Deer have been wandering onto Oakmont’s Main Street and darting across a trail between the upper and lower boulevard for years, and now the borough is turning to bow hunters to thin the herd. The archery phase of Oakmont’s deer management program could start as early as Thursday, and residents are sharply divided over whether vetted hunters belong in local parks at all.
According to WTAE, Oakmont Borough Manager Scot Fodi said deer have caused various issues over the years and have repeatedly interacted with people and domestic pets, even as the number of traffic accidents involving deer has stayed low. Fodi said the exact deer population is unknown because the animals are transient, moving in and out of the borough rather than staying put. Residents have been reporting deer-related conflicts for four or five years, per the same report, with the animals congregating in Oakmont streets every night at dusk and nearly getting struck by cars in the morning.
Not everyone is on board. Lisa Reilly criticized the program’s approach, and the station reports that her son, Sean Reilly, opposed the plan outright. Lisa Reilly questioned how the borough can claim to be reducing the deer population without an established baseline count, a tension that cuts to the heart of the skepticism surrounding the effort. Dozens of residents have signed an online petition calling for the program to be stopped, the station’s report notes.
Supporters See an Overdue Fix
Not all reaction has been negative. Frank Ledonne told the station he supports the deer management program and believes the animals are overpopulated in Oakmont, echoing concerns Fodi has raised about the herd’s impact on daily life in the borough…