County Park to be Closed While Deer Hunt Takes Place

Originally, certain trails were to remain open during the "deer management program" from Jan. 1 through Feb. 16. Now, after nearby residents expressed concerns about safety, the county will fully close the park during the hunt.

Editor's Note: The following news release was issued by the Mercer County administration. It is an update on an earlier news release, as well as a Letter to the Editor written by Lawrence Township resident Tony Singleton.  The Mercer County Park Commission will begin a deer management program at the Pole Farm section of Mercer Meadows. The program will run from Jan. 1 through Feb. 16, 2013, and deer will be harvested by bow only; no crossbows are permitted. Hunting will take place Monday through Wednesday and every other Saturday; on these days the park will be CLOSED to the public. Each entrance to the park will be posted with a 3-by-2-foot blaze orange sign that includes the dates of the hunt. This program is being initiated in response …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Deer Hunt in Park is 'Dangerous'

The writer is Lawrence Township resident Tony Singleton

I am a resident of Lawrence and am very concerned about allowing deer hunting in the Pole Farm which is connected to Mercer Meadows, Rosedale Park and joined to the new soccer field on the Lawrenceville-Pennington Road. There has never been legal hunting in this preserved land and the numbers of people using this property including bicyclists, horseback riders, walkers and runners have increased since the trail improvements by the county. The deer hunting idea is very dangerous and is a safety hazard regardless of what notices are posted given the multiple access points on Cold Soil Road, Keefe Road, Blackwell Road and Federal City Road. There is no apparent vetting of the hunters nor any apparent plan to post park rangers at all access …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

Deer Hunt to be Held in Pole Farm at Mercer Meadows

The "deer management program" will run from Jan. 1 through Feb. 16, 2013, at the county park in Lawrence and Hopewell townships. Only bow hunting will be allowed.

A "deer management program" will be conducted in the Pole Farm section of Mercer Meadows Park in Lawrence and Hopewell townships, the Mercer County Park Commission announced on Tuesday. The program will run from Jan. 1 through Feb. 16, 2013, and deer will be "harvested" by bow only, according to a county-issued news release. The majority of the trails in the park will be closed to the public on hunting days; however, the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail and Twin Pines Trail will remain open to the public. "There will be 150-foot safety zones along these two trails to ensure the safety of park users on hunting days," the news release said. Hunters interested in taking part in the program should visit the Mercer County Park Commission website at http…

•  5 Comments
• Photos (1)