Lower Merion Deer Culling Begins Nov. 14

Deer culling in Lower Merion Township will take place from Nov. 14-19, during the height of when most vehicular accidents with deer occur, Lower Merion Police Superintendent Michael McGrath told the Board of Commissioners Police Committee on Wednesday night.

“We would like to get in excess of a hundred deer,” McGrath said of the goal of the program, which received the Board of Commissioners’ approval in May.

McGrath said the U. S. Department of Agriculture will be out culling deer from 9 p.m. until just before dawn, but “It’s unlikely you will even be aware of the presence of the team in your neighborhood.”

In the coming days, informational fliers will be sent out to residents who live in the vicinity of areas where deer culling will take place, McGrath said.

All of the meat from culled deer , as is required by the Game Commission permit, McGrath said.

The culling will take place during the height of when most vehicular accidents with deer occur.

PennDOT statistics show that nearly half of all reportable car crashes in the past five years that involved deer happened during the months of October and November, with about 77 percent taking place between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m., McGrath said.

Last year, there were 3,000 vehicular accidents involving deer statewide, resulting in 600 injuries and eight fatalities to motorists, McGrath said.

McGrath gave motorists tips for trying to avoid a deer crash:

• Motorists should slow down, especially in areas where deer crossing signs are posted.
• Keep in mind that deer often travel in herds. “So if you see one deer crossing the road, more may follow,” McGrath said.

If a motorist encounters a deer she should not swerve her vehicle, but instead slow down and brake, and use the car horn to scare the deer, according to a prepared statement about deer accidents which was released by AAA Mid Atlantic.

If a crash with a deer is unavoidable, AAA recommends that the motorist slow down and release his foot from the brake before impact, a measure which will raise the front end of the car during the crash and increase the likelihood that the animal will go underneath the vehicle instead of through the windshield, the AAA statement said.