Mt. Lebanon receives official OK to cull deer
Mt. Lebanon township has received a permit from the Pennsylvania Game Commission to lure and shoot up to 150 deer in public park areas through March 31.
An online notice was sent to residents alerting them that the plan to bait, trap and shoot the animals with sound-suppressed rifles was a go.
An official with Wildlife Specialists, LLC-the consultant group hired to do the work-said they planned to start the population control measure Feb. 18. The company will be paid $500 per deer.
Brian Benner said he expected baiting to start sometime Feb. 18 though he wouldn’t give “an exact timetable so people upset with (the company’s) plan wouldn’t come out and try to stop them.”
Deer bait will be placed at several locations on the municipal golf course, on conservation land off of Connor Road, and in various parks, including Bird, McNeilly, Robb Hollow, and Twin Hills, according to township manager Steve Feller.
The permit afforded to the township dictates all deer meat be donated to area food banks and soup kitchens.