Mar 20, 2015 3 min read

The contractor hired by Mt. Lebanon to reduce its deer population ended its contract with the township because of a delay in the permitting process and warmer weather.

Mt. Lebanon hired Wildlife Specialists LLC of Tioga County as part of its multi-year approach to deer management after a planned bow hunt program could not be implemented because the state Game Commission ran out of licenses. State law states hunters must have a license or tag for each deer killed. The Game Commission could not be reached for comment.

In a letter dated March 19 to Steve Feller, Mt. Lebanon’s municipal manager, Merlin Benner, president of Wildlife Specialists said the township’s decision to trap deer in corrals – which had never been used in Pennsylvania – led to a delay in starting the deer cull. Only six deer were killed and the meat was donated to a food pantry.

“The Game Commission staff conducted due diligence in reaching a decision to approve Mt. Lebanon’s deer control permit request. The permit was not approved until Feb. 17, 2015, which was nearly three weeks into the planned trapping period,” the letter said.

“The cold weather that had been persistent with snow cover ended when the trapping began. This led to an immediate drop in deer visits to the corrals, and was the most influential factor in a low number of deer being culled,” it continued.

The plan to eliminate 150 deer deeply divided Mt. Lebanon residents. Some claimed that the deer were a nuisance wandering into yards and eating their shrubs and plants. Still others claimed the deer had become a safety hazard, especially at night, when they tended to wander into traffic. On the other side, many Mt. Lebanon residents felt the plan to corral the animals into one of five corrals throughout the township and shoot them at close range was simply inhumane which, in turn, led to sabotage of the corrals and disruption of animals near them.

Benner acknowledged the protesters played a role in his decision to end the contract. He was to be paid $500 for each deer killed.

“Additional factors like protesters trespassing within the posted areas, direct sabotage to the corrals and disruption of deer within the areas surrounding the corrals had some additional impact on the success of the project,” the letter said.

Mt. Lebanon’s deer population has been estimated at anywhere between 400 and 600, said Susan Morgans, township Public Information Officer.

“There was no possible way to achieve the goals,” said Morgans, adding the township will continue with its deer management program. But, how the township will proceed is not known at this time. The five Mt. Lebanon commissioners would not be reached for comment.

Despite the handful of deer that were killed, Morgans said the program was not a failure.

“It gave us a chance to see how the method would work,” she said.