Peters Township Deer Management Program

Description of Program

The Peters Township Deer Management Program consists of an Archery Program and Sharpshooter Program.  The success of both programs depend on the collaboration with the Peters Township community and the ability to utilize deer management strategies in areas with the highest rates of deer-related vehicle accidents.  The Peters Township Police Department is seeking residents to apply as archers and those willing to donate their property for both the archery program and/or sharpshooter program. 

Archery Program

In 2007, the Peters Township Council authorized the development of a deer management archery program. The primary goal of this program was to utilize managed archery hunting as a means to reduce deer-related vehicle accidents while also addressing resident complaints of damage to residential landscaping.

The Peters Township Police Department oversees the archery hunt which takes place during the established hunting season(s) each year. The Peters Township Police Department screens volunteer hunters to participate in the program. Authorized hunters are assigned designated hunting areas throughout the municipality. The managed archery hunt is conducted on both township owned and privately owned properties. Township owned properties include Peters Lake Park, Peterswood Park, Elm Grove Park, Rolling Hills Park, and Rees Park.

Residents Interested in Participating as an Archer

Individuals that are interested in participating as archers in this program are encouraged to apply.   It is important to note, the number of participants permitted into the archery program is limited based on the number of available hunting locations in the program.

Residents Interested in Allowing Police Department to Use Their Property for Archery Hunting

Property owners that are interested in participating in this program are encouraged to apply.

  • Send an e-mail of interest to DeerManagement@peterstownship.com.  Include your property address, description of property, and your contact information.    OR
  • Call the Peters Township Police Department at 724-942-5030 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8AM - 4PM)

Sharpshooting Program

Residents are NOT permitted to feed deer during the duration of the sharpshooter program, which generally occurs between February 1st and March 31st each year.

Based on the changing composition of the community, the municipality deemed it necessary to adapt the deer management approach to achieve the goals established at the program’s inception. The continually changing dynamic of the municipality required adaptive deer management resources and the implementation of new deer management techniques to address this issue.

On December 20, 2021, Peters Township Council authorized the expansion of the deer management program to include a controlled sharpshooting program.  The program is conducted by members of the Peters Township Police Department who are also certified by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.  Sharpshooting takes place primarily in February and march on both privately owned and public property throughout the municipality and is primarily conducted in specific areas with the highest rates of deer-related vehicle accidents.

During the initial year of the sharpshooting program, members of the Peters Township Police Department safely removed 125 deer from the community.  The 2022-2023 program yielded 250 deer.

Residents Interested in Allowing Police Department to Use Their Property for the Sharpshooting Program

Property owners that are interested in participating in this program are encouraged to apply.

  • Send an e-mail of interest to DeerManagement@peterstownship.com. Include your property address, description of property, and your contact information.    OR
  • Call the Peters Township Police Department at 724-942-5030 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8AM - 4PM)

Assessment of Current Deer Management Practices  

The Peters Township Police Department  collects and evaluates data related to the Peters Township Deer Management Program. Data collection began during the 2008-2009 hunting season. This data includes both the number of deer harvested during the managed archery hunting program as well as the number of deer-related vehicle accidents in the municipality. Deer-related vehicle accident data is obtained by utilizing both reported incidents to police as well numbers of deceased deer located on or near a roadway.

In 2009, the first year after the implementation of the township-wide managed archery hunting program, 74 deer-related vehicle accidents occurred in the municipality. During the following years, data indicated a downward trend to an eventual low of 40 deer-related vehicle accidents in 2012.

The municipality continued managed archery hunting, however, following the 2012-2013 hunting season deer-related vehicle accidents began trending upward. Presumably, this was a result of both a decline in available deer habitat as well as increased vehicular traffic due to expanded residential and commercial development. This upward trend continued to an eventual high of 94 deer-related vehicle accidents in 2021.

After assessing data collected throughout the course of the program, it was determined that managed archery hunting alone was ineffective at maintaining a reduced number of deer-related vehicle accidents in the municipality.

In 2022, after the initial year of sharpshooting, the Peters Township Police Department responded to 85 deer-related vehicle accidents.  This represents a 9.6% decrease from the previous year.

Measurable Objectives

Based on the composition of Peters Township, historical data collection, and our review of similar programs, the measurable objective is now to stop the upward trend of deer-related vehicle accidents and reduce this number to under 65 per year over the next 5 years. This represents an approximately 31% decrease from the historical high of 94 in 2021.

Questions?

Contact the Peters Township Police Department at (724) 942-5030 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8AM - 4PM) and ask to speak with a program coordinator.