137 Total Deer Killed In Union County Hunt

UNION COUNTY, NJ — The annual 2017 Union County Deer Management Program finished on Monday with a total of 137 deer killed for the season.

The hunt took place at six county parks and one municipal park and ran on Mondays from Jan. 9 to Feb. 6.

Unseasonably warm temperatures impacted hunt numbers for the fifth and final day on Monday. Thirty-two of the 40 certified hunters were present for the morning shift, and 36 participated in the afternoon. A total of 11 deer were harvested yesterday, according to Sebastian Delia, spokesman for Union County.

The number of deer harvested from each park is as follows:

• Watchung Reservation (Berkeley Heights, Mountainside, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit) - 5
• Passaic River Park (Summit) - 0
• Lenape Park (Cranford, Kenliworth, Springfield, Union, Westfield) - 1
• Nomahegan Park (Cranford, Kenliworth, Springfield, Union, Westfield) - 0
• Ash Brook Reservation (Clark, Scotch Plains) - 5
• Oak Ridge Park (Clark) - 0
• Hawk Rise Sanctuary (Linden) - 0

The final total of deer removed from the seven parks is 137.

The breakdown by park is as follows:

• Watchung Reservation (Berkeley Heights, Mountainside, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit) - 56
• Passaic River Park (Summit) - 11
• Lenape Park (Cranford, Kenliworth, Springfield, Union, Westfield) - 11
• Nomahegan Park (Cranford, Kenliworth, Springfield, Union, Westfield) - 9
• Ash Brook Reservation (Clark, Scotch Plains) - 33
• Oak Ridge Park (Clark) - 3
• Hawk Rise Sanctuary (Linden) - 14

"The unseasonably warm temperature yesterday probably had an impact on the harvest numbers. There was considerably more human activity in the hunted parks than usual, which would alter the movements of deer," Delia said. "In Nomahegan and Lenape Parks, dozens of people were seen walking on the paths and using the playground, in spite of those parks being closed. Teenagers had to be chased out of the woods from two locations. Though none of that activity posed a safety problem, the actions of police and county staff to remove those individuals could have disrupted deer movements."

Two staff members from the USDA were again on hand at the check station to take blood samples from the deer carcasses. These samples will be used in a regional study on the incidence of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease and other viral illnesses.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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