Project Description

Urban Deer Hunter is a local project that mirrors communities worldwide attempting to share spaces or eradicate urban deer, also known as synanthropes.

Black-tailed deer are native to Vancouver Island, and in the 1970s, there used to be 250,000 black-tailed deer. Current numbers place them at less than 45,000. Two deer vanish for every four humans that move to the island due to habitat loss. A lack of connection to place, public opinion, and misinformation have led the residents of municipalities such as Oak Bay and Esquimalt to declare urban deer pests, even though their species have lived in those areas for thousands of years, and they continue to persist and adapt as best they can. Due to public pressure, loss of garden capital, and conflicts with dogs and cars (albeit no more than dogs vs dogs, dogs vs humans, cars vs humans), management options such as immunocontraceptive plans have been deployed through science-based organizations such as the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society (UWSS). The UWSS use trap cameras and tags to track deer in these communities. Findings have revealed that in Oak Bay, for example, there are about 100 deer to 18,000 humans. Many residents perceive that Oak Bay is “overrun with deer,” though the data supports Oak Bay being overrun with humans instead. Before the science-backed data was collected, and deer were tagged like cattle (ownership), reports of having “lots of deer” were partially reduced because residents realized they were seeing the same day all day long (i.e. number 67).

Photo by Carollyne Yardley. Urban deer on the municipality of Oak Bay tagged for immunocontraception by the UWSS.

Installation view (right) Collaboration with buck who used antlers during the rut of fall 2020 to smash my garden sculpture made from a tomato cage. Buck hair has been left in the corners of the tomato cage as DNA evidence.

Deer hair entangled in sculpture.

Urban Deer Hunter, miniatures, 3″ x 4″ x 4″, 2020.