Deer Management in West Windsor

We have been having the deer overpopulation problem for some time. The ideal population should be 10-20 deer per sq mile; in 2018, the deer population in our Mercer County Park was measured to be above 70 deer per sq mile. Because deer eat our native plants, especially young seedlings and saplings, their overbrowsing had caused invasive vegetation to spread across our County. The resulting unbalanced forest harms other species of animals that need a healthy ecosystem to survive. Deer have also been implicated in our health problems, examples include collisions with automobiles and the spreading of Lyme Disease. Deer overpopulation is a serious issue facing West Windsor.

In order to restore native vegetation in Mercer County Park, Mercer County started a Deer Control program in the Mercer County Park last November by encouraging volunteer hunters to hunt deer in the park, following the recent deer population management success in two other Mercer County Parks. The hunters need to purchase a permit and follow NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife regulations. In four months, the program harvested 140 deer—11% of the West Windsor's deer overpopulation. The venison was donated to local food pantries through the Hunters Helping the Hunger organization and turned into 11,692 meals for needy residents. If there is no deer population rebound after the harvesting—as is the case with the two other Mercer County parks after deer management, West Windsor can restore to a healthy deer population in 9 years with this program.

Residents have also expressed interest in alternative, humane methods to manage deer population. I will try to advocate for alternative, humane, and improved deer management methods to our County in their future endeavors.