Essex County Deer Cull Results For 2016: South Mountain, Hilltop Reservations

Essex County authorities announced that 154 deer were culled from South Mountain Reservation and Hilltop Reservation during the 2016 Essex County Deer Management Program.

According to a county news release, hunters culled 154 deer and 86 unborn deer from the two parks during the 10-day program, which was took place on five staggered days from Jan. 19 to Feb. 4 at South Mountain Reservation, and five days from Feb. 9 to March 1 at Essex County Hilltop Reservation.

South Mountain Reservation is located in Maplewood, Millburn and West Orange. Hilltop Reservation is in Cedar Grove, North Caldwell and Verona.

The program was not held in Eagle Rock Reservation this year, county officials stated.

To maximize safety, South Mountain Reservation, Hilltop Reservation and all parking areas and roads inside the two reservations were closed to the public on the days the program was held in that specific reservation, county officials stated.

According to county officials, all deer removed from the reservations were transported to a check station where county officials inspected the animals and collected information about its age, reproductive status, gender and weight, as well as the number of shots fired. The animals were then transported to a New Jersey Department of Health-approved butcher for processing.

Venison was donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey in Hillside, which distributed the meat to the less fortunate and homeless, according to county officials.

In 2016, 3,803 pounds of venison were donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, which provided about 15,200 meals, officials stated.

“We have been very successful in reducing the deer population in our reservations to a manageable level, which has enabled us to transition our program from aggressively removing deer to maintaining the population,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. stated.

“Since we started in 2008, we have removed over 1,000 deer from our reservations, started a program to accelerate the re-growth of our forests and introduced a pilot program to reduce traffic accidents involving deer,” DiVincenzo added. “The overabundance of deer affects all of our communities, and our program provides a comprehensive approach to address the problem.”

• See related article: Deer Cull Continues At South Mountain and Hilltop Reservations For 2016

CULL CONTROVERSY

While Essex County officials lauded the results of this year’s cull, there have been some in the animal welfare community who have opposed deer culls.

“Communities relying on lethal methods to manage deer create a public safety issue and provide only a short term solution, requiring a perpetual killing program - the cull,” a report on DeerFriendly.com states.

“Communities wanting fewer deer can reduce the carrying capacity using fences, deer resistant landscaping and repellents. Careful use of dogs or other deterrents can replicate the effect of a predator in a natural environment, keeping deer on the move and restricting their access to food.”

The Humane Society of the United States published a 2014 article which detailed several nonlethal methods for deer population control.

Such methods included surgical sterilization of does and vaccinations with the contraceptive PZP. Both methods are considered experimental, meaning those who want to use them must apply to states for permission, according to the report.

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