TEGA CAY, S.C. — Tega Cay city council voted to spend $35,000 more taxpayer dollars to contain the local deer population.
The city, which has already spent $294,000 in the past year on deer population control, is hoping to cull an additional 80 deer this year.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources approved a request on Jan. 16 for Tega Cay to cull more deer.
The Tega Cay City Council voted 3-2 on Monday to spend $35,000 on the population management.
Last year, $268,677 was spent on deer sterilization initiatives and $25,600 on culling. The city said sharpshooters killed 80 deer and the nonprofit White Buffalo sterilized 200 more.
The city’s mayor Chris Gray voted against spending funds on culling.
Councilman Scott Shirley, who voted in favor of spending more money on culling initiatives, said the city’s deer population had reached 15 times what wildlife experts recommended for deer control in 2024.
The city aims to cull another 80 sharpshooters in 2025.
Shooting will only be done on city property.
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In the past, the city has hired sharpshooters to hunt deer at night on golf courses. The hunters said they would be more likely to be successful if they were permitted onto residents’ property to shoot deer.
Nearly half of residents said they were okay with this proposition, but some raised safety concerns.
The city conducted a survey in June 2024 showing the community is relatively split on the matter.
In the survey, 345 Tega Cay residents said the deer don’t cause them any problems, but 451 residents said something needs to be done about the deer.
544 residents said they would allow sharpshooters on their property.
The deer meat harvested from culling in Tega Cay is donated to Catawba Nation to fight food insecurity.
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