Deer may be serene creatures that add to the pastoral beauty of Illinois forests, but on the North Shore, they`re becoming a nuisance. So much so, in fact, that Winnetka would like to see their numbers reduced.
Winnetka village officials held a public hearing Tuesday night in an effort to develop a deer population control strategy that could include destroying some animals. But village officials say it may be some time before any guns are loaded.
Behind the issue are complaints by residents who live near forest preserves that deer are damaging plants and causing automobile accidents. About 40 residents attended the Village Council meeting to give their opinions about what should be done.
Among the alternatives suggested were relocating the animals to less populous regions and sterilization.
Speaking against the destruction of deer was animal rights advocate Davita Terry, who led a fight against deer shooting at the Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area in Lake County in 1989.
At Tuesday`s hearing, Jeanne H. Bradner, Village Council president, said that at the annual town meeting on Monday it was decided to look into birth control, an experimental technique, as a means of containing the deer population.
``This is the first village in Illinois that is becoming actively involved in managing deer within the village,`` said Marty Jones of the Illinois Department of Conservation.
Winnetka held a meeting in November with Jones and representatives of Glenview, Glencoe and Northfield to discuss the results of questionnaires that Jones sent to the village residents.
The survey came in response to residents` complaints about deer-related damage.
The deer population in that area rose to 231 in December 1989 from 127 in January 1985, Jones reported. No count was available for 1990.
Among the actions that could be taken, Jones said, are building 8-foot high fences and using repellents to protect plants.
Winnetka`s Health and Public Safety Committee reviewed the deer issue earlier this month to formulate a deer management plan, said village Trustee Sandra Levin.
Levin and Trustee Lloyd Owens recommended that village officials meet with representatives of other communities to enlist the Cook County Forest Preserve District`s assistance in solving the deer population problem.
Winnetka Police Chief Herbert Timm said there were nine automobile accidents involving deer in 1989 and six last year. No people were injured in the accidents.
In Lake County, deer overpopulation has forced officials to reduce herds by gunfire and relocation.
At the Ryerson Conservation Area, 39 deer were shot in 1989 and 18 were relocated. The action sparked a furor among animal-rights advocates who objected to the shootings. In 1990, no deer were shot at the preserve, but 11 were moved to other locations.