Deer hunting to begin in 2 Pittsburgh parks
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A limited bow hunting program to cull deer will start in Pittsburgh’s Frick and Riverview parks on Saturday.
Maria Montaño, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey, said parks will not be closed during the hunting. Officials had previously said parks would be closed on designated deer hunting days.
City Council authorized a limited bow hunting program this fall to address a deer population that officials have said has grown too large. The measure was met with mixed opinions from council members and city residents.
Montaño said archers will begin hunting this Saturday while parks remain open, but the hunters will not be allowed near dog parks, playgrounds and other heavily-used areas.
“Each hunter is given a designated area they’re allowed to hunt in,” she said. “They’re going to be mostly away from where people are.”
Hunters are required to stay at least 50 yards away from property lines and non-permitted hunting areas in the parks, Montaño said. The areas where they’re permitted to hunt are off the beaten path in wooded sections of the parks, she said.
Montaño urged people who are visiting the parks to wear bright colors if they may get close to hunting zones.
There will be signage in the parks to show where hunting is happening, she said.
The city partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to select 30 archers for the program. Hunters needed to pass a qualifications test and a background check to participate.
The city chose 30 additional archers as backups, according to the mayor’s office.
The archers must abide by various regulations, including a rule that their first kill must be a deer without antlers whose meat will be donated to a local food bank.
Officials said there will be a “zero-tolerance statute” for breaking any rules around the hunting program.
Initially, officials had said there would be one or more designated hunting days, but city officials on Thursday announced a broader range of dates.
Hunting will be permitted from Saturday through Dec. 9 and Dec. 26 through Saturday Jan. 7 excluding Sundays.
The mayor’s office in a press release said deer overpopulation can lead to agricultural and landscape damage, risk of diseases, collisions with vehicles, threats to natural resources and other negative effects ton the herd.
Non-hunting options for controlling the deer population — like birth control and castration — are not legal in Pennsylvania, the mayor’s office said.
Related:
• Pittsburgh approves limited deer hunting program in city parks
• Opinions mixed on allowing limited hunting in some Pittsburgh parks to control deer population
• Pittsburgh looking to allow limited deer hunting in some city parks