Horsham May Consider Deer Control Measures
Excessive grazing and deer-related crashes may lead Horsham to consider a controlled deer hunt on township property.
More deer are eating - and dying - in Horsham than in years past, officials said.
After a resident shared with the Horsham Township Council that deer have wreaked havoc on his property's vegetation, the governing body agreed that herds milling about the township have grown as compared to previous years.
"The deer that are hit by the cars on the side of the road, it increases every year," Horsham Township Manager Bill Walker told the resident.
According to State Farm Insurance, the likelihood of those deer-related crashes are increasing at a fever pitch. The company estimates that 2.4 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the U.S. during the two-year period between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2009.
In Horsham, between 55 and 65 vehicle crashes per year involve deer, according to Horsham Police Lt. Jon Clark. From Dec. 1, 2011 through the end of November 2012, Clark said 47 accidents involving deer were reported. During the previous year ranging from Dec. 1, 2010 through Dec. 1, 2011, 50 were reported and the two previous years 59 and 62 were reported, according to Clark.
Council President Mark McCouch acknowledged that the township has a deer "problem."
"I guess we will have to address it at some point," McCouch said. "Stay tuned."
Walker said deer grazing has not yet become problematic at Horsham's more than 800 acres of parks and open space. If that changes, Walker said a controlled deer hunt at one of the several township-owned parcels, including the Strawbridge property, Cedar Hill Road Park, or the Hearne property could be an option.
"There are parcels that are big enough," Walker said of a controlled hunt. "I'm not saying we're going to have one."
Click here to read State Farm's tips for avoiding a collision with deer.
Tara Ewalt
8:29 am on Monday, December 3, 2012
Maybe Horsham needs to stop building homes in areas where the deer live. One of the reasons I love it here is all the greenery, trees and such. But now every where you look is new construction. Taking all the trees and wooded areas with it, Sad.
Diane Lynch
11:27 am on Monday, December 3, 2012
I definitely agree with this comment. The deer were hear first. We're inviting their home and they have not place to go.
Darlene Polovitch Thomas
2:41 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
well said Tara.
Tara
8:46 am on Monday, December 3, 2012
Deer control sounds like a great idea to me.
Leigh
9:43 am on Monday, December 3, 2012
Agree 100% with 1st poster. Also the number of reported deer related car accidents has declined every year over the last four years. And all of this talk was raised because of a resident complaining about deer eating his "vegetation"? You live in an area with animals - build a fence or realize that where you live there are animals.
James Kephart Jr.
1:14 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
Maybe we should treat deer the same way we treat people when they can't feed themselves. When the deer population is too high, they roam more because they are trying to find more food. Instead of shooting them, we ought to feed them more so they won't roam into the streets and get hit by cars.
Although, that could cause a problem - they then might reproduce even faster and need even more food!?!? Since you can't educate them (the deer), we could just sterilize a certain percentage of them. Horsham may have to hire some extra people to manage all this feeding and sterilization!
Never mind, let's just shoot them (the deer). It is much cheaper to shoot them in order to control their population.
Darlene Polovitch Thomas
2:40 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
Not only do we have deer, but since the bulldozing of the golf course; wild turkeys as well. These poor animals have no where to go. Please think about the wildlife.
It is very sad.
No more homes in Horsham.
Darlene Thomas
dirk Diggler
4:51 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
I think all you idiots should move and bulldoze your houses to replant native habitat for the pretty little deer. They were here first after all.
John
6:18 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
So it is ok to have your house in Horsham but stop all the rest. I love it
Chris Clewell
9:13 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
It's time to consider a conrolled hunt throughout several of the parks in Horsham Township. By cuting down the number of deer in the Township we can:
* reduce auto-vs- deer collisions
* reduce lymes disease
* reduce damage to your trees, plants, and schrubs
Anyone interested in Deer Management on their property!
Please call Abington Deer Management, we have 18 professional archery hunters with a minimum of 15 years experience each in suburban deer hunting. We are fully insured! And this service is FREE to everyone. Call for an appointment today!
215-572-7533- Ask for Chris Clewell "Field Manager"
william helstrom
10:10 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
hey Chris i am a deer bucther if u need help with cutting the deer up let me know @215-757-9798
Trevor Swan
10:57 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
Its a not a deer problem, its a people problem. Most of the farms in Horsham are gone. With shrinking habitat, deer and auto conflicts will occur. The clear choice is deer reduction. Ask the Pennsylvania Game Commission. I bet they will say open it to Archers. Bow-Hunting is safe, quiet, cheap, and effective. The meat will NOT be wasted.
Mike Shortall
11:27 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
It's a deer and man problem. Sorry, deer loses.
No, it's not the deer's fault, and it isn't fair. But excess deer populations are a safety hazard, as anyone who has ever hit one can tell you (assuming they lived through it).
Mr Smith
11:12 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012
You people are a joke! Save Bambi? LOL The deer destroy everything i plant in my yard too...no matter what it is.........there are too many of them period!!!I love animals too and I also like to eat them. Are you going to pay for all these fences to put all around my house? Wait till one runs into your car, we'll see how lovable you think the fur ball is then!
K. Thom.
11:10 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Time for public land to be usable to the whole public including hunters. When misguided people close all lands to hunting the animal population gets out of control and unhealthy. Thw deers biggest predator is humans whether in a car or in camo. Time to open the hunt for archery for all residents with hunting licenses and tags not some organization and not just the connected few like township employees and the like.
Concerned in Horsham
12:38 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012
There definitely is an increase in the deer population in Horsham and it will continue to grow if they are not managed. You cannot continue to kill their habitat and expect that they will just go away. There are plenty of hunters who reside in Horsham that would help alleviate the situtation correctly and humanely. If some of the large property owners and the township could come to terms with thinning the herd this would be an issue. An truthfully, when the fences come down at the base things are going to get much worse.
william helstrom
10:05 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
is this a controled hunt i am a deer bucther in langhorne who donatesa lot of meat each year if any one would like to donate the deer they shoot i can be reached @ 215-757-9798 or cell@215-932-4896 thank you Bill Helstrom