Deer Culling: Beneficial or Not?

The Scotch Plains Council approved its 2010 contract for deer culling at last night's meeting, but not without first debating whether the program is fulfilling its intended purpose.

Councilman Dominick Bratti questioned the actual benefit the township is receiving from the program, given that there's been no study or report to actually prove how successful the culling has been over the years.

The program sets out each year to kill deer in the Ashbrook Golf Course area in an attempt to reduce the township's population of the animal. This year, the township is continuing its contract with Wildlife Management Services and paying them $4,800 to remove 25 to 30 deer at a cost of $160 per animal.

At last week's conference meeting, town manager Christopher Marion stated that the fee has gradually decreased each year since Scotch Plains first entered its contract with Wildlife Management Services.

"From a pure dollar perspective, it looks like (the deer population) is going down," Marion said.

Still, Bratti said he's not convinced until the council is presented with more concrete proof of what the program has done.

"My only point is that when this comes around next year, I'd like to know what the costs are and whether the issue needs to be addressed, rather than just happily spending this $5,000," he said.

For the other council members, the issue was one of a public safety concern.

"I've had near misses," Councilman Kevin Glover said. "The deer are having a feast in my neighborhood."

"Have you seen a decrease in deer over the last year?" Bratti asked him last week.

Glover: "No, I've seen an increase."

Bratti: "Exactly."

Both Councilman Jeffrey Strauss and Councilwoman Mary DePaola backed Glover's concerns, stating that they feel this is a health and safety issue for residents who continue to face potential road collisions with the animals.

"We don't want this to become an issue," Strauss said. "I know there are other options that theoretically exist, but they have not materialized to be any more effective."

Bratti requested that the town manager come back to the council next year with some possible alternatives so that the council could at least explore its other options. Mayor Nancy Malool shared his stance.

"I do recognize that it's an issue of great concern to our residents ... but for the past seven years I've voted against it because I don't think that it's humane," she said.

Ultimately, the deer culling contract passed 3-2, with Malool and Bratti voting against it. The program is expected to run from Jan. 2, 2010, to Feb. 13, 2010.