Politics & Government

Abington Committee OKs Deer Hunts

Controlled deer hunts have taken place in Abington for several years.

In an effort to quell the deer population, the Abington Public Affairs Committee approved a motion on Monday night allowing controlled deer hunts at the Karebrook Nature Study Area. 

The hunts would be performed by the Abington Deer Management company between Sept. 21 and Jan. 25. Abington Deer Management uses standard bows, crossbows and compound bows to shoot the deer; the shooters shoot down from tree stands.

Abington Parks and Recreation Director Doug Wendell said the company last year removed three deer from the roughly 5-acre, triangularly shaped, swampy parcel off of Valley Road. Commissioner Lori Schreiber, who has voted against the hunt in the past, asked Wendell if this was considered successful. Wendell said it was, as the two deer that were killed were female, and could have had up to nine deer.

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Should the board of commissioners approve the hunt, hunters from Abington Deer Management will park their vehicles at the waste-water pumping station on Valley Road; each vehicle will have an ADM sticker and hunters will be required to call the police before they enter Karebrook to hunt. All ADM hunters will follow the Pa. Game Commission rules and regulations. 

Wendell said there has never been a deer hunting-related incident at Karebrook and added that if anyone other than members of ADM tries to hunt, he or she will be arrested.

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Valley Road is home to several deer-related crashes. Updated stats weren’t available Monday night, but according to a 2011 memo from Abington Animal Control Officer Ron Griffith to Abington Police Chief William Kelly, there were 72 deer related crashes in Abington in 2010 and 25 of those crashes happened on Valley Road.

The memo kept track of deer crashes dating back to 1990. The highest number of crashes happened in 1994 when there were 84.

The Abington Board of Commissioners authorized hunts at the area in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012; hunts were not needed in 2009 and 2010, according to Wendell.


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