Kristen Linfante wants to have deer culling as a line item in the budget. That translates to a tax increase, Folks. Estimates of $125,000 spent annually on deer culling is realistic, considering deer culling can cost up to $500 per deer. There are no grants available for deer culling; however money is available for deer sterilization. As Matt Santoni wrote in the Trib article, neighboring communities want no part of deer culling.
Fraasch said she is working with representatives from Scott, Green Tree, Castle Shannon, Baldwin Township, Whitehall and Bethel Park to create a task force that would tackle deer sterilization.Police or Animal Control received nearly 300 calls involving deer, which include neighbors calling about deer sightings, some involving the same deer going through the yards of the same neighborhood.
Mt. Lebanon's solicitor drafted a memorandum of understanding for each community's government to consider. Those that sign on can explore pooling funds or seeking grants, Fraasch said.
“This task force is not for anything but sterilization,” Fraasch said. “The other communities are not in favor of a cull; they're all too densely developed.”
Between July 1, 2013, and Sept. 17, police or animal control received nearly 300 calls involving deer, Mt. Lebanon police Deputy Chief Aaron Lauth said. Of those, 46 involved people in vehicles striking, being struck by or swerving to avoid deer; three of those resulted in injuries, Lauth said.
Yes, there were three injuries as a result of hitting or swerving to avoid hitting a deer. One of those injuries was of a child hitting a curb while on a scooter.
Are there any areas in Mt. Lebanon where the speed limit exceeds 35 mph? If the field of vision is increased by clearing brush or bushes close to the roads, as recommended by the deer consultants, collisions would be reduced even more - giving drivers more time to react to deer crossing roads. The expert brought this up during the commission discussion session. The expert also noted again that the ordinance against feeding deer also plays a key role in reducing deer populations.
People who are pro-culling should be aware of the dangers every time a gun is fired. Bullets can ricochet, deer may not drop with one bullet and sharpshooters will continue to shoot at the deer, even if there is no safe backdrop. So the deer killed next to my house could have been running toward me and those bullets could have gone through my vinyl siding. See the red car in the photo below? There were deer killed in the area in front of the vehicle, a stone's throw away from my deck.
Lebo Citizens, do you want this to happen in your neighborhoods? How do you explain the sound of gun shots to your children? How about the sound of deer gasping for their last breaths? Do you want sharpshooters baiting your yards with apples to lure deer so that weeks later, if the sharpshooters happen to be in the neighborhood at the time deer show up to feed? The sharpshooters would be shooting at night, when deer tend to bed down and not feed on apples. Do you want the bait to bring even more deer to your yards? Consider what rotting apples do to deer's digestive systems. Think about what Kristen Linfante wants to do in Mt. Lebanon. Think about how other communities understand how dangerous it is to hunt in our densely populated neighborhoods. Is the answer to kill in large parks? Trucks need to have access to the killing fields. So baiting would be done close to roads, increasing the odds for accidents, both vehicular and fatalities.
Be careful what you wish for, Lebo Citizens. It didn't work before. Why would it work this time? Kristen Linfante asks the question, "How many people are going to get killed?" Yes, Kristen, how many people are going to get killed when we have a deer culling in our community? I pray for none, but why take the risk, Kristen?
Update September 25, 2014 9:41 PM How is this for slanted journalism? Mt. Lebanon ponders how to control deer population Harry Funk, you're a real nice guy, but you neglected to share the count from March 2014.
The aerial survey results for 2014 are here. This year's results are flawed, according to Kristen.
Update September 25, 2014 9:41 PM How is this for slanted journalism? Mt. Lebanon ponders how to control deer population Harry Funk, you're a real nice guy, but you neglected to share the count from March 2014.
A survey that Mt. Lebanon conducted in March 2013 counted 342 deer within its boundaries.The aerial survey results for 2013 are here. Last year's results were credible, according to Kristen.
The aerial survey results for 2014 are here. This year's results are flawed, according to Kristen.
