Whether it’s an auto accident claim or a beautifully tended garden that’s been gnawed away, most McCandless residents already know that there’s a problem with too many deer roaming the community.

“Everyone loves to see the deer until one ends up on the hood of your car. It’s nice watching the fawns frolic in your yard until you realize that their mom just ate the garden,” said Ken Allshouse, a member of the town’s Environmental Advisory Council.

“We have 10 times more deer in Pennsylvania than when it was founded by William Penn, and suburban areas filled with shrubs and gardens have become a perfect habitat for them to thrive,” said Allshouse, who has a degree in forest science.

For much of the past year, Allshouse and planning commission member Dan Kortum have been collecting information to help council develop a deer management plan.

Allshouse and Kortum will present some of their findings during a Feb. 16 virtual presentation that will feature state Game Warden Madison Kyle and deer biologist Jeannine Fleegle.

Register online or call 412-366-8100, ext. 113, to sign up.

While commercial and residential development have contributed to the problem by shrinking natural habitat, the main culprit in the exploding deer population is the lack of natural predators.

“The deer population will double every three years without predators,” Allshouse said. “Right now, the only predators they have are archery hunters and vehicles.”

The rate at which deer can multiply is illustrated by an experiment cited by the state Game Commission: in 1927, researchers in Michigan placed six deer in an enclosure. By 1933, the number of deer in the herd grew to 160.

The preliminary deer management report notes that in 2019, there were about 200 vehicle crashes in the town involving deer resulting in about $800,000 in property damage.

Of the 868 residents who responded to a deer management survey conducted last year, 708, or 81%, said steps should be taken to curb the population, according to the report. The report noted that many respondents cited the risk of contracting Lyme Disease from the ticks deer carry as the reason a management program is needed.

Allshouse said an unchecked deer population can cause devastating damage to the environment.

“When we see deer out grazing in suburban areas, that means there’s no food in the woods,” he said. “Over time, they’ve eaten all the native plants and small trees, so we’re seeing fewer flowers, which in turn results in fewer birds and insects. It upsets the entire ecosystem.”

Also, when deer eat the smaller native vegetation, or “understory,” those plants often are replaced by invasive species such as knotweed and barberry.

While council will ultimately decide what type of program, if any, the town will adopt, experts say only a few methods have been successful — bans on feeding deer and controlled archery hunts.

When Ross Township was developing its deer management program, officials considered measures such as using birth control on deer or moving them to less populated regions.

But the Game Commission advised against using such methods.

Administering birth control is not considered practical and trying to relocate deer causes such a high level of stress among some of the animals that they suffer heart attacks and die, according to the state agency.

State game officials recommend that municipalities prohibit residents from feeding deer because it harms the animals.

Chronic Wasting Disease, a contagious condition that is fatal to deer, is spread through saliva. When a sick deer eats from a pile of food it becomes tainted and the disease spreads to healthy deer that eat from the pile.

Consuming food other than what is available naturally also can result in serious digestive problems for deer during certain times of the year, according to the game commission.

Deer also become habituated to eating from artificial food sources and stop searching for food in the wild, further risking their ability to survive.

Controlled hunts, such as the ones done by Ross, are typically organized by outside groups such as Wexford-based Suburban Whitetail Management.

McCandless council president Kim Zachary said the steps Ross took to develop its program, including using Suburban Whitetail for the organized hunts, could serve as a blueprint for the town’s program.

“I really like the route Ross took when they were developing their program,” she said. “I think the methodology they followed is something that can help guide us well.”

If the town follows the steps used in Ross, the first measure will be a feeding ban, which would be followed by an organized hunt on public land.

McCandless has gathered all its reports and related information about deer management on its new McCandless and Me interactive website, where a sighting map has been created to help identify pockets of deer.

If council agrees to allow an organized hunt, the map could help put archers where they are most needed, Zachary said.

While municipalities can permit hunters on public property, they cannot authorize it on private land.

But property owners can allow hunters on their land if they have enough space for it to be done legally even if the town doesn’t have a formal program.

Neighboring property owners also could agree to “pool” their land so when it is combined, it is large enough for hunting to take place.

The sighting map also could be used to match hunters with residents who want the deer removed from their properties but don’t know anybody who can do it, the council president said.

Zachary said if the other members of council support the feeding ban and organized hunt, she would like to see the program in place before the start of hunting season in the fall.

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