guess the local paper is going to have up on the site tomorrow. this one is from an TV stations 45mins away.

video clip of the news story: http://www.nbc29.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3311259&h1=Staunton%20 Tries%20to%20Deal%20with%20Deer%20Problem&vt1= v&at1=News%20-%20Special%20Coverage&d1=143900&LaunchPage AdTag=Homepage&activePane=info&rnd=8041767 6

cut and past for the dial up impaired:

Staunton Tries to Deal with Deer Problem Posted: var wn_last_ed_date = getLEDate("Jan 6, 2009 10:07 PM EST"); document.write(wn_last_ed_date);Jan 6, 2009 10:07 PM
Updated: var wn_last_ed_date = getLEDate("Jan 6, 2009 10:09 PM EST"); document.write(wn_last_ed_date);Jan 6, 2009 10:09 PM

Staunton is hunting for solutions to deal with the increasing deer population inside city limits. It's a problem that could get worse as urban development encroaches on deer in their natural habitat.
Maurice Smith spots deer daily from his seat behind the counter at his seafood shop on North Augusta Street. "I've seen them just leisurely walk across Route 11," Smith said. "We just say, 'hey, there's some more deer'."
He's also heard the damage done by deer from neighborhood shoppers. Smith said, "People come in the store and talk about their plants on the back porch have been eaten up."
Afield surrounds Smith's shop and separates it from Fairview Cemetery. That's whereNBC29's camera caught a herd of deer munching on gravesite flowers. "I bet there were at least 16 or 18 deer that came across out of the cemetery and then went up the embankment into the housing area," Smith said.
As housing developments move in, the deer either have to move out or make do. Staunton City Manager Stephen Owen says he's heard countless complaints from neighborhoods across Staunton. Residents report deer destroying shrubs and flower beds and eating-up gardens planted for household food supplies.
"They're pretty tame about it, too," Owen said. "They'll come right up into people's backyards even if they were on the porch."
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is preparing a possible game plan to manage the overpopulation inside city limits. Owen said that could include, "a combination of archery, extending the bow season, and also a potential shotgun approach."
Smith's not sure how the city can control nature, but he says it's obvious the deer aren't decreasing in number. "It needs to have some kind of management to address the problem," Smith said. "It is getting to be a problem."
Astate biologist will brief Staunton City Council on Thursday about the possible deer population-control options.
Reported by Matt Talhelm