NEWS
MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
COURT HOUSE, NORRISTOWN, PA, BOX 311, 19404-0311
PHONE (610) 278-3061 FAX 278-5943
COMMISSIONERS:
THOMAS JAY ELLIS, ESQ. Chairman, JAMES R. MATTHEWS, RUTH S. DAMSKER
RELEASE: IMMEDIATELY 11/19/07 PR#07-07
Deer Hunt Set for Norristown Farm Park
NORRISTOWN — The Montgomery County Parks and Heritage Services Department plans to conduct a one-day regulated deer hunt at the Norristown Farm Park on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008.
This regulated hunt will only target female deer (does), or antlerless deer.
It is being conducted in consultation with and at the recommendation of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Norristown Farm Park Advisory Committee.
This hunt has been modeled after other successful deer reduction hunts in Montgomery County’s Lorimer Park, Tyler State Park in Bucks County and Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County.
For increased safety reasons, the hunt will be conducted with shotguns using single-slug loads. Shotguns using slug loads have a limited range, similar to bow-and-arrow hunting, but they have more stopping power to reduce the number of wounded deer that might flee into traffic on busy roads surrounding the Farm Park.
The Farm Park will be closed the day of the hunt, January 23, 2008. The hunt will be well publicized through the media and signs throughout the park prior to this date. There will be increased security throughout the park on this date as well to keep anyone who is not participating in the hunt from entering.
The overpopulation of deer has wreaked havoc on the ecosystem at the Farm Park, totally denuding wooded tracts of vegetation up to a level of five feet.
The Montgomery County Parks and Heritage Services Department will be advertising a lottery to choose hunters for this event. Hunter applications will be available at the Park Office of the Norristown Farm Park. The applications may only be picked up from the Park Office from December 3, 2007 to December 7, 2007, from 9 AM until 4 PM daily, to be returned by Friday, December 7, 2007 by 4:00 PM. Applications will not be accepted after this date/time. Please include a self–addressed, stamped envelope with your application. The application period is open for 5 days.
Hunters MUST possess a valid 2007-2008 PA Hunting License and MUST possess antlerless deer tag (s) from Wildlife Management Unit #5C to participate in this hunt.
For more information, please contact the Farm Park Office at 610.270.0215 or e-mail the Norristown Farm Park at
jlarsen@montcopa.org.
