Oakmont deer could be target of survey

Whitetail deer are on the minds of Oakmont officials.

During a recent council meeting, Councilwoman Debra Ormay floated the idea to make a survey available for residents to share whether there’s a deer issue in Oakmont. She said she has received a few complaints about the presence of deer and wants to use the survey to gauge the feelings of more residents.

Council President Nancy Ride said the survey could help determine whether the borough actually has a deer problem.

“To me, having a general survey asking ‘Have you ever hit them?’ ‘Have you almost hit them?’ How many people usually see deer would help us with that,” Ride said.

Should council authorize a survey, the questions could be circulated through the borough website, the community newsletter, social media and by passing out paper copies at community events, council members said.

Councilwoman Jamie Leonardi said she has heard complaints about deer eating people’s gardens and being in yards. In regard to management, she said people don’t want deer to be killed in an effort to control their population.

“I’m personally concerned about the ecological impact of deer disease transmission, on top of people complaining to me about their gardens,” she said. “There seems to be a big mixed opinion.”

Ride said the survey wouldn’t obligate the borough to take any action. Council will continue considering survey options and questions before making a decision.

“We just want to get a temperature,” Councilwoman Amanda Pagnotta said.

Deer management

According to PennDOT statistics, there were 1,578 vehicle crashes involving deer from 2020 to 2024 in Allegheny County. This number doesn’t necessarily mean a deer was hit. It also accounts for situations including when vehicles swerved to avoid a deer and hit something else. Of the accidents, 1,019 involved vehicles hitting deer.

If Oakmont pursues the plan, it would join other communities with deer management plans, including Fox Chapel, Ross, Mt. Lebanon and Pittsburgh, which began an archery-controlled deer management pilot program in 2023 in Frick and Riverview parks. Last year, the city expanded the program to include Schenley, Highland and Emerald View parks. In addition, sharpshooters killed deer in Frick and Riverview parks at night this year.

Mt. Lebanon created a plan in 2014 to decrease deer-vehicle accidents and address public concern about Lyme disease and the over-browsing of native vegetation. The township employs archers and sharpshooters to cull its deer herd.

To help curb deer overpopulation, people should not feed deer. Homeowners can plant deer-resistant plants, apply deer repellent to gardens and construct deer fences. They also can consult the Pennsylvania Game Commission for deer management regulation options for individual landowners.