Many towns across the country are faced with an overpopulation of deer. Often, these towns rely on hunters to help eliminate the problem. For non-hunters, it's more difficult to grasp all the deer dying, and attempt to come up with non-lethal forms of deer eradication. From fences to birth control for does, the non-lethal methods run the gamut, but this latest idea out of Avon Lake, Ohio, really takes the cake.
A new alternative to killing deer was introduced by City Council member Dave Kos suggests using paintballs to scare deer off. Kos was quoted in The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram stating that shooting a deer near the hoof with a paintball gun will make them scatter. Wildlife officials are skeptical as to whether this method would prevent the deer from coming back, and that it could lead to harassment.
Personally, this idea seems to merely push the deer into someone else's territory, to become someone else's problem. Simply hunting the deer and utilizing the meat for the residents' families, or even donating them to charity to help feed needy people is a much better idea in my book.