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N.J. County's Deer Hunt Has Residents Up In Arms

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By REBECCA SANTANA, The Associated Press

Published: January 30, 2008

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. - On a hilltop with breathtaking views of New York's skyscrapers, sharpshooters perched in trees took aim Tuesday at white-tailed deer, a species that is being crowded out of one of the country's most densely populated areas.

The problem is common enough in New Jersey's suburbs, as it is in other communities that have brought in professionals to thin the herd: When their numbers get too great, the gentle animals destroy the forest, spread Lyme disease and pose a hazard for drivers.

Perhaps nowhere else, however, have the hired guns been so close to so many people as they are on the South Mountain Reservation, a nature preserve that borders hundreds of high-priced homes.

"I could come out on my deck and get shot," said Sharon McClenton, a 42-year-old teacher whose property in West Orange abuts the preserve.

Officials and many other residents insist, to the consternation of animal rights activists, that the hunt is necessary.

"There are, clearly, too many deer for this environment to handle," said Michael Jaffe, 65, who normally walks through the reservation with his dog, Charlie.

On Tuesday morning, the two were forced to stroll the side streets bordering the scenic preserve because it was closed for Essex County's first deer hunt.

The 10-day hunt will take place each Tuesday and Thursday through Feb. 28. Up to a dozen specially trained hunters at a time will be positioned in trees throughout the roughly 3-square-mile preserve, an oasis of woodlands, streams and trails.

The territory is surrounded by a sea of upscale, suburban towns where the architecture is a mix of colonials, Tudor-style, and Queen Anne-style houses and mansions situated on tree-filled lots - many of which have backyards looking into the reservation.

The preserve can sustain about 60 deer, but an estimated 300 to 400 were living there. The goal is to kill about 150.

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