— Editor,
Many neighborhoods in San Marcos are overrun with deer. As the city is putting new fencing around the cemetery, more and more deer are being funneled into my neighborhood near Crockett School. It is very dangerous to drive here, as deer walk across the streets day and night like they own them and they don't move as fast or predictably as the dogs and cats. The mailbox area in our neighborhood smells foul, as it is used as a deer bathroom. There are more deer in Texas now than ever in its history and they cause incredible damage.
I read with interest your online AP article about 22 communities in Texas thinning deer herds by getting permits to trap and slaughter them and donate the food to charity. I grew up in farming and hunting country where it was much more humane to eat animals than to watch them die on the highway.
There are many families in our community that are hungry. Venison is nutritious food for which sportsmen pay dearly. Many families who could afford other meat live on the wild game they harvest from their land.
Thinning the herds would be a wonderful help for our neighborhood, as well as others in the San Marcos area. I urge the city to consider this solution.
Linda Byers
San Marcos
