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The annual Union County Deer
Management Program is set to begin on Monday and will last for three
days, during which time a dozen hunters will aim to kill 100 deer in the
Watchung Reservation.
During the three-day hunt, 12 volunteer marksmen will
be permitted to shoot deer from tree stands at least 20 feet or higher
in specifically assigned locations to help curb the deer population
within the confines of the 2,000acre property that borders the towns of
Summit, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Mountainside and Berkeley Heights.
Last year's hunt saw the hunters kill 70 deer.
Armed with shotguns and a tree stand, hunters will
head out for the first shift of hunting at approximately 5 a.m. each
morning and will round up the deer killed at around 8 p.m.
The Watchung Reservation will not be closed to the
public during the three day hunt that will take place on March 3, 5 and
6, though the county has urged the public to stay on marked hiking,
walking and bridle trails.
The County initially launched a state-approved deer
management program in 1995 that was designed to reduce the number of
deer in the Watchung Reservation from an estimated 180 deer per square
mile to the goal density of 20 deer per square mile. |
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The goal was realized one year ahead
of schedule in 1999, prompting the county to shift focus from reduction of
the deer population to maintenance of the achieved density.
"We were able to reduce the deer population in the
Watchung Reservation from its high point to a manageable point in four
years," said Daniel Bernier, director of the Union County Division of
Park Planning and Maintenance. "It is a program using lethal means,
but this is not a recreational hunt. This is about population
control."
In 2000, the Board of Chosen Freeholders adopted a new
plan designed by the Watchung Reservation Deer Management Subcommittee
that has shifted the program towards population maintenance.
Under the current plan, hunters no longer only target
females. In the earlier variation of the program, females had been singled
out as a top priority under the theory that reducing the amount of females
meant reducing the amount of offspring produced in the reservation.
According to Bernier, who is currently conducting a
similar Deer Management Program in Essex County's South Mountain
Reservation, deer have an adverse affect on the ecosystems found within
the Watchung Reservation, especially plants and shrubbery.
During a press conference held regarding Essex County's
Deer Management Program in the South Mountain Reservation, Bernier noted
his previous years of success with the lethal method of culling the deer
population of the past few years in the Watchung Reservation.
"Reducing the number of deer to an acceptable
level has reduced or eliminated the negative impacts to Watchung
Reservation, and signs of regeneration are found throughout the
forest," said Bernier.
The hunters participating in this year's program were
selected in December. According to Bernier, 10 of the 12 hunters were
involved in the program last year, and many have been involved since the
program's inception.
One new hunter will be added to this year's roster, as
Bernier notes that a key element of the program is adding new members to
avoid seeming like "a private hunting club."
Teams of agents will be supervised by the Union County
Police and representatives from the New Jersey Division of Fish and
Wildlife, and the county remains adamant that anyone found hunting outside
the terms of this program will be prosecuted.
The estimated cost for this year's hunt is expected to
be approximately $5,800, or about $58 per deer. A breakdown of the costs
shows that $4,400 will be put towards butchering fees, $600 is for durable
equipment and the remaining $800 will supply bait and other expendable
supplies.
During the hunt, hunters can shoot up to a dozen deer a
day. At the end of each day, each hunter pitches in to bring the deer to a
central location. where they are processed and loaded onto a truck.
After each deer are studied and catalogued based on
age, size, gender and weight, the carcasses are then transported to a
USDA-approved butcher, and the venison is distributed through the
Hillside-based Community Food Bank of New Jersey.
This year's Watchung Reservation Deer Management
Program will operate from approximately 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. A
rain-date has been scheduled for Friday, March 7th if there should be
inclimate weather.
Katherine Paster can be reached at 908-686-7700,
ext. 119, or at unioncountyb@yahoo.com. |
