If you want to be in on the first-ever Port Townsend Deer Count, your presence is required Wednesday evening, March 30.

Volunteers are sought for the Port Townsend Deer Count, taking place 7-7:30 a.m., Saturday, April 2. Participants are asked to attend an organizational meeting at 7 p.m., March 30 at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center's Natural History Exhibit at Fort Worden. All are welcome.

The count covers the area east of Sheridan Street - basically from Sheridan toward the city waterfront, which organizers Loran Scruggs, Sue Long and Tim Lawson divided into 14 different zones of similar sizes. Volunteer counters, led by a team leader for each zone, walk the streets, noting information about deer, including location (address), time, size (youth or adult), activity (i.e. feeding, resting, walking), and direction (which way the deer are facing or appear to be going at that time). For more information, visit lawsontim.wix.com/ptdeercount.

After counting deer on April 2, participants turn in their results at the Port Townsend Community Center in Uptown from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m., and at 5 p.m. that evening is a potluck meet-up, giving everyone a chance to talk about how it went and also to announce the winner of the contest to guess how many deer are going to be counted.

The winner gets a "Port Townsend Deer 2016" T-shirt designed by Jolene Sunding. T-shirts also are available for sale at the organizational meeting on March 30.

The deer count is just that - a count. The organizers do not propose any kind of management or other interaction with the deer, but seek to find out how many deer are in Port Townsend.

"There's no shortage of deer in town, we know that," said Ken Clow, public works director for the City of Port Townsend.

VEHICLES VS. DEER

Some deer become casualties when struck by vehicles.

"We probably pick up about one a month," said Dave Zellar, public works operations manager. The carcasses are taken to the Jefferson County Solid Waste Transfer Station. "They usually get hit by cars," he said, usually in Uptown; he said some common sites are Lawrence, F and Cherry streets.

"We haven't picked many up downtown, even though you see them on Water and Sims," he said.

City Public Works staff pick up dead deer from private yards, where injured deer may go to die after being hit by a car, said Zellar, who has been in Port Townsend for seven months.

"Nine times out of 10, they've gotten hit in the road," Zellar estimated. He advised drivers to "really keep your eyes open, because they're hiding in the shrubbery ... and they're quick. You just never know where they're going to come out."

In spring and summer, "when the weather's nice, they're out feeding in everybody's flower beds," he observed. "There aren't many predators out there for them ... There's plenty of feed, just not many predators. The predators are the cars."

For disposal of deer on county roads, contact Jefferson County Public Works. For state highways, contact Washington State Patrol or state Department of Transportation.

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) website, "You can only remove dead wildlife for disposal, not for personal use or consumption," and "You cannot keep the antlers or horns attached to dead wildlife. This includes dead wildlife found on your property. However, you can keep naturally shed antlers you find."

In case of an injured or sick deer, WDFW suggests contacting a local wildlife rehabilitation agency, such as Center Valley Animal Rescue in Quilcene.