Several bucks and a few does take a rest Tuesday alongside the small pond in the deer pen at City Park. A veterinarian has made several recommendations for managing the pen, including removing the bucks' antlers when they harden in the fall. (Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — City officials are encouraged that it may be feasible to keep Iron Mountain’s long-established deer pen, but a full cost estimate is needed before a decision is reached.

At the city’s request, Ingalls veterinarian Dr. Barry Wehner has drafted a care plan to meet requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Among his suggestions are improvements to the pen’s water supply at City Park, and removing antlers in the fall to protect against injuries.

“It’s a lot less dire than the first report,” city council member Pam Maule remarked Monday.

After an inspection conducted in May by USDA veterinary medical officer Dr. Brianna Waldrop, the city was ordered to improve oversight of the pen or close it down. Six animals identified by Waldrop as showing signs of illness were culled after that visit, including a pregnant doe believed to be 21 years old.

Wehner, in a recent memo to the city, said his own inspection in early June found the remaining deer to be “in excellent physical shape.”

Wehner recommends culling aged and infirmed deer on a regular basis if the city decides to keep the herd.

“Animals older than 10 to 12 years of age should be removed from the herd to avoid arthritic and mobility problems,” he said. “Options for removal include harvest and salvage of the meat for the local food bank if the animals are in satisfactory condition.”

Wehner, meanwhile, is seeking clarification from the state on whether the pen can be shifted from its exhibit status to becoming a breeding facility. City Manager Jordan Stanchina said the extra cost may be in the range of $3,000 annually, and it could potentially allow the city to move deer in and out.

The cost of Wehner’s entire list of recommendations remains under study, Stanchina added. “When we have a handle on that, we’ll bring it back to the council for a decision on how to proceed,” he said during Monday’s meeting.

Some of Wehner’s recommendations include:

— Installing a 100- to 200-gallon water tank for a fresh water supply and eliminating a small pond that attracts ducks and geese.

— Building a half-acre to 1-acre enclosure that includes a gate and privacy cloth to aid in treatment and handling of deer.

— Tranquilizing bucks to remove horns once they harden in September. Another option, used alone or in conjunction with cutting horns, is hormonal control of the rut. The use of hormones would allow selection of one buck to be used as a breeder that remains horned while the other bucks do not compete.

— Deworming the herd at least four times a year by feeding pellets.

During the council’s discussion, Mayor Dale Alessandrini said Friends of Iron Mountain City Park may cover half the cost of the improvements needed to keep the herd, should the city decide to do that.

The penned herd has been a park attraction since at least the 1940s. Waldrop, after her May visit, instructed the city to improve the 6-acre enclosure and develop a care plan under supervision of a local attending veterinarian.

The city at that time understood the exhibit could be ordered closed if it failed to comply.

Some area residents in the past year have advocated for converting the pen to other uses.

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Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.