Valley Forge Deer Hunting Extended Again

The fall of 2015 represented the sixth year of deer culling in Valley Forge National Park, and even though deer numbers are presently at acceptable levels, the park service says the hunt will continue.

The “lethal removal” activities will continue in the park through March of 2016, the park said on its website.

Eventually, the park wants to control populations via reproductive control, but they are awaiting the availability of an viable method to execute this task.

The park’s goal is to restrict deer to 31 to 35 per square mile.

In 2009, there were 241 deer per square mile. Culling has been extraordinarily successful, and officials believe continued hunting will keep deer at acceptable levels for years to come.

Controlling deer populations is about safety in the park, but it’s also about ensuring biodiversity:

The plan addresses the browsing of tree and shrub seedlings by a deer population which had grown to a level that prevented native forests from growing and maturing and reduced habitat for a range of native wildlife species. Since the implementation of the plan, the forest at the park is continuing to recover from decades of over-browsing. Monitoring by National Park Service staff has documented native species seedlings that had not been present just a few years ago, including maple, red bud, maple-leaf viburnum, dogwood, oak, tulip-poplar, black gum, hickory, cherry, hackberry, ash, and sassafras. Preliminary data indicate an 850% increase in the number of seedlings since the implementation of the plan.

Animal organizations have protested the deer hunt, but the park service insists their use of experienced marksmen that are familiar with the park ensures safe and humane operations.