Drought Is Pushing Deer Into Davis County Yards This Summer — Here’s What Actually Works
If it feels like more deer are wandering through east-bench neighborhoods this year, it’s not your imagination. With extreme drought conditions across Utah, the Division of Wildlife Resources says wildlife will be moving into neighborhoods this summer looking for food and water — and in Davis County, the foothill streets of Bountiful, Centerville, Farmington, Kaysville and Fruit Heights are exactly where they end up.
Protecting your garden: what the DWR says works
In guidance published this week, the DWR is blunt about what’s effective:
- An 8-foot fence around the garden or yard is the most effective method — and often the only reliable one.
- Motion-activated sprinklers are a fairly effective second option.
- Unpalatable perimeter plants can discourage browsing on everything behind them — the DWR publishes deer-resistant landscaping ideas.
Please don’t feed them
It can be tempting to put out water or feed when animals look stressed, but the DWR strongly discourages it: feeding spreads chronic wasting disease among deer, introduces foods their digestive systems can’t handle, and teaches animals to lose their fear of people. Some cities have no-feeding ordinances on the books. The agency’s big game coordinator puts it simply — the best way to help wildlife is to let animals stay wild.
When to call the DWR
Report sickly, injured or aggressive deer to the DWR’s Ogden-area office. A moose inside city limits should always be reported — same for a cougar that has killed something in a neighborhood or is acting threatening.
Deer in the yard are a fact of life on Bountiful’s east bench — we keep a year-round guide to living with them at our Deer in Bountiful page.
