$70K Radnor Contract For Deer Culling And Geese Management Approved

RADNOR, PA —Radnor Township Commissioners unanimously agreed to pay $70,771 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cull white-tailed deer and manage Canadian geese in 2024.

The contract was approved on Jan. 22 following a report issued by the Radnor police showing an estimate of 912 deer in the township in 2023, including 32 deer that were killed by motor vehicles and 26 other calls about deer issues.

In addition, four deer were killed by hunters, and 200 were culled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2023, according to the report.

Under the agreement, the Department of Agriculture will provide at least eight nights of deer removal in 2024.

The township also allows sport hunting and bow hunting clubs to assist with reducing deer density.

Deer management

Michael Maratea, supervisor for auxiliary services for the Radnor police, said the partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture began in 2012. Since then, he said, the township has culled between 100 to 200 deer a year.

The township’s goal is to have 15 to 20 deer per square mile, Maratea said.

The deep population has decreased from 101 per square mile in 2012 to 48.5 per square mile in 2023.
“One of our major issues with deer is they get into vehicle strikes and cause a hazard to the community,” Maratea said. “The deer move from one spot to another site throughout the day.”

Radnor Lt. Joseph Pinto said a license for culling is provided by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Since the winter of 2012, the Department of Agriculture has removed 1,882 deer from the township, according to police.

Police responses for deer issues dropped from 151 in 2012 to 58 in 2023.

Every deer removed from the township is taken to a processor, packaged, and donated for food.
An estimated 6,800 pounds of venison was donated in 2023.

In neighboring Tredyffrin Township, the township has authorized deer culling in township parks by the Chester Valley Deer Management Association and the Stony Run Archers Association.

Canadian Geese

The goose population in Pennsylvania is estimated at just over 200,000. There are more geese in Pennsylvania than in any other state during the bird migration along the east coast.
Goose droppings can cause sickness due to E. coli, water pollution, and safety hazards.
“We don’t want there to be a slipping problem,” Maratea said, of residents slipping and falling on geese dropping.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct a nest and egg treatment program during the eight-week nesting season. The department will collect and dispose of the nests and eggs.
The department will also capture and euthanize up to 20 geese, processing the euthanized geese for human consumption.