Hopatcong Could Legalize Deer Hunting Soon

Hopatcong Councilman Mike Francis said he's drafting a law that would legalize bow hunting deer on borough-owned land.

Francis said the law would be in response to Hopatcong's growing deer population, which he has has become a traffic safety hazard.

"Ask anybody who's hit a deer," he said. "You'll see why I have a concern."

Francis outlined his concerns during Hopatcong's council meeting at the Wednesday night. Deer caused 45 accidents in Hopatcong in 2009, 53 in 2010 and 114 in 2011, Francis said.

Francis said borough-owned land near Sparta-Stanhope Road could be considered for hunting deer.

Francis said he's still working on the language of the ordinance, which would also establish a deer-management task force, comprised of borough residents, who would be in charge of establishing a plan to manage the deer population.

"We have to set ground rules, then we have to put together a group of people to plan according to the ground rules, and then give them some data to craft the plan to present to the council," he said.

Francis said he would seek a Department of Transportation traffic safety grant to narrow down Hopatcong's deer population.

Francis also said he's seen research that says municipalities with deer-control plans see less cases of Lyme disease.