deer continue to flourish unopposed.

“I don’t think they should be removed,” Gilchrist said. “They add character to the neighborhood.”

Barbara Watkins doesn’t mind the damage some of the deer cause in her garden. She has learned to share her portion of Lawrence with them.

In an article Watkins wrote for her friends and family, she reminisced about her summer with the young deer in the woods behind her home. She wrote, “I saw trouble coming and cut a deal with Fawn. She could eat the hosta flowers, but not my beloved hosta leaves. She agreed, and we continued our peaceful coexistence.”