Essex County held its annual deer hunt over 11 days in January and February Watch video
Hunters killed 139 deer during an 11-day hunt in January and February at two parks in Essex County.
Officials said the hunt, which sparked a protest by animal rights activists, resulted in 212 deer being “removed” from the population since the deer that were killed were carrying 73 fetuses.
Deer hunt protesters at South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, Jan. 20, 2018 The hunt began in January with five days at South Mountain Reservation, where 87 deer were killed.
It continued in February at Hilltop Reservation for six days, during which 52 deer were killed.
The last day of the hunt was Feb. 27.
Essex County has been holding a deer hunt for 11 years, separate from the state-run deer season running from September through February.
Supporters of the deer hunt, including Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., have cited several justifications — from stemming the rise of Lyme disease spread by deer ticks and preserving forest habitat, to reducing collisions with vehicles.
Sue Russell, director of wildlife policy for the Animal Protection League of N.J., countered in January that a better approach would be to rely on chemicals and vaccines to lower the rate of reproduction.
Her group organized the Jan. 20 protest.
Of the two hunting areas, the South Mountain Reservation covers 2,110 acres in Maplewood, Millburn and West Orange, while Hilltop Reservation is 284 acres in Cedar Grove, North Caldwell and Verona.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.