Update September 27, 2014 8:20 AM Hunter's bullet hits 5-day-old boy in head
Video Transcript: A JUDGE WOULD S WELL. ASHLIE HARDWAY, PITTSBURGH'S 4. A BABY BOY JUST FIVE DAYS OLD FIGHS FIRED INTO HIS HOME AND THE INFANT IS HIT IN THE HEAD. TONIGHT WE ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHERE THE SHOT CAME FROM. PI WHERE THE BABY IS TONIGHT. R THAT LITTLE BOY IS HERE IN CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AND ACCORDING TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY FROM INDIANA COUNTY, HE DID GO THROUGH SOME SURGERY EARLIER TODAY AND IS NOW IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AFTER BEING SHOT WHILE IN HIS OWN HOME IN HIS FATHER'S ARM IT'S SAD. REPORTEEN UNEXPECTEDLY AND IN AN INSTANCE. THE BULLET THAT BURST THROUGH THIS WINDOW AND HIT AN INFANT INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE LIKELY CAME FROM JOE BOSH'S FARM. CAN'T BELIEVE THE SHELL WENT THERE. REPORTER: BOSH SAYS HIS SON-IN-LAW W TRIGGER. HE WAS HUNTING WHERE HE FIRED THE SHOT THAT WENT 300 YARDS AND HIT THE BABY BOY WHILE INSIDE HIS HOME IN HIS FATHER'S ARMS. THE FATHER WAS HOLDING THE SAME LIVING AREA. MOM WAS PREPARING DINNER. WHEN DAD HEARD A BANG, FELT THE CHILD'S HEAD SNAP. DAD GOT GRAZED BY THE BULLE HEAD. SO FAR IT LOOKS LIKE A ACCIDENT, BUT IT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION A FARMER AND SAYS THE ALLOWED TO LET PEOPLE HUNT OUT OF SEASON AND THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE DOING WHEN THE BABY WAS SHOT. THEY SEEN A DEER AND THEY FIRED. THEY SAID THEY SAW THE DIRT FLYING IN THE GROUND. CAN'T TELL. MIGHT HAVE RICOCHETTED. REPORTER: WHILE THIS INVESTIGATION IS CONTINUING, EVER IS AWAITING WORD ON WHETHER THIS BABY BOY WILL MAKE IT.
Update September 27, 2014 9:16 AM MORE THAN 300 YARDS AWAY!
How many people will the deer kill before we do something????
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, how many have they killed in the last, I don't know, 15 years? Zero!
My question exactly 5:29.
ReplyDeleteIn her theatrical rant did Linfante once give precise numbers for the number of people killed in deer related accidents in Mt. Lebanon?
The number of people injured and the extent of their injuries?
Three injuries, one involving a kid on a scooter, which could have just as easily happened due to a slippery wet brick street or wet leaves in the road and she's ready to put an annual line item in tbe budget for deer culling.
How many joggers have gotten injured tripping on broken sidewalks or because they were running in the streets to avoid them, Madame President?
The deer are traffic calming with a soul. The myth is that Mt. Lebanon will be safer without them.
ReplyDeleteWe've had a significant number of suicides, a number of pedestrians killed & injured by cars, a number of accidental deaths but no one has been killed by a deer here. Fear monger is correct !
ReplyDeleteKill a few deer by culling and it only entices migrating deer to take their places at the banquet table.
What has USC accomplished in over 10 years of culling ? The last time we had culling the promised "sharpshooters" were not available and were replaced by USDA staff, without our notification and approval, who drove around shooting from the back of pick-up trucks. Ask Dan Miller about that!
How many people, including children, have been injured playing lacrosse, soccer, football and baseball, madame President?
ReplyDeleteHow many concussions, torn ligaments, sprains and split lips have occured on our fields. Its only a matter of time that someone dies from a sports related activity , right Kristen?
MayBe we should start culling recreation directors, coaches and SAB members, Kristen.
That's sarcasm, madam, don't get your knickers in a twist.
The deer are a problem and culling would not be such a bad idea. I took my dogs out at night, unbeknownst to me, there were 7 deer in my front yard. The dogs are young, me - not so much. They went after the deer and pulled me over. My ankle was broken.
ReplyDeleteI have taken tics off the dogs and I worry every time I take them out.
