When Placer County Fish and Game Commission members meet tonight to consider thinning the area’s deer population through a special doe hunt, their decision shouldn’t be a shot in the dark.

Commission members should question the idea thoroughly, and demand that statistics and sound reasoning support such a drastic measure. Rural areas of Loomis and Granite Bay are still dotted with enough homes to make even the most skilled hunters nervous — let alone the idea of having the hunt open to teens only.

Why is the hunt necessary? According to county records, the number of “deer strikes,” or vehicle-deer collisions, has increased ten-fold in the last three years — from nine in 2006 to 92 in 2009.

Any driver who has struck a deer, whether doe or buck, can recall the event with equal measures of fear, horror and guilt. Struck at high speeds, the large animals inflict serious damage on vehicles and can cause injury or death to drivers.

Nationally, an estimated 1.5 million deer collisions are reported each year, resulting in about 225 human deaths and $1.1 billion in vehicle damages.

But despite the rise in collisions locally, Placer County is tame compared to other counties around the state and nation. According to a recent article in the LaCrosse (Wis.) Tribune, there were nearly 350 deer strikes in La Crosse County in 2008. Average vehicle repairs took four to eight days and averaged $2,500 to $4,500.

The doe-hunt proposal may seem especially cruel. Fostered by childhood images of “Bambi,” some people have been sensitized to believe deer are docile and defenseless creatures. Few people find comfort in the idea of shooting a female deer.

But doe hunts are recognized as an effective method of thinning the deer population. The state of Maryland claims that car-deer accidents have declined by 50 percent or more in selected counties that have started managed deer hunts. Other communities have used deer-resistant landscaping plans and temporary contraceptives to reduce herds.

In order to solve the deer collision issue, county Fish and Game needs to know how big the deer population is. County deer surveys are out of date, so the conclusion that deer herds have exploded is flawed.

As several people told the Auburn Journal in Sunday’s edition, couldn’t the problem be that development has encroached on deer habitat? Couldn’t the gardens that people enjoy also lure deer from their natural surroundings and into populated areas?

After determining the extent of deer population growth, the county commission also must put other proposals on the table.

Options could include more signage and warning lights along high-traffic roads, as well as incentives for deer-tolerant landscaping.

Suburban dwellers also must understand that deer are part of their neighborhood, and drive defensively, including these tips from the Insurance Information Institute:

• Be attentive at dusk and dawn, when deer are active.

• Drive cautiously in areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland.

• When driving at night, use high beam headlights when there is no oncoming traffic.

• Slow down and blow your horn with one long blast to frighten the deer away.

If the deer population has proven to have grown beyond its local habitat, and a doe hunt is prescribed as the best solution, the county should think twice before making the hunt public, and toss out the idea of a managed hunt for certified 12- to 17-year-old hunters.

Such a hunt should be highly controlled, preferably by a group of experienced hunters who could clearly tell the difference between does and bucks. The deer meat could be processed and distributed through local food banks.

To all commission members: Ready. Aim. Think before you fire off a recommendation that could have negative consequences.

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deer Meeting

What: Placer County Fish and Game Commission meeting

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Placer County Government Center Hearing Room, DeWitt Center, 2900 Richardson Drive, North Auburn