Pittsburgh expands deer-culling program to 5 parks

Pittsburgh’s deer-hunting program will expand this year to five parks, more archers and the possible use of professional sharpshooters.

It will also cost more money.

City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract of up to roughly $99,000 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help oversee this year’s deer management program —nearly 10 times what the city spent last year on a pilot program.

This year’s hunt will again include Frick and Riverview parks. The city is adding Schenley, Emerald View and Highland parks.

Last year, 30 archers killed 108 deer and donated nearly 10,000 meals.

City officials said this year’s program might include professional U.S. Department of Agriculture sharpshooters who could help further reduce the city’s deer population in Frick and Riverview parks if the volunteer archers don’t kill as many deer as the city wants.

Officials have not yet specified the desired number of deer to be culled.

Like last year, archers will need to apply to participate in the city’s limited hunting program. They’ll need to pass a background check and archery test to qualify, and they’ll be assigned specific locations to hunt.

Officials plan to use 50 archers this year, with another 50 on standby as backups.

Any sharpshooters, who would be restricted to operating in Frick and Riverview parks, would hunt at night.

Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said the city hopes to reduce vehicle collisions with deer and curb damage to plants.

Shannon Dickerson, director of operations with Humane Action Pittsburgh, on Tuesday criticized the city for “slaughtering these animals for nothing more than existing.”

She advocated for nonlethal options to curb the deer population instead and argued that culling deer through a hunting program won’t “truly even make a dent in the overpopulation issue.”