A controlled cull would not worry me, citizens should be notified when the sharpshooters would be in the area. You can arrange to not be home, or be safely inside. The meat could be donated to the food banks.
I wonder if all of the anti cull people who are worried about the deer and their last breath, eat beef, pork etc?
6:57 maybe instead of those that don't want sharpshooters firing rifles around their neighbor and having to vacate their homes, you take a few extra seconds to look out your window and then make some racket as you exit your house.
ReplyDeleteDeer are timid if you blew a whistle or rattled something metallic they'd probably scatter.
I'd suggest if you can't restrain your dogs maybe you shouldn't have them. If they bolted after a young child and caused you to twist your ankle would it be the child's fault?
6:57, I eat beef, pork, chicken, salmon and lobster too. I have no issue with hunting or people eating venison. Do you have a point?
6:57, PetSmart sells a multitude of flea & tick sprays, collars and pills to relieve you of your tick concerns. They start at $19 and go up.
ReplyDeleteHave we taken care of your deer issues?
6:57 PM, I guess you didn't read the prior posts about deer culling. The food was not donated to food banks. If anyone in your family is a hunter, you will know that the food bank appreciates the offer, but they will not accept the meat. They can't be sure that it was processed safely. Also, there may be lead in the meat.
ReplyDeleteThe sharpshooters will not give you notice as to when they will be in the area. The police were only given a half hour notice. if a resident called 911 because they heard gun shots, the police would have been notified that there would be gun shots in the area. now, if someone would happen to go on a shooting spree at the same time sharpshooters were in the area, the police would have to decide what to do in that case. I begged for that information so that I could be out of the house,but they wouldn't share it for fear I would be staging a protest. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I would be in bed terrorized for five nights a week, from November through April. I was not safe in my house because the sharpshooters were right outside my window in my vinyl siding addition. One time,I let my dog outside to go to the bathroom before I went to bed and saw a guy getting ready to shoot. The letter that I had written to Kristen described how I would have to move away or sleep in my basement for months at a time. She, of course, was heartless.
Now, let's talk about ticks. Did you know that rats and squirrels carry ticks? You may not be aware of this, but Mt. Lebanon has a serious rat problem. Kill ALL the deer and we will still have ticks.
And finally, the comment about deer gasping for air has nothing to do with eating beef, pork, etc. it has to do with subjecting young children to a horrific sight and worse, having them wake up to the sound of gun shots is not something our children should experience. You see, the deer culling started after 9 PM and went until 6 AM. How many children are still up at 9 PM?
Do you know how many people were outside walking their dogs during those hours and were faced with sharpshooters? I can't give you an exact number, but I was aware of people walking their dogs in the evenings or at 5:30 AM only to see the pick up truck with the sharpshooters standing in the back and taking aim with their night vision, which turned out to be a damn flash light.
You can say anything you want right now, but until you have lived it, you will understand the terror of having people killing animals that weigh more than you.
Elaine
6:57, I wonder, since you relish the idea of turning MTL into a shooting gallery, where do you stand on gun control, gun-toting teachers and the HS rifle range?
ReplyDeleteThat's really bright.
ReplyDeleteI suppose they'll pay $1000 to sterilize a doe, then shoot her the following week.
No, I asked about that, 9:06 PM. They would shoot first, then sterilize the remaining does. The grants come from the sterilization portion; no grants are available for killing deer.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Yeah, sure these "deer are cause mayhem, death and destruction" are many of the same people that exceed speed limits, rat race through our neighborhoods, blow stop signs, speed through school zones, make u-turns in school drop-offs and text while driving.
ReplyDeleteYeah the deer are killing people on our roads... sure.
I support data-driven decision making that prevents death, disease and injury in Mt Lebanon.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'd like to see the number of calls the MLPD has received on motor vehicle related issues (see below for examples)*.
Then I'd like to review the data on calls related
drugs, alcohol, assault, battery, harassment, PFAs, and suicide for starters. These matters are no less important.
Of course, I'd put all those calls and reports in context by examining the call data on deer.
We just need a decent analysis of the severity of these threats and incidences, along with the likelihood of injuries and deaths from them before we create a yearly line-item and sponsor a cull.
