Deer Hunt To Begin At Mercer County Park On Oct. 27

WEST WINDSOR, NJ — The Mercer County Park Commission's deer hunt at Mercer County Park will begin on select days from Oct. 27 through Feb. 16, 2019.

This program is a method for reducing the overabundant deer herd in the park. This deer management program is open only to those licensed New Jersey hunters who were selected by the Park Commission to participate, according to MCPC.

There are about 104 deer per square mile at Mercer County Park, according to the Naturalist Division of the Park Commission.

The high deer population has caused an increase in automobile collisions and also a lack of regeneration of trees in the park. In December 2017, 200 red oak seedlings were planted in the park and by June 2018 more than 75 percent of those seedlings had been eaten by the park’s local deer population, the county stated.

The hunt will focus in on three regions in Mercer County Park that are projected to yield sufficient deer harvest numbers while minimizing the impact on park users: Oaks Golf (the two Mercer Oaks golf courses), Lake North (the wooded area between the Caspersen Rowing Center and the East Picnic Area on the north shore of Mercer Lake) and Lake South (the wooded areas between the lake’s southern shore and Paxson Avenue).

Hunters will adhere to all state regulations regarding safety zones surrounding park buildings, playgrounds and facilities or parking areas – a 150-foot radius for bow hunting and a 450-foot radius for firearm hunting.

All program activity will be limited to wooded areas with no activity taking place within a 75-foot perimeter of any marked trail. There is no shooting across park trails.

Firearms will only be used in the Oaks Golf and Lake North regions and only when those areas of the park are closed to the public. Mercer Oaks West will be closed in January, Mercer Oaks East will be closed in February and Lake North region will be closed Monday through Thursday, Dec. 3 through Feb. 9. No use of firearms will be permitted in the Lake South region.

For a detailed overview and information regarding each region of the park, visit the Deer Management page
on the Park Commission website, or click here.

Hunters are encouraged to donate venison to Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH), a nonprofit organization that works with butchers, hunters and food banks. Last year, 2,072 servings of protein were donated.

A public information session regarding the Mercer County Park hunt will be held Thursday, Oct. 18, at the
Mercer County Park Ice Skating Center beginning at 7 p.m. The information session will provide an overview of the program and additional information on the ecological benefits of this conservation method.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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