Valley Forge Park Thins Deer Herd by 377

A team of marksmen armed with special non-lead ammunition and working under tightly controlled conditions shot and killed 377 white tailed deer in Valley Forge National Historical Park. The park is about 11 miles from the Limerick area.

The deer reduction program ran from November 2011 through March and will be repeated next winter and until the deer population is reduced to 31-35 deer per square miles. Back in 2009 the deer population density was much higher.  According to the Park's website the deer killings "will continue each winter until the initial target deer density of 31-35 deer per square mile (165-185 deer) is achieved. The estimated deer density (pre-fawning) after the second year of operations is 71 deer per square mile (374 deer). This represents a significant population reduction from the estimated 241 deer per square mile (1,277 deer) present in 2009."

The high number of deer present a threat to the foliage and vegetation in the park. Deer eat only plants and can consume up to nine pounds of food every day.

Tightly Controlled Deer Hunts

Safety during the deer hunts near residential areas within the park is a prime concern, according to the National Park Service.

The Valley Forge National Historical Park website descirbes the precautions that are taken during the hunt this way:

This action included extensive measures to ensure a safe, humane, and successful operation, such as using highly qualified and experienced marksmen familiar with the park's geography and with conducting reduction activities in a highly suburbanized environment, conducting population reduction actions only when the park is closed, observing safety zones, using bait to attract deer to safe removal locations, shooting from an elevated position with an adequate backdrop, and utilizing special, non-lead ammunition that is safe for use in urban areas and in the environment.

The NPS closely coordinated all activities with township and state law enforcement officials and with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

A total of 233 deer were tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal, neurological disease that has been detected approximately 200 miles from the park boundary. All of these deer tested negative for the presence of CWD.

The National Park Service reports that the deer reduction effort may already be helping restore plant life destroyed by hungry deer.

"Forest monitoring conducted by the National Park Service Mid-Atlantic Inventory and Monitoring Program suggests that after four years of monitoring, there is an indication that tree seedling regeneration is beginning to occur. This is particularly important for those species that can reach the forest canopy, thus ensuring the long-term survival of forests at Valley Forge.

Though levels are still well below those needed to ensure adequate regeneration, we are now documenting species previously not found as seedlings at the same locations in 2007, including white ash, blackgum, black cherry, sassafras, and oak species."

Click here to read more about the deer reduction program on Philly.com.