*Examples of motorist behaviors sometimes, just sometimes, observed in MTL:
speeding, running red lights, failing to stop at crosswalks when needed, verbal street harassment, driving the wrong way on one-way streets, DUIs, fleeing the scene of a crash, failure to recognize school zones, blowing off stop signs, and serious injury to pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists
11:02, please add "texting while driving" to your list of motorist behaviors. I see that a lot in Mt. Lebanon.
ReplyDeleteNick M.
I have deer in my back yard and the hill behind my house almost monthly since I moved here in 2003. I've even had deer laying down in front of me 1 yard away from my side porch. They sit and chew their cud peacefully while I sit and relax. They are not aggressive. We coexist side by side. Other deer eat my roses, I get after them with my hose. They move on. No problems. They are not aggressive, either. We have learned to get along peacefully. I've have observed deer giving birth and watched the baby and mother recover. I have lived here over 30 years. Only 1 time deer jumped over my car when I was going to work in the early 80's . What is the damn problem? Kristen- you keep trying to spend taxpayers money! Get your butt to counseling and GROW UP!
ReplyDeleteWe just returned from our daily walk and now for a week a male deer with a coat rack on each side of his head has made threatening movement towards us. This is crazy! The deer need to be controlled! We have had several cars damaged by deer jumping on them. Thankfully our camera caught them in the act so our insurance paid. We've given up on a garden as it only fed the deer. My poor neighbor keeps trying and all she gets is a knocked down fence and crewed up plants. We have to take our "old man" poodle to the vet because he got Lyme disease from the ticks. Does he have any "Animal Rights"? I know to some humans don't.
ReplyDelete11:02 another data point needed is an accurate count of the number of hours our fields are in use.
ReplyDeleteI drive by Mellon and Cedar on sunny Saturday and Sunday afternoons and no one is on them.
But that is an analyst never done for another topic.
Let's think about your comment, 1:21 AM. Your male deer with a coat rack on each side of his head would still be here after Kristen's plan to "control" the deer. Sorry to be snarky, but it does sound so much more civilized to say "control" rather than "kill." 1:21 AM, your male deer with the matching coat racks will be safe because we'll be killing the females.
ReplyDeleteTicks are a complicated issue. "Eliminating or drastically reducing the deer population has little or no effect on the disease, because the tick has many other suitable hosts, which include over 40 bird species and all mammals."
"The incidence of Lyme disease is determined by white footed mice and tick population density rather than by deer. (Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2001 Summer;1(2):129-38)"
WildlifeEducationCoalition.org RESOLVING HUMAN-DEER CONFLICTS THROUGH EDUCATION
I know this isn't what you want to hear, but Kristen's plan to "control" deer will have little impact on the tick population.
This is why the wildlife expert said that education would be very important in Mt. Lebanon.
It would be tragic, not to mention costly, to kill those 196 deer (using the March 2014 survey numbers) only to have ticks remain. In that same link, please read Why Hunting Won’t Reduce Human Risk of Lyme Disease
by Laura Simon Field Director, The Humane Society of the United States. Laura Simon came to Mt. Lebanon, but Kristen Linfante chose to ignore this wildlife expert. Laura is not in the deer culling business, while J. Merlin Benner and Tony DiNicola are. I tried to explain that to Kristen, but she was too busy insulting me to listen.
Unfortunately, 1:21 AM, I suggest that you continue carrying your car insurance and try taking a proactive approach with your pets. My dog is on Frontline Plus. I hope that helps you.
Elaine
WPXI reported two hours ago
ReplyDeletehttp://m.wpxi.com/news/news/5-day-old-baby-accidentally-shot-hunter-indiana-co/nhWKh/
SAFE INSIDE HIS HOME
3:53 AM, I just read your comment. Please stay on topic. This isn't about ball fields. It is about deer culling.
ReplyDeleteElaine
1:21 and 6:57 why don't the two of you take a ride up to Indiana County and tell the father of the five day old how much safer he'll be if you guys/girls (must be gender neutral) come in and cull (shoot) some more deer!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDelete1:21 and 6:57 why don't the two of you take a ride up to Indiana County and tell the father of the five day old how much safer he'll be if you guys/girls (must be gender neutral) come in and cull (shoot) some more deer!
