Committee Votes Yes to Deer Culling

Deer population control at South Mountain Reservation will start in January.

After hearing passionate testimony from differing views on the annual county-run deer hunt in South Mountain Reservation, Maplewood’s Township Committee voted to go forward with the deer hunt. Reflecting concerns about the hunt, Maplewood Mayor Vic De Luca voted cast the sole dissenting vote. Officials painted the hunt as regrettable but necessary. The deer, they emphasized, are overpopulated and consequently tearing apart the forest’s flora and fauna. Officials and supporters presented evidence demonstrating how plant life has dramatically improved as a result of the hunts and other efforts by government workers and volunteers. Opponents of the hunt, a number of whom traveled from neighboring towns to speak, argued that killing deer is …

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