Deer Hunts To Continue Through New Year: See Closures In Mercer County

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — The Mercer County Park Commission will conduct additional deer management programs through the end of March at several local parks and golf courses to control the local population, officials said.

The Mercer County Park Commission announced that New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has approved their Community Based Deer Management permit through March 31 for deer harvesting in the following locations: Howell Farm; county-owned golf courses including Mountain View, Hopewell Valley, Princeton Country Club, Mercer Oaks East and West; and select regions of Mercer Meadows in Hopewell Township.

The additional measures permitted in the deer management program will allow a professional culling firm to hunt deer by crossbow and firearm, and during evening hours — and will mean periodic closures for hunts, outside of the traditional state hunting season.

The details are as follows:

At Mercer Meadows, the Curlis Woods region is included in the permit. Beginning February 19, 20245, this area will allow for crossbow culling Monday through Saturday through March 31 until 9 p.m. The Curlis Woods region will remain open to the public during this period of crossbow hunting. Park users are advised to remain on trails and wear bright colored clothing. All culling activity will take place from an elevated tree stand with a 75-foot safety buffer in place on either side of all County-recognized trails.

The Curlis Woods region will be closed to the public for shotgun culling on:

• Wednesdays from February 21 through March 27

At County-owned golf courses including Princeton Country Club, Mountain View and Hopewell Valley Golf Courses, the permit allows for crossbow culling to take place Monday through Saturday, from sunrise until 9 p.m. January 1 though March 31. At Mercer Oaks East and West golf courses, crossbow culling may occur starting February 19 through March 31. The golf courses will be closed to the public during shotgun culling.

Golf courses will be closed to the public for shotgun culling as follows:

• Hopewell Valley closed January 1 through January 31
• Mercer Oaks East February 19 through February 29
• Mountain View closed February 1 through February 29

At Howell Farm, the permit allows for extended evening culling (sunset through 9 p.m.) January 29 through March 31. Beginning in January, bow culling may take place Monday through Saturday, from sunrise to 9 p.m. until March 31. Howell Farm will be closed to the public during shotgun culling.

Howell Farm will be closed to the public for shotgun culling on:

• Mondays January 29 through March 31
• Tuesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. January 20 through March 29

The culling program is meant to reduce the number of whitetail deer herds in the region, to reduce vehicle-deer collisions and to improve the ecological condition of natural areas. One of the largest regional threats to the biodiversity of flora and fauna in central New Jersey is the overabundance of white-tailed deer, according to the Park Commission.

"No CBDM hunting will occur in areas that participate in the County’s traditional deer management hunting program until after the regular season concludes," officials said.

For information on other existing deer management programs at Baldpate Mountain, Fiddler's Creek Preserve, and the region north of Lake Mercer at Mercer County Park, click here.