Sharpshooters To Kill Deer In Norristown To Control Population

NORRISTOWN, PA — With deer populations spiking in Norristown Farm Park and the area's ecosystem suffering as a result of the imbalance, officials are conducting a special deer cull in March.

The hunt will be executed by sharpshooters from the US Department of Agriculture, and meat will be donated to local food banks, officials said.

There are several benefits to controlling the deer population, according to park officials, including reducing damage to park vegetation and crops, reducing collisions with vehicles, and slowing the spread of certain wildlife borne diseases like Lyme's Disease, Chronic Wasting Disease, and more.

Norristown officials specifically pointed to damage to the park's soybean fields as well as the sunflower field, which is frequented often by birders and photographers. The sunflower field was "decimated before the plants had a chance to grow and flower," a spokesperson for the Farm Park said. "Many of the newly planted native tree and shrub species which were intended to increase the site’s plant diversity have been lost despite efforts to protect them."

The cull will take place overnight on an unspecified date at some point in March.

Cull events have been somewhat regular occurences at Norristown Farm Park in the past decade. The muncipality has also helped organize controlled hunts open to the public via lottery.