Summer can smell like freshly-cut grass or swimming pool chlorine. But the air on a quiet Germantown cul-de-sac Thursday was dominated by the stench of a decomposing deer carcass left on the curb for more than two days.

The deer was shot by a Montgomery County police officer Tuesday morning.

It was removed about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, but residents of Clear Morning Court are upset that it took more than the 24 to 48 hours promised for the carcass to be cleared.

Liz Korte’s visiting father-in-law, John Korte, heard a loud bang about 9 a.m. Tuesday, followed by a knock on the door. A Montgomery County police officer had come to say he had shot and killed an injured deer that hobbled into the family’s backyard after it was hit by a car on nearby Waters Landing Drive.

John Korte helped drag the deer to the front curb and the officer told him it would take 24 to 48 hours to remove the carcass, Liz Korte said.

Twenty-four hours went by, then 48.

Neighbor Stephen Tice called the police Animal Services department Wednesday morning, and again Thursday to complain about the carcass and the smell; he was assured that it would be taking care of, he said.

Tice also called the office of County Councilman Craig Rice (D-Dist. 2) Wednesday; a staff member sympathized and asked him to call back if the deer remained, he said.

“I went outside this morning and it was pretty nasty,” Tice said Thursday. “One of the legs was broken and there were flies all over it. Someone put a towel over it. I haven't seen any kids out.”

With a dead 150-pound buck moldering on the curb, neighbors like Linda Kolen and Michelle Palmer kept themselves and their families indoors.

“[My daughter] saw the legs sticking up and said ‘what happened to Bambi?’” Palmer said.

Liz Korte called Animal Services several times. She sent an email to Rice and the County Council, which was not returned. She visited the Montgomery County Police station in Germantown on Wednesday to complain; officers told her that removing the deer was not a police issue, she said.

Rice did not return a call Thursday seeking comment.

A man in an unmarked, white truck stopped in front of the house about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, picked up the deer, and poured bleach on the curb, Liz Korte said.

John Korte asked the man what the hold-up was, but the man said nothing and went on his way, she said.

The buck is gone and the stench is dissipating, but Korte, Tice and others in the neighborhood are asking why it took so long to address what they consider to be a public health hazard.

Police procedure in such cases is simple, police spokeswoman Officer Amy Daum said. The officer handling the call contacts a dispatcher, who then contacts the Animal Services division, which alerts a private contractor, Montgomery Services, to make the pick-up. After being notified of the carcass and its location, the contractor has 24 hours to remove it, Daum said.

Capt. Michael Wahl of Animal Services said his department will look into the delay.

“We certainly expect them to be picked up within the contract requirements, especially with this weather,” he said. “Contract requires 24-hour pick up at a maximum.”

A contact number for Montgomery Services was not available Thursday.

The smelly carcass is gone, but frustration still lingers for Liz Korte.

“It’s unacceptable services,” she said.

nnourmohammadi@gazette.net