Technical Issues Could Delay Mt. Lebanon Deer Cull

The cull of 150 white-tailed deer in Mt. Lebanon, scheduled to start tonight, might be delayed for technical reasons.

Brian Benner of Wildlife Specialists in Wellsboro, Tioga County, said Sunday that some necessary equipment wasn’t in place.

The company also plans to request an addendum to its Pennsylvania Game Commission permit, he said, expanding the number of workers it may use during the operation.

“I’m not sure if we’ll start Monday or not. It depends on how much equipment we can set up,” Mr. Benner said. “We still have to set up some cameras and different technology that lets us know where the deer are.”

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2015/03/08/Mt-Lebanon-deer-cull-may-be-postponed/stories/201503080211

Valley Forge National Historical Park Proceeds With Deer Culling

English: A white-tailed deer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It has set off a heated debate, a federal lawsuit, and enough documents to fill a couple of phone books.

But for the third consecutive year, Valley Forge National Historical Park is proceeding with a deer-culling program designed to thin the herd and encourage new plant growth in the park.

And officials at the famed Revolutionary War site say it is working.

The deer population has long been a bane of Valley Forge, they say.  Before the culling began, the park counted 291 deer per square mile.  A “sustainable” population would be closer to 35 per square mile, said Deirdre Gibson, the park’s chief of resources.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20121217_Valley_Forge_National_Historical_Park_proceeds_with_deer_culling.html

Valley Forge Deer Herd Reduced By 600

Image via Wikipedia

The deer population in Valley Forge Park was cut in half (approximately) when the herd was reduced by sharpshooters starting in November.  Estimates put the deer herd in the park at 1,277 animals.  The eventual goal is the have less than 200 deer in the park.

Despite lawsuits from animal rights activists, the culling was carried out over sixteen nights starting in November 2010.  The overabundance of deer was damaging the forest growth and crowding out other animal species in the park.