A survey of Esquimalt residents finds a majority are willing to pay higher taxes to fund some form of deer program.
The survey was completed by 510 households, and found 59-per cent willing to stomach a tax increase to pay for deer management that could include public education, deer counts, or some form of deer management.
Participants were not polled specifically about their appetite for any kind of cull.
Eighty-four per cent reported seeing deer or signs of deer on their property, and, of that 84-per cent, around half reported that deer significantly damaged plant life on their property in 2016.
On conflicts with deer, 71-per cent reported some level of concern about the health and welfare of deer in their neighbourhood; 65-per cent indicated concern about being in a car or bicycle collision with deer; and 49-per cent reported concern about themselves or a family member being in an aggressive encounter with a deer.
The consulting group that conducted the survey recommends a deer count should be the next step in developing a long-term plan. The survey is to be received by Esquimalt council this evening.