More hunting OK’d in township

By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
Two additional permits to be issued, but some say numbers show hunting isn’t achieving goals
   Despite a 37 percent drop in deer killed in the township by hunters last year — attributed to warmer weather and a bumper crop of acorns — the Township Committee unanimously approved a new Wildlife Management Plan adding two permits and one more parcel of land for local hunters, last week.
   ”We reviewed the past year’s deer hunt program and found it to be safe,” said Lt. Victor Kubisch, liaison to the Wildlife Management Commission, during a presentation at the June 10 committee meeting. “We have a 100 percent safety record.”
   Lt. Kubisch said that one of the biggest changes to the plan this year will be the issuance of two additional permits, increasing them from 50 to 52.
   ”Congratulations on a program that was safe and well thought out,” Mayor Anthony Ferrera said.
   In terms of trends over the past few years, Lt. Kubisch said 677 deer were harvested in the 2007-2008 season, compared to 1,070 the year before.
   One of the reasons for this drop between the two years, he said, was the unseasonably warm weather that lasted through the late fall.
   ”The weather was not conducive to deer hunting,” he said. “There was also a tremendous acorn crop in New Jersey, and the deer did not have to move to feed.”
   In addition, Lt. Kubisch said, the epidemic of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) throughout the state killed many deer bitten by a flea carrying the disease. He said that the disease, which does not affect humans, was responsible for killing up to 70 deer in one local area alone.
   ”The disease is fatal to deer,” he said. “And it ends when the frost kills the fleas carrying it.”
   For the coming year, Lt. Kubisch discussed several recommendations the commission has for maintaining safety throughout the deer-hunting season. Among other precautions, he said, they will continue replacing worn deer-crossing signs, trimming brush and providing tips on deer-resistant plants, among other nonlethal methods of managing the deer population in town.
   In his presentation, Lt. Kubisch detailed the number of deer killed by cars each year since 2004, explaining that the numbers relatively stayed the same with 333 killed in 2004, 333 in 2005, 330 in 2006 and 344 in 2007.
   From January until June 1, 2008, about 103 deer have been killed in vehicle accidents and marked for pickup.
   Rose Reina-Rosenbaum, former head of the Deer Control Commission, said that it is clear from these numbers that adding additional hunting sites is not decreasing the amount of deer being killed.
   ”Clearly adding hunting is not doing anything to reduce this, so why do they want it?” she said.
   Instead, Ms. Reina-Rosenbaum said, the township should invest in roadside reflectors, which have been proven to prevent accidents. She said the reflectors are installed on both sides of the road and, when drivers use their headlights, they shine on the reflectors and deter wildlife from crossing the road.
   ”The committee always says these are not cost-effective,” she said. “But they work. And you can get 100 percent funding from the federal Office of Highway Safety.”
   Ms. Reina-Rosenbaum said that Strieter-Lite in Illinois is one company that installs these reflectors. According to its Web site, she said, the installation of the equipment is eligible for 100 percent funding from the Federal Highway Administration, Highway Safety Improvement Program.
   As for the 2008-2009 hunting season, Lt. Kubisch said, the commission is planning to reduce the amount of available permits on a 25-acre area off Scott Drive from three to two, and increase available hunting parcels of land by adding an additional 13-acre area on South Branch Road for two permits for bow hunting.
   In addition, 26 acres will be added to a 28-acre area on Montgomery Road, with one additional permit added.
   In total, there will be 721 acres available for hunting, and 52 regular hunters permitted in the town.
   Aside from the hunting regulations, Lt. Kubisch said, the commission is planning to continue its work with Hunters Helping the Hungry, a nonprofit corporation, which collects deer killed by hunters through the Venison Food Bank Program. The venison is then sold to food banks around the state.
   During the 2007-2008 season, Lt. Kubisch said, the township donated 19 deer, equaling about 600 pounds of venison, through V. Roche and Son, the participating butcher in Whitehouse Station.
   In total, the township spent about $1,450 to send the venison, all of which came from the money paid by hunters for permits, which cost $75 each.
   ”The Hunters Helping the Hungry program is one very successful part of the program,” said Committeeman Bob Wagner at the meeting.
   Those looking to get a permit for the hunting season can pick up applications at the Municipal Building between July 1 and July 18. In order to apply for a permit, hunters must already be licensed, have $1 million in liability insurance and attend a mandatory training class. If they receive a permit, they are qualified to use it for two years after receipt, so long as they complete a survey at the end of the season, as well as mandatory application paperwork for the permit.
   Lt. Kubisch said Hillsborough residents will be eligible first for the permits, followed by those living in Somerset County, before the lottery is opened to those outside the county.
   ”We used to have some people outside of the county getting permits and they never used them,” he said.
   Applications will be available in the township clerk’s office in the Municipal Building, on South Branch Road. The lottery will be held Aug. 6 at 10 a.m.