Shrewsbury mulls hunt to cull deer

Public discussion of problems related to Shrewsbury Borough’s escalating deer population and the various options for culling the herd dominated the March 1 Borough Council meeting.

Council President Donald W. Burden explained that the overpopulation is a big concern for many residents, business owners and other organizations located in the borough.

“They want action taken,” Burden said. “Residents complain that their shrubs and gardens are obliterated, there’s been field damage, and [there are] health concerns over Lyme disease.

“The DPW is concerned over the carcasses, the Shade Tree Commission about the trees, and the Police Department is concerned about deer-related accidents,” Burden continued.

If the crowd in attendance was an indication of residents’ sentiment, no one spoke in opposition to hunting as a means to thin the herd.

Shrewsbury police Lt. Louis Ferraro said that since 2006 there have been approximately 20 reported deer-related motor vehicle accidents per year.

Ferraro, who said he is also a hunter, spoke of the many options the borough has looked into as a means to reduce the whitetailed deer population.

According to Ferraro, options such as borough-wide fencing and the introduction of predatory animals are unrealistic options for Shrewsbury.

Other programs are extremely costly with an array of drawbacks, he said. The trap-and-transfer program is problematic because other municipalities don’t want the deer relocated within their boundaries. Ferraro said the trap and euthanize program ranges from $400 to $2,500 per deer, but that the venison could be used to feed the hungry.

The trap-neuter-release program, as Ferraro explained, is not always successful. He estimated the cost at $1,000 per deer and stressed that it is not an immediate solution to the current overpopulation problem.

According to Ferraro, the most realistic way to thin the herd is by hunting.

“Currently municipalities can’t control their hunting laws, but they can control gun laws,” Ferraro said. “The municipality could apply to the state to permit hunting or shooting by authorized agents.”

Michael Bell, president of the borough’s first aid squad, said the deer population has exploded.

“The cars are their only predators. They’re fed by our residents and eat our bushes,” Bell said. “We have no more gardens. We need to have some regulated culling of the herd.”

Peter Meyer, Board of Education president and a hunter, said he recently had a deer-related car accident amounting to $3,000 in damage.

Meyer expressed his concern about the safety of borough children, if motorists were to swerve their vehicles onto a sidewalk in an effort to miss hitting a deer.

“Luckily it’s cold out and the kids aren’t really outside that much,” Meyer said.

Marshall Wright said his wife recently threw snowballs at approximately 10 deer to chase them off their property.

“They have a right to survive, but within the limits of Shrewsbury, Wright said, “they will continue to expand until they eat everything we have and then they’ll leave.”

Several residents said that when they moved to the borough more than 20 years ago, there were a few deer at most. Now, they said up to 15 deer visit their individual properties each day.

Residents said they have put up fencing, some as high as 8 feet, but it hasn’t stopped the deer.

“They’re on our properties en mass,” said Christine Speck. “I walk a lot, and they literally come at me and stamp and hoof. My clapping doesn’t even startle them.”

Following public comments, Councilman Thomas Menapace asked Ferraro about certain mechanics of the hunt.

Ferraro explained that with bow-hunting there is not always a clean kill, and that sometimes the deer can run approximately 20 yards before falling to the ground, but with firearms, the clean kill is a near guarantee.

Menapace said he was concerned over flying bullets and injured deer running into residents’ yards.

“The last thing I want is to walk into someone’s yard and have their 3-year-old watch as I kill Bambi,” said Councilman Michael DeNofa, who is also a hunter.

Council members spoke of other municipalities and areas in New Jersey that use hunting to lessen their deer population.

“We’re considerably smaller [than other towns that allow a hunt] who have sizable wooded areas, and we have a mobile deer population,” said Menapace. “How would we manage a safe hunt?”

According to Ferraro, the borough could expand the 450-foot safety range parameter for hunting around dwellings and playgrounds set by the state’s Fish and Game laws.

Ferraro suggested in addition to requiring written consent from property owners who would allow a hunt to take place on their land, they could additionally require permission from their neighbors.

Despite isolated concerns about safety from residents, Ferraro believes hunting can be done safely.

“We’re considering firearms, as they can be done safely with safe hunters,” Ferraro said.