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USDA Wildlife Services will begin their extermination of the deer of Upper Dublin sometime this coming February, 2019 as the 2019 Budget passed containing funding for “deer management” of $19,000.

So far, the township spent $27,000 including the initial outlay of $8,000 in 2017 to survey our 13.2 square mile area for deer.  USDA.WS  determined we have 700 deer on our over developed township which means we have over 53 deer/sq. mile.  Where are these poor creatures hiding?  Why don’t we ever see more than 6 occasionally in areas?  

So then, with the $19,000 for 2019, $19,000 in 2018, and $8,000 in 2017, the township will spend  $46,000 to kill deer and fill USDA’s coffers.  There is no plan to end this killing and with no end in sight to spend township taxes on killing them.  The deer management people and USDA WS are intent on killing any and all deer, especially on private property.  They want to go on cemetery property which is illegal.  What will happen should a bullet ricochet into someone’s window?  It’s happened in other townships before.

This past season, USDA WS killed a total of 66 deer falling way short of the 85 deer expected to be shot by UD deer management.  2/3 killed were fawns and yearlings living peacefully on forested private properties that are now being developed with dense housing.

The USDA WS was paid over $12,400 plus about $6,600 paid “Stuff It” Taxidermy to process these animals costing taxpayers $287/deer and more like $409/deer when the initial outlay of $8,000 in 2017 for survey/estimation is added.  All of this violence is paid for by Upper Dublin taxpayers which begs the question, should taxpayers pay for killing deer as a perk to developers to build in the township that is already over 97% developed?  Also, is this what we want our kids to learn?

Just think that taking deer bodies intended for food to a shop whose main business is to preserve animal hides; think of the chemicals that preserve dead animals possibly permeating the lifeless deer who’s meat is then fed to Philabundance hunger relief organization’s 30% disadvantaged children, old people and prisoners.  Philabundance states that it is a proud member of Feeding America on a mission to make nutritious food accessible to all.  However, it is entirely possible they fed lead bullet contaminated meat making their good intentions a sham.

The commissioners nor police said anything about the lead bullet fragments possibly found in 60% of ground deer meat that is donated in accordance to PA Game Commission permit.  It is impossible to shoot every deer in the brain in the middle of the night. On BET private land, 12 fawns and yearlings and 2 adults were killed in one minute — this was an absolute massacre.

 Just because the Game Commission says the meat has to be donated, does it make it right?  Is donating contaminated deer meat to  disadvantaged children a moral thing to do?

         Archers killed 40 deer in 2017 – 2018 season with 40 archers taking credit which is only 5 more than the previous 2016 – 2017 archery season.

  • Total deer killed in 2018 is 106  even though USDA WS estimated 700 resident deer who go back and forth to other townships, because they don’t respect township lines.

.  Please call your commissioners right away to express your disapproval.  

.   Ask your commissioner to have speed limits on Limekiln Pike and Susquehanna Road reduced in addition to Dreshertown Road to be more in line with other adjacent townships.  Lowering speed limits should reduce deer/car collisions.

  • Bow hunting started this past September for 2018/2019.
  • Calls to police regarding deer related incidents are up — mainly because 6  open spaces have been expanded to 14 hunting spaces for 2017/18 season.  These areas are merely slivers of land from where deer escape any which way from the fear of the “predator” in the woods.
  • As per State Farm Insurance, when the deer are running for their lives because an archer on a tree stand is in the woods, they do not take their normal, proven pathways – they just run.  But the township blames car collisions on the deer instead of lowering speed limits.
  • Archery is a form of recreational hunting and not a way of reducing the deer herd.  “Making sport of killing is not healthy human behavior,” Jim Robertson.
  • If you see an unattended tree stand still up in our open spaces, please call Officer Madrak at 215) 646-2101 and let this page know.  Unattended tree stands are very dangerous for adults  and inquisitive children who just want to see what the world looks like at 15′ from the ground.
  • Four schools are either adjacent, across or near the 14 hunt approved open spaces.
  • Lethal reduction of deer, pushed by The Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society of PA, the PA Land Trust, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and others, drown out people who favor handling deer populations by non-lethal means.
  • Robbins Park, our nature center and a major exception to above, is run by wonderful people for our school children, and those who enjoy a walk in the woods.
  • At Robbins Park, children are taught to respect nature, natural places and animals they see.
  • But sadly, 2 deer were killed last year near 309 expressway in Robbins Park because deer go though this corridor.  Instead these corridors should remain open for deer to escape the township.  How can we teach children to love and respect wildlife and nature, when we allow our Township to destroy life in such a violent way?

What we believe

  • We want to raise residents’ awareness that lethal deer hunts occur in Upper Dublin.
  • We ask our commissioners to suspend the next deer hunt for one year Sept. 2017 to September 2018 to assess the deer population.
  • Hunting is inherently dangerous regarding our children, residents and hunters themselves.
  • Hunting scares deer to take any way out of harm and cause deer/car collisions.
  • Hunters represent only a tiny portion of Township residents and may not even be residents.
  • Current and near future Township over – developmental construction encourages deer to migrate away.
  • We want to engage our residents so they attend meetings with our commissioners.
  • We want to encourage non-lethal ways of handling our deer population.