Expanded Deer Hunt Season Approved By Westfield Council

WESTFIELD, NJ — Due to the overpopulation of white-tailed deer in Brightwood Park and a small section of Tamaques Park, Westfield Town Council unanimously approved an expansion of the Union County Deer Management Program at its meeting on Tuesday night.

The deer hunt will begin earlier this year, on Dec. 1, and continue until Feb. 18. Licensed crossbow hunters will manage the deer population to prevent over browsing of native vegetation in Brightwood and Tamaques Parks, as well as prevent damage to greens and ornamental vegetation.

Town Administrator Jim Gildea said the influx of deer has also created safety issues in town and that the police department has received a lot of complaints from residents about deer on the streets.

Mayor Shelley Brindle said this will be Westfield's fourth year participating in the program and that starting the program in December will help address safety issues of deer in the roadways.

"This program has been successful over the past few years in taking some important steps, at no cost to the Town, toward addressing an increasing safety problem with the rapidly multiplying deer population," Brindle said.

According to the County, 63 deer carcasses were removed from county roads in Westfield between June 1, 2021 and May 31 of this year. This number does not include deer carcasses removed from state NJDOT roadways in Union County.

The County's objective is to bring deer population densities down to levels that are "more in balance with the ecosystems," with a specific goal density of 20 deer per square mile or less.

The County estimates that it will remove 50 deer from Watchung Reservation, 53 deer from Lenape and Nomahegan Parks, 70 deer from Ash Brook Reservation and Oak Ridge Park, 12 deer from the Passaic River Park in Summit, New Providence and Berkeley Heights, 10 deer from the Hawk Rise Sanctuary and 39 deer from the Hillside and Union sections of Elizabeth River Park and Galloping Hill Golf Course.

Read more: Deer Hunt In Union Co. Parks Is On This Year Without Firearm Component

You can watch the full Westfield Town Council meeting on Facebook.

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