Legislation aims to ease deer overcrowding by allowing Sunday hunting

Senators Jean Stanfield and Anthony Bucco introduced legislation to allow Sunday hunting on military bases to prevent the disruption of critical missions.

Senators Jean Stanfield and Anthony Bucco introduced legislation to allow Sunday hunting on military bases to prevent the disruption of critical missions. (SenateNJ.com)

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has experienced issues with overcrowding of deer population within its fences, which has caused issues with airfield safety and on-base vehicle safety.

“Protecting base missions is always something we need to be thinking about in the legislature. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is incredibly important to the South Jersey economy and the safety of our nation,” said Stanfield (R-8).

“They’ve expressed that the deer population is reaching difficult levels inside the base fences and there’s concern about aircraft-deer strikes. We believe allowing Sunday deer hunting on military installments will help ease their concerns, and it is something the Joint Base has asked for,” Stanfield continued.

Current law does not allow for hunting on Sundays in New Jersey. Stanfield and Bucco’s bill would authorize bow and arrow or firearm hunting on federal land subject to the approval of the federal military authority.

“The surging deer population across New Jersey is leading to more car strikes and increased risk for drivers and their passengers,” said Bucco (R-25). “This is an especially daunting problem for communities around military facilities like Picatinny Arsenal, which often have thousands of acres where deer can breed in large numbers. Giving our military facilities greater flexibility will lead to more effective deer management programs, fewer accidents, and safer roads for our families.”