Abington board approves two controlled archery hunts in Alverthorpe Park

The Abington Township Board of Commissioners on Jan. 8 voted to permit two controlled archery hunts in Alverthorpe Park prior to the end of the current hunting season, a decision the board said is intended to reduce escalating deer-related safety complaints while staff work on a comprehensive management plan.

Deputy Chief Porter, who presented the recommended two-track approach, told commissioners the township has recorded a large rise in deer-related calls — he reported a 73% increase over five years (an 82% rise over six years) — and described concerns including vehicle collisions, damage to landscaping, loss of native vegetation and tick-borne disease risks. “Public safety is our number one concern,” Porter said during the presentation. He recommended a short-term controlled archery hunt in Alverthorpe Park on the last legal day of the season (the board discussed Jan. 24 as the target date) and the development of a township-wide program for later in the year.

Porter and other staff underscored that the proposal is archery-only, that hunters must be vetted and insured, and that hunting would take place from elevated tree stands with no firearms used. Porter described strict field protocols used in prior local hunts — including checking hunter licenses, counting arrows brought into and out of the woods, and ensuring compliance with Pennsylvania Game Commission regulations — and said hunters in the recommended group participate in “Hunters Sharing the Harvest,” a program that can donate harvested venison to local charities.

Commissioners pressed staff on safety and logistics: whether the park would be temporarily closed (Porter said residents near the park would be handed notice and the park would be temporarily closed to the public for the operation in the morning, with typical clear-out by early afternoon), whether police would provide perimeter security (staff confirmed police presence and park security would be provided), and how the township would avoid conflicts with nearby events held in the park. Porter said the township would hand-deliver notices to surrounding homes and also post the information through the township’s Everbridge notification system.

Several residents who addressed the board urged more public vetting before authorizing hunts and cited safety incidents elsewhere. A caller raised the recent shooting in neighboring Cheltenham to argue for caution; Deputy Chief Porter said the county incident is under investigation and that the local deer-management groups being considered follow strict protocols intended to prevent similar outcomes. “The idea is to manage the deer population,” Porter said, adding that non-lethal approaches can be logistically difficult and costly.

Vice President Matt Bahey moved to approve two controlled archery hunts in Alverthorpe Park prior to the end of the hunting season; the motion passed after at least one commissioner registered opposition (Commissioner Schreiber expressed a no vote). The board directed staff to return with a more comprehensive township-wide deer-management plan at a future meeting.

The vote authorizes a short-term, archery-only harvest under state hunting regulations and does not adopt a final, long-term program. The board and staff said they will continue public outreach, provide direct notifications to adjacent residents, and publish reports on outcomes and future recommendations when the comprehensive plan is brought back for consideration.