Game Commission Board Approves Additional Urban Deer Management Option

Continuing to implement recommendations of its Urban Deer Management Plan, the Board of Game Commissioners this week gave final approval to a regulatory change to allow homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding organizations to apply for a Deer Control Permit under the same process provided for political subdivisions, such as boroughs and townships.

 

"In developed landscapes, lower deer populations result in fewer deer human conflicts," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. "And, although we prefer to use hunting to manage deer populations, hunting is not always feasible in an urbanized setting due to safety zone restrictions. We must, therefore, consider alternative herd reduction tools for communities to address their growing deer populations.

 

"Recognizing that urban deer issues do not always affect an entire township or borough, the Board is proposing to expand the list of authorized Deer Control Permit applicants to include homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding companies. This does not change the requirements of the review process, but it does make this tool available to more groups experiencing unacceptable levels of deer-human conflicts in developed areas."

 

For more information, visit the Game Commission's Deer Management webpage.