Deer

Feeding Deer

No person shall purposely feed or provide food as described in subsection (c) of this section through a ground-feeding station or salt lick, or by any other means, to deer in the City on any public or private land. (Ordinance 2016-02 adopted 4/7/16)

For the purpose of this section, an Axis deer shall be deemed to be wild unless it is legally kept in an enclosed barn, fence or other structure on private property sufficient to prevent the deer from leaving the confines of such enclose area.  White tailed deer are deemed to be managed by the State and therefore shall be deemed illegal to own, or to have possession of, unless in accordance of the Texas Parks and Wildlife license and permits.

A person shall be deemed to have purposely fed or caused wild deer to be fed if the person places wheat, pellet livestock food, corn in any form, fruit, vegetables, hay or alfalfa, human food scraps, any form of commercially sold wildlife feed, birdseed or livestock feed, or any other edible matter that deer will consume (not including live vegetation such as ornamental landscaping or flowers) on the ground, or within reach of deer.  This prohibition shall not apply to edible matter located either in an enclosed building or stored in a securely sealed package.

The prohibition of this section shall not apply to any peace officer, animal control officer, or other agent of the City acting pursuant to a deer management program in conformance with section 2.06.002 of this article.

Violation of Ordinance

If you want to report a potential violation of the ordinance, please call non-emergency Dispatch at (830) 249-8645 to have an officer dispatched to the location.  They will attempt to observe the reported violation.  If they do not see any violation, the complainant will be notified, who then can file an official complaint with the municipal court clerk.

Violating a City Ordinance may be subject to fines.

Baby Fawns

If you find a deer fawn that appears to be abandoned, remember that deer fawns are born with natural camouflage and a lack of scent.  In the first few days of their lives, the newborns are not mobile enough to travel with their mothers.  As a defensive tactic, the mothers hide their newborn(s) from nearby predators and will often leave the young animals alone for long periods of time.  After a few days, the fawns are usually strong enough to join their mothers and the herd, where there is more protection.  

When a fawn is touched by humans, it leaves a scent and quite often the mother will abandon the fawn.  Please do not touch the baby deer!