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Watchung Deer Management Program. A Community Based Approach. Watchung, New Jersey. The Reservation spans 2000 acres Six communities have lands within the reservation. Watchung is one of those communities. White Tailed Deer.
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Watchung Deer Management Program A Community Based Approach
Watchung, New Jersey • The Reservation spans 2000 acres • Six communities have lands within the reservation. Watchung is one of those communities.
White Tailed Deer • Like many other towns in New Jersey, White tailed Deer have reached problematic numbers. This has caused an increase in…. • Deer-vehicle collisions • Damage to ornamental plantings and gardens • Destruction of the natural forest ecosystem
Community Based Approach • Watchung had the community voice opinions on how to control the deer management population. • Several alternatives such as immuno-fertility drugs, sharp shooting/ bow hunting, and capture and euthanization, were considered. • The town council voted and decided onsharp shooting and bow hunting.
Town Controversyover Sharp Shooting and Bow Hunting • The town became divided when the town heard of the selected method for controlling the deer population • Half of the town felt that the selected method was unnecessarily cruel to the deer. • The other half of the town felt that because the selected method was comparably inexpensive that it was the correct alternative.
Sharp Shooting and Bow Hunting • The NJ Division of Fish and Game found: • That archery deer hunters were estimated to have retrieved only 43% of the deer hit by arrows. • These are pictures of the trail of blood of one deer after the first deer hunt.
Scientific Info • The Union County Parks Department concluded that before the hunt female deer living in the reservation only gave birth to one fawn. • After the hunt female deer on the reservation had multiple births of twins or triplets • This shows how the selected method does not work.
Serious changes need to be made to the selected method to control the deer population. Within the next few months a review of the past years management techniques will take place. Many of the town’s people are excited to change the inhumane method that is currently in place.