Some area residents have called on the city council to eliminate the pen and only a few mild protests were heard as the council received comments Monday.

“The deer should be kept,” resident Nancy Cross said, citing the “tremendous connection” she’s observed when youngsters have a chance to interact with the animals.

But fellow resident Keith Huotari said he’s noticed fewer people wanting to observe the deer. “I don’t know how many go there as a destination (like it once was),” he said. “The land could be used for better purposes.”

Although regular culling takes place, the herd now numbers 24 — four more than the target set for the enclosure by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Due to regulations related to chronic wasting disease, the only way to reduce or even eliminate the herd is through culling, City Manager Jordan Stanchina explained.

DEER ENJOYING A sunny day on the hillside in the deer enclosure in Iron Mountain’s City Park. The herd now numbers 24, including seven fawns born last summer. (Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo)

Mayor Dale Alessandrini said castration could allow the herd to die off naturally. The surgery involves tranquilizing the animals, which does carry some survival risks, he noted.

It’s estimated about half the herd is male and the castration cost is roughly pegged at under $1,000 per animal. The total might be in the range of the city’s annual feed costs.

Some deer in the pen have lived to nearly age 20, so it’s likely the attraction would remain in place a number of years, Alessandrini said.

No final decision has been reached as Monday’s discussion was a preliminary review.

Nine people spoke on the issue, with seven favoring a move toward eliminating the pen, council member Kyle Blomquist noted.

The fenced pen, roughly 850 feet in length by an average of 300 feet in width, now lacks shelter. Its one wooden structure is insufficient to hold all of the animals during poor weather and there are only a few tall trees.

Breitung Township resident Amie Tefft described it as “a dismal deer yard” as she called upon the city to seek better uses for the property.

Alessandrini said that, along with a castration tactic, the city could explore improvements to the enclosure. “There’s things we could do to make it more comfortable for them,” he said.