PITTSBURGH — Hunters removed nearly 200 deer from Pittsburgh parks this past season as part of the city’s Deer Management Program.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Program aimed at controlling deer population in Pittsburgh parks set to expand
Officials said archers harvested a total of 199 deer from Frick, Riverview, Schenley, Highland and Emerald View Parks in the 2024-2025 season.
The city started the cull in response to an increase in vehicle-deer crashes and over-eating of native plants.
“In consultation with our partners at the USDA, we have decided to introduce a pilot targeted harvesting program in the hopes of shrinking our deer population,” said Lee Schmidt, Director of Pittsburgh Public Safety. “We are grateful to the USDA for their continued expertise and guidance as we expand our program to ensure a healthy deer population in Pittsburgh.”
92 of those deer were donated to local food banks.
More than 3,680 pounds of venison provided nearly 15,000 meals, Pittsburgh officials said.
Zero public safety incidents resulted from the program, officials said.
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