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KSTP.com Deer Reach Further into Roseville Residential Neighborhoods Updated: 01/22/2015 8:01 AM KSTP.com By: Katherine Johnson Roseville city leaders are considering everything from contraception to a controlled hunt in order to reduce the growing deer population in residential neighborhoods. The Roseville Parks and Recreation Commission is currently studying how other suburbs keep the deer count down. "There has been some harvesting that's been done Ramsey County wide, not specifically in Roseville, but there have been harvests in nearby communities," said Parks and Recreation Director Lonnie Brokke. "I really started noticing them five or six years ago," Roger Toogood said. He enjoys watching the deer outside his window, but has also noticed the numbers are drastically increasing. "All of us love deer. We just enjoy it," he said. "But it gets to the point of... what's the right balance?" "There appears to be more discussion in the community about it in the last year or two," said Brokke. The number of deer sightings reported to the city has almost doubled in the past decade, from 36 sightings in 2004 to 61 sightings in 2014. "This last summer, we had 13 right up at the end of this Cul de Sac here," said Toogood. The east side is pretty well split in half, right now, when it comes to implementing a deer policy. Eight cities allow a controlled harvest and in some cases, enforce a feeding ban, including Blaine, Gem Lake, Little Canada, Maplewood, North Oaks, St. Paul, Shoreview and Vadnais Heights. Seven cities, including Roseville, Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Mounds View, North St. Paul and Spring Lake Park don't have a deer policy at all. Ramsey County does have a Wildlife Management Program that monitors the population for the county but it is up to each individual city to decide on whether to allow a hunt within city limits. The Roseville Parks and Rec. Commission will meet Feb. 3 at the Lexington Park building, 2131 Lexington Ave. North. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 6:30 p.m. http://hbispace.com/printStory/kstp/index.cfm?id=3683751