Okotoks' urban deer population has seen a substantial increase, according to a report published by the Town.
The annual Okotoks deer count, conducted on Feb. 11 this year, counted 155 deer within town limits, an increase of just over 12 per cent from last year's tally of 138.
As with previous deer counts, the 2025 population survey entailed volunteers driving around Okotoks on designated routes and counting deer for one hour. While far from a scientific study, data collected over the years has contributed to the Town's ongoing development of deer management plans.
Of the 155 deer counted, 93 were does, 44 fawns and 18 bucks. This data was based on a brief visual assessment of the animals and doesn't account for bucks shedding their antlers.
"The Town recognizes that not all the deer in town are counted because it is impossible to search every area simultaneously. Therefore, the count is an estimate of the approximate number of deer. We expect the number of deer would be slightly higher than the number actually recorded," reads the report.
Forty-seven per cent of deer were spotted in manicured parks, while residential and business areas had 42 per cent. The remaining 11 per cent were found in natural areas. The report indicates this is likely due to there being more food available in parks and residential areas.
Mule deer were the only species counted, as other species such as white-tailed deer do not typically frequent Okotoks due to differing habitat preferences.
The previous two counts – 138 deer in 2024 and 139 in 2023 — showed a stable urban deer population, according to the Town.
The 2024 count, conducted with the same methodology, counted 39 fawns, a significant increase from 23 the previous year, and only three bucks, a dramatic decrease from the 19 counted the year before.
The Okotoks deer count was first conducted in 2015 and became an annual undertaking in 2018.
The first count in 2015 tallied 66 deer, a number which had increased to 108 by 2020.
The 2022-2025 Okotoks Urban Deer Management Strategy & Action Plan, released in August 2022, outlines potential solutions to concerns around the Okotoks deer population. According to the plan, ongoing short-term strategies include encouraging the planting of deer-resistant flora alongside other deer aversion techniques such motion-sensing sprinklers and chemical deterrents, while long-term strategies include investigations like the annual deer count and meetings with the Province and other stakeholders.
While the Town has indicated that a deer cull is not planned, the Strategy & Action Plan will revisit the idea of sterilization through immunocontraceptive injections "after 2026."
