Essex County looks to kill almost 150 deer in reservations – NorthJersey.com
You have just a split-second to react when you spot a deer that’s about to jump in front of your car. Knowing what to do could minimize damage to your car, or even save you and your family from serious injury.
Essex County wants to reduce the deer population by 146 through hunting as part of its 2020 management program — 106 from South Mountain Reservation and 40 from Hilltop Reservation.
In its 13 years, the program has culled the deer population by 2,670 from thereservations, said Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo.
Fourteen volunteer marksmen will spend time throughout January and February in the reservations. All of the hunters are licensed by the state and have completed an orientation program with the Essex County Sheriff’s Office and the county parks department. The hunters will place themselves at a minimum of 20 feet off the ground and shoot at a downwards angle, DiVincenzo said.
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DiVincenzo said the hunt helps keep the deer population in check, allows accelerated forest growth and helps prevent car collisions involving deer.
“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 year’s hunt will be held Jan. 14, 21 and 28 and Feb. 4, 11 and 18 in South Mountain Reservation and Jan. 16, 23 and 30 and Feb. 6, 13 and 20 in Hilltop Reservation.
The reservations, Cedar Grove Park, the parking areas and walking paths within the reservations will be closed on the hunt days.
All the deer are inspected and the county collects information about their age, gender, weight, reproductive status and the number of shots fired. The animals are taken to a butcher approved by the Department of Health and donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.
More than 45,000 pounds of venison have been donated to the FoodBank for the past 13 years and more than 5,000 pounds last year. At least 40 pounds of venison is given to the hunters who have a volunteer shift of seven-and-a-half days.
Kaitlyn Kanzler covers Essex County for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kanzler@northjersey.com Twitter: @KaitlynKanzler8
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