The Bend police don’t get many calls about people feeding deer in town — about one a year. Feeding deer is not illegal in the city.

There are no regulations on the books. And if you go to the city’s website, you won’t find a lot of information.

But after some neighbors on Awbrey Butte asked the city for action, the Bend City Council took up the issue up on Wednesday. The issue has come up because one neighbor on the butte has been feeding deer and ground squirrels, though the discussion focused on deer. Councilors discussed a public information campaign — maybe just more information on the city’s website. They also may pass a resolution, urging people not to do it. That wouldn’t make it illegal. And it probably wouldn’t do much.

People feed deer for any number of reasons. They love animals. They like to watch them. They worry about deer finding food when the weather turns cold.

But imagine living next to someone who regularly left out “AntlerMax,” “Antler Advantage” or any other kind of deer feed. The neighborhood would likely get more than its usual share of deer — and any other critter that liked the easy food. The deer wouldn’t only eat the deer feed. They would munch on the landscaping and leave behind pellets of their passage. The damage can add up. That’s part of the reason neighbors on Awbrey Butte have been concerned. A wildlife biologist might also point out that unnaturally encouraging deer to gather increases the probability that diseases will spread among them.

Some Central Oregon towns, such as Sisters and Sunriver, have ordinances to prohibit deer feeding. A violation of these kinds of ordinance typically requires that a person intentionally fed the animal. Leaving out food by accident would not count. And people aren’t fined at the first incident. They would get a warning. It takes police resources to get that done.

There didn’t seem to be a majority of councilors interested in an ordinance in Bend. They’d like to get this solved without that, which makes sense. Councilor Barb Campbell suggested a direct conservation with the neighbor. That could help. It’s hard to believe that more information on the city’s website and/or a council resolution would stop anyone who wants to feed the deer.