Deer Management Program

In 2022, Whitehall Borough implemented a Deer Management Program to reduce the number of deer-human conflicts within the community.   The program consists of a Public Archery Hunt managed by Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions (SWMS).  Approved hunting activities take place during the statewide Deer Archery Season established by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The success of the program depends on the level of collaboration with community members and the ability to utilize deer management strategies in areas with the highest rates of deer-human conflicts.  Residents interested in participating in the program have two options:

Archers: Whitehall residents interested in participating as archers are encouraged to apply.  Please download and complete the Archer Application. The number of archers is limited to the number of available hunting spots.

Email the application, along with photocopies of NBEF or PGC bow hunter education card, driver’s license, and any additional hunting related certifications and safety courses to Suburban Wildlife at WildlifeManagementSolutions@gmail.com.  You can also drop off the completed application and documents at the Whitehall Borough Police Department.

Property Owners:   Whitehall property owners interested in allowing authorized hunters to access their property for archery hunting are asked to download and complete the Property Owner Authorization. 

Email the application to Suburban Wildlife at wildlifemanagementsolutions@gmail.com.  Please include your property address, description of property, and your contact information in the email.  You can also drop off completed applications at the Whitehall Borough Police Department.

ASSESMENT OF CURRENT DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

The Whitehall Borough Police Department began collecting and evaluating data related to the number of deer-human conflicts in 2017.  Based on the above numbers, it was determined:

• Deer-related vehicle accidents increased 175% between 2017 and 2020.
• Animal complaints involving wildlife increased 90% between 2017 and 2020.
• Dead deer removal increased 49% between 2017 and 2020.

The dramatic increase in the number of deer-human conflicts between 2017 and 2022 led to the implementation of the Borough Deer Management program.

During the 2022 – 2023 archery season, SWMS archers safely removed 22 deer from public and private property within Whitehall Borough.  Private property harvest consisted of 14 deer (64%) while the remaining 8 (36%) were taken on public property.

The police department did not find a significant statistical change in the number of deer-human conflicts after the first season of the program.  This was no surprise considering effective deer management programs require a multi-year approach to achieve their intended goals.

As a result, Whitehall Council voted to continue the public archery program for the 2023 – 2024 season at their last meeting in December 2022.  SWMS will continue to oversee the program at a cost not exceeding $6,500.

In addition, the measurable objective for the program will now include the number of dead deer removed.  SWMS and Whitehall Police believe including the number of dead deer removed along with the number of deer-related vehicle accidents will provide more insight into the goal of reducing the number of deer-human conflicts.

The decision to expand data collection was based on historical data collected by Whitehall Police and South Hills Animal Control.  As you can see, Whitehall Borough has consistently ranked #1 in the number of dead deer removed from the municipalities covered by South Hills Animal Control since 2017.  A majority of dead deer removals result from deer-related vehicle accidents that may or may not be reported to the police.

* Joined South Hills Animal Control 2018                            ** Joined South Hills Animal Control 2020

The full report from Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions is available in the Associated Document and Links listed below.

Associated Documents & Links

• Final Archery Report 2022-2023
• Deer Management FAQs
  
• Whitehall Resident Survey
• Human Wildlife Conflict Management
• Community Based Deer Management 
• Managing White-tailed Deer in the Suburbs