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Montgomery committee hears deer-management survey showing 3,017 deer; panel moves to tighten antlerless harvest requirement
Summary
Township staff and the Wildlife Committee presented a community-based deer management program and a drone-based population survey estimating 3,017 deer (93 per square mile). The committee adopted an amendment returning the program quota to prioritize antlerless harvests and approved budget insertions to support program work.
Lauren Waselowski, the township's open space and stewardship director, and Jamie McQuade, chair of the Wildlife Committee, presented the township's deer-management program and results from a recent thermal aerial survey.
"This is Jamie McQuade. I'm the chair," McQuade said as he summarized program practices and harvest trends. He told the committee the Raritan Valley Community College survey counted 3,017 deer across the township, a density of about 93 deer per square mile, and that the township's annual municipal harvest averages roughly 217 deer. Waselowski framed the program around three goals: public health (including tick-borne disease), public safety and forest protection.
The presenters reviewed safeguards for municipal hunters (annual safety orientation, $1,000,000 insurance requirement, background checks, on-site coordination with police and a pre-hunt call-in system) and said the program has had no incidents tied to its hunters. McQuade cited longer-term harvest figures: about 2,180 deer taken over the last decade with the municipal program historically emphasizing antlerless harvests to curb population growth.
Committee members praised the program's professionalism and asked staff to keep outreach active for residents who may be unfamiliar with hunting activity near their properties. Staff said they send letters to property owners within 500 feet of municipal parcels and will post information on the township website and in an e-bulletin.
The committee then moved forward with Resolution 25-9-267 to amend the deer-management regulation (revise minimum harvest requirements for 2025–26). That resolution was adopted by roll call. Presenters also described operational upgrades: digitizing harvest reporting and end-of-year surveys via GovPilot and applying for continued NJDEP community-based deer-management grant funding in 2026.
Why it matters: the presentation tied population data, harvest strategy and resident outreach to public-safety and public-health goals — including potential reductions in deer-vehicle collisions and monitoring Lyme-disease trends — and it set program rules for the coming season.
What's next: staff said they will apply for a 2026 community-based deer-management grant, proceed with the digital reporting rollout this fall and post more information on the township website for residents.
