Essex County Deer Cull Returns To South Mountain, Hilltop – Caldwells, NJ Patch
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The annual Essex County deer cull will return for 2019 with hunts at South Mountain and Hilltop reservations beginning in January, officials announced this week.
As part of the program, licensed volunteer hunters will station themselves in trees in the above county-run reservations and shoot downward. It will be the 12th year of the program, which is “geared toward revitalizing the forest ecology by reducing the number of deer,” county officials said.
South Mountain Reservation is located in Maplewood, Millburn and West Orange. Hilltop Reservation is in Cedar Grove, North Caldwell and Verona.
The program will not be held in Eagle Rock Reservation this year, officials said.
South Mountain Reservation, Hilltop Reservation and all parking areas and walking paths inside the two reservations will be closed to the public on hunt days. Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, Essex County Codey Arena, the Essex County Park-N-Ride facility and McLoone’s Boathouse Restaurant in the Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange and all County roads through the reservations will remain open.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Office will coordinate safety patrols with local police departments, officials said.
Since 2008, a total of 2,370 animals (1,482 deer and 888 unborn deer) have been killed as part of the program, officials said.
This year’s program will take place on the following dates:
- SOUTH MOUNTAIN RESERVATION – Tuesdays, January 15, 22 and 29 and February 5, 19 and 26 (with a make-up day on Tuesday, March 5th if any previous dates are cancelled).
- HILLTOP RESERVATION – Thursdays January 17, 24 and 31 and February 7, 14 and 21 (with make-up days on Thursdays, February 28 or March 1st if any previous dates are cancelled).
Animal rights activists in Essex County have protested the annual cull for years, alleging that the hunt is “inhumane,” and that there are better, non-lethal methods for controlling the local deer population.
“Deer are social, intelligent, and gentle animals whose lives matter to them, their offspring, and to their family units,” the League of Humane Voters of New Jersey stated prior to a protest of the Essex County hunt in 2017.
“Deer can feel pain and suffering just like us,” the group said.
According to county officials, all hunters are licensed by the State of New Jersey and have demonstrated their marksmanship ability and completed an orientation program with the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said:
“All deer removed from the reservations are inspected and information about its age, reproductive status, gender and weight, as well as the number of shots fired is collected. They are transported by the county to a NJ Department of Health approved butcher for processing. Venison is donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey in Hillside, which distributes the meat to the needy and homeless. In 2018, 3,439 pounds of venison were donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, which provided about 13,700 meals. Since 2008, a total of 41,859 pounds of venison have been donated to the FoodBank, which equates to about 167,400 meals. Volunteer marksmen who complete at least seven (7) half-day shifts of volunteer service will receive 40 pounds of venison.”
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., a supporter of the annual cull, said that controlling the population by removing deer from South Mountain and Hilltop has proven to be “very successful” in helping to preserve the forest habitat and maintain our reservations as viable resources for recreation and open space.
“Each year, we have updated our program to address current conditions, adjusting the number and schedule of days and transitioning into a ‘maintenance mode’ to keep the population at a manageable level,” DiVincenzo said. “This is just one facet of our comprehensive Deer Management Program that also includes creating seed banks to accelerate the re-growth of the forests and installing reflectors and lights to enhance traffic safety by keeping deer from entering the roadway.”
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Main Photo: Craig Lemon / NJDEP
