Supplementalreportwithaddons 2

The County of Essex again implemented all reasonable measures to ensure that this effort would be conducted in a manner that would be as safe and humane as possible, and that the general public would be well informed and inconvenienced as little as possible. Some of those measures could be scaled back in subsequent years, thereby resulting in a lower cost per deer. Post-hunt, the County of Essex County contracted with Raritan Valley Community College to conduct an infrared census of deer in South Mountain Reservation from a drone. They also engaged Ecological Solutions, LLC, at a cost of %5,815 to conduct a forest health study. Both surveys are essential to assessing the current deer density, its impact on the forest ecology, and the level of success achieved in forest regeneration. Analysis The 2023 season was the 14th year of the Essex County Deer Management Program. The average harvest across that span is 137 deer. The 152 total of deer harvested this year was the mean for those years, and only 15 deer (11 %) higher than the average. In 2019, 200 deer were harvested. That was the second highest total of all seasons to date. In 2020, the total dropped to 92, which was not unexpected considering that the population had been greatly impacted the prior year. Hunting did not occur in 2021 and 2022, enabling the population to grow with little restriction. So, it is understandable that the harvest jumped to 152 in 2023. Subsequent Census Data Spotlight counts are conducted each year in April in South Mountain, Eagle Rock and Hilltop Reservations to determine post-hunt deer population estimates. In 2023, the County of Essex also contracted with Raritan Valley Community College to conduct a deer population survey of South Mountain Reservation using drone-mounted infrared photography. The Deer Population Estimator found in Appendix H has been used in the past to predict the overwintering population of deer in each park by starting with the spotlight count or drone survey results and applying formulas which account for estimated new births and non-hunt mortality. The estimated overwintering population then suggests the number of hunters to be recruited and the number of days to conduct hunting in order to reduce the deer density to population levels that minimize deer impacts. Based on 2023 harvest results, the Estimator assumes that 53% of the deer population

ber of days to conduct hunting in order to reduce the deer density to population levels that minimize deer impacts. Based on 2023 harvest results, the Estimator assumes that 53% of the deer population in South Mountain and 48% in Hilltop are female. It also assumes that 68% of the females are pregnant, and that the pregnant females will deliver an average of 1.69 offspring each. The number of deer will be reduced by 15% to account for loss to natural or accidental mortality. 21