Sep 29, 2015 By Harry Funk 4 min read

South Hills residents might be surprised to know that Mt. Lebanon is not the only municipality combating the deer population.

When Peters Township began a bow-hunting program to manage the local deer population, the police department received some minor complaints.

But, “In the past five years, I don’t think we’ve had one complaint from a resident,” police Capt. Michael Yanchak said. “The archers, they’re just not being seen.”

The program has produced a desired result, according to Yanchak.

“We are noticing a decrease in deer-vehicle accidents during the time that we’re hunting, including the ruts,” he said.

The Peters program is in its ninth year, and two neighboring municipalities have had controlled hunts in place even longer. Bethel Park started an archery hunt in the mid-1990s, and Upper St. Clair has contracted with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services for sharpshooting since 2005.

Yanchak was instrumental in starting the Peters effort, making a proposal to a township deer management committee based on the program in Fox Chapel Borough, which launched in 1992.

The Peters Township Police Department oversees the local program, which follows the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s archery season for deer, from Sept. 19 through late January. About 50 archers participate, with an average of nearly 100 animals taken per year, according to Yanchak.

What the hunters don’t use for their own tables is donated to Hunters Sharing the Harvest, which provides venison to food banks and other organizations throughout the state.

“Nothing is going to waste,” Yanchak said.

The program takes place on private property, with owners’ permission, and on public land.

“We have a lot of open space parcels throughout the township, as well as Peters Lake Park and some land we own adjacent to sections of Arrowhead Trail that are wooded,” township manager Michael Silvestri said.

Upper St. Clair’s cull is conducted each year following archery season, through mid-March.

“The stats are remarkably consistent,” said Mark Mansfield, assistant township manager, noting that about 130 deer were taken during the 2015 hunt, a total that compares favorably with those reported in recent years.

The Wildlife Services report on the program issued in July 2014, the most recent available, states that 1,403 deer had been culled through the first 10 years, while deer-vehicle collisions totaled fewer than 100 annually for six consecutive years as of 2013.

As a result of the 2014 cull, 6,160 pounds of venison was processed and distributed through soup kitchens, shelters and state Game Commission personnel.

In Bethel Park, archers with Whitetail Management Associates of Greater Pittsburgh conduct the annual hunt, which also takes place during the Game Commission season.

The number of deer taken has averaged about 60 per year, Timothy Moury, council president, said in response to a resident’s question at the August meeting. The municipality spends no money on the hunt, which is coordinated through the police department.

Hunters use Simmons Park, which is owned by the municipality, and the portion of South Park that is located in Bethel Park.

“Some of the other parks may not qualify for hunting due to safety zone requirements,” police Chief Timothy O’Connor said.

In another South Hills municipality, the mayor is gauging public interest in launching a deer management program.

Jim Nowalk hosted a “community conversation” meeting with fellow Whitehall residents on Sept. 10, discussing the results of a survey that he circulated in the borough’s newsletter.

“I was very inspired by the response I got,” he said, noting that residents filled out 231 surveys providing opinions regarding whether a program is warranted, what type of program is preferable, and whether public money should be used.

Participating in the discussion were representatives of the medical community, the Humane Society of the United States, Pennsylvania Game Commission and a Western Pennsylvania community where a deer program was implemented “with very little community upheaval,” Nowalk said.

“I thought it was important to get people to the meeting who were knowledgeable about the subject,” he explained. “The residents were very pleased to get different points of view.”

The next step is the formation of a Whitehall Wildlife Management Committee to address the prevalence of deer and other animals that might cause health and safety concerns.