September 26, 2014 at 8:28 AM
I TOTALLY AGREE. We need to understand that this planet is ours to share. We need to stop killing animals. Period. It's nice to know that there are like-minded people in Mt Lebanon that are in favor of an across-the-board hunting ban! Stop the slaughter!
Elaine, 3:53 here. I wasn't to change topics. Instead the comment was made to illustrate how our commissioners use the same M.O. to sell their initiative of the day.
ReplyDeleteWith turf, they claim that kids are left wanting for places to play sports even though fields are sitting vacant.
We have a claim that an additional day, weekly of recycling pick-up is going to do--- something--- I can't figure out what. Maybe if it goes in, we're suppose to run out and buy more things in glass and aluminim cans to fill up our recycling bin for that extra pick-up.
With deer, we have claims that there is death and destruction, rape and pillaging being perpetrated by these herds of wild deer.
Hide the women and children! Lock your doors, shutter the windows!
That poor resident whosedogs chased after some deer could have been dragged to their death!
Oh the humanity! Oh the poor left out athletes! Oh those poor cans and bottles just waiting to be picked up.
8:28 isn't advocating for a ban on hunting or that we all become vegetarians.
ReplyDeleteRather pointing out that firing hunting rifles in a densely populated community isn't such a good idea.
There are reasons why we have municiple regulations that forbide shooting any type of weapon from bows and arrows to rifles within our borders.
Here's is a father believing he and his son were safe within their own home and it wasn't. Yet 6:57 advises here that everything will be fine if you stay inside your home during a cull.
I hope Linfante and 6:57 ever have to apologize if someone gets wounded or killed by a stray bullet from a cull.
Update on the poor baby. Infant hit by bullet more seriously injured than first thought
ReplyDeleteElaine
That is sad. Hope Linfante wakes up and reconsiders her plan to shoot deer in a densely populated "built-out" community.
ReplyDeleteOnce a bullet leaves a gun barrel commissioner, you can't take it back and accidents do happen.
Residents precious flower beds can be replanted. some father's newborn can't.
Wake up to what is important.
I am trying to find out the infant's condition after being shot in the head while in his father's arms by a bullet fired 300 YARDS away from his home. I updated this post with a report from WTAE where they said he was fighting for his life. The bullet entered his skull and out his eye socket. The bullet then grazed his father.
ReplyDeleteThe last time we had biologists, not sharpshooters, firing guns in Mt. Lebanon, bullets were flying in areas that were just feet away from people's homes. Watching the video, the bullet went through a window. It doesn't matter that I sleep in a vinyl siding addition. We're ALL at risk.
Elaine
Elaine can the people who signed the petition to cull deer be sued?
ReplyDelete9:20 AM, anyone can be sued over any issue. Will the judge throw it out? Who knows? If something happened during a deer culling here in Mt. Lebanon, I would sue anyone remotely connected to the decision to cull.
ReplyDeleteI added another update to this post. It is a copy of the email I sent to the commissioners, Steve Feller, Tom Kelley, and Solicitor Phil Weis.
Elaine
Drop the idea of shooting deer in Mt. Lebanon. "It's for the childen!"
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the same sing-song we use for everything in the bubble.
If someone is going to die in a deer/vehicle collision it will partially be due to them panicking, excessive speed, lack of attention or DUI. Probably all of the above.
There is nowhere in the bubble where you can exceed 35 mph.
Slow down, keep your eyes on the road and don't panic.
6:57, still no concerns about a controlled cull?
ReplyDelete"A controlled cull would not worry me, citizens should be notified when the sharpshooters would be in the area. You can arrange to not be home, or be safely inside. The meat could be donated to the food banks.
I wonder if all of the anti cull people who are worried about the deer and their last breath, eat beef, pork etc?"
The Indiana family were "safely" inside their own home.
So you got two things wrong in your comment.
One, isn't safe inside from a bullet of sufficient caliber to take down a deer on the first shot and
Two, the Food Bank doesn't accept deer meat.
Want to go for three strikes?