McCandless looks to hunters to protect town’s trees from hungry deer

Applications to hunt on McCandless-owned property are available now that deer season is underway, and it’s just one of the efforts from the town to help curb the deer population.

A wildlife deer management presentation in McCandless on Sept. 30 addressed the problems related to too many deer and possible solutions, one of which is archery hunting.

Since 2021, the town has contracted with Suburban Whitetail Management to conduct a controlled archery hunt. Now, it’s also asking local hunters for help.

“Last year, we had archery hunters harvest about 60 deer on McCandless roads, which doesn’t include McKnight and (Route) 19, where over 160 deer were picked up. And that doesn’t include deer that ran back into the woods,” said resident Ken Allshouse, who is a member of the town’s Environmental Advisory Committee.

In September, the McCandless Police Department received 39 calls with Big Daddy Wildlife removing 27 deer, according to Chief Ryan Hawk’s monthly police report at the Sept. 13 council meeting.

“We’ve got a lot of deer running around,” Allshouse said.

Not only that, deer are impacting the tree population, according to Jeff Petro, who chairs the McCandless Environmental Advisory Committee.

A recent survey by the environmental nonprofit Tree Pittsburgh showed that from 2015 to 2020, McCandless lost 33,000 trees, due to various factors such as disease, removal by homeowners, building out such as McCandless Crossing or other reasons, including deer, according to Petro.

The EAC is focusing on regrowing the tree population in McCandless.

“We can’t retree the canvas without getting ahold of the deer overpopulation,” Petro said.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is responsible for managing wildlife, including deer, said Jeannine Fleegle, a wildlife biologist with the state agency, during the Sept. 30 meeting at Town Hall.

In the 1800s, the white-tailed deer, which is the state animal, was suffering. In 1895, the Game Commission was formed to address the low population of deer.

The repopulation of the animal is “probably our most successful conservation story we had in the state,” she said. “The pendulum seems like it has swung all the way to the other end.”

One of the problems is white-tailed deer are incredibly adaptable and can live anywhere from Downtown Pittsburgh to forests and suburban areas, she said.

“They get habituated to our activities every day. One of the things deer are good at is making more deer,” Fleegle said.

Deer typically have twins every spring. She reminds homeowners that deer are still wild animals and mothers will do anything to protect their fawns.

Deer also will eat anything, she said.

A ballpark estimate provided during Fleegle’s presentation showed a 50- to 60-pound deer consumes 3,600 calories per day. A 100-pound deer needs 6,300 calories and a 150-pound deer will eat 9,900 every day. This changes according to the season.

Deer tend to eat native plants instead of invasive and nonnative Japanese burberry, Japanese stilt grass and toxic native plant snakeroot, Allshouse said.

“Everything else has been basically wiped out,” he said.

Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, McCandless and Marshall all have ordinances that prohibit feeding deer. Bradford Woods has been using Suburban Whitetail Management since 2022. And Franklin Park allows in-house hunting.

Pennsylvania, unlike many other states, is lucky to have an abundance of hunters, which helps to control the population, Fleegle said.

Pennsylvania’s statewide archery deer season kicked off on Oct. 4 and runs through Nov. 21, then returns from Dec. 26 through Jan. 19, according to the Game Commission.

Fleegle suggests every community should have a goal or plan when attempting to control its deer population, whether it is to reduce vehicle collisions or property damage.

A deer management plan that everybody can follow is important, Fleegle said.

In McCandless, the EAC’s goal of revitalizing its tree canopy can be applied here, which is why Petro said the presentation was fundamental to this effort.

In addition to deer management, Petro wants to get the community involved in retreeing efforts. Plans include more tree giveaways, classes and community involvements and awareness, according to the council meeting.

“You’re never going to be done with deer management. Every year, you’re going to need to address it,” she said.

But effort levels should drop the more it is managed.

For more information about deer, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission at pa.gov/agencies/pgc.

Fleegle also recommends visiting Cornell University’s Community Deer Advisor page at deeradvisor.dnr.cornell.edu.

In the meantime, homeowners, especially those with 5 acres or more, can contact Suburban Whitetail Management to have archers hunt on their property by emailing suburbanwhitetailpa@gmail.com.

For those interested in hunting on town-owned property, a permission request form is available online at townofmccandless.org or by contacting the McCandless Police Department at 412-369-7992.