A park ranger sits watching over a entrance to Tyler State Park during the 2010 hunt.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
The 29th annual antlered and antlerless deer hunt will take place at Tyler State Park Wednesday.
The hunt will close the 1,711-acre park that sits in Newtown Township and Northampton all day Wednesday due to the hunt that allows hunters to use semi-automatic or muzzleloader shotguns with “00” buckshot ammunition, according to park officials.
The culling of the parks deer population will include at least 150 permitted hunters who were selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources during a lottery drawing.
“We manage our parks to protect the wide variety of plant and animal species that enrich our environment and provide the base of outdoor recreation opportunities that so many people come to enjoy at our state parks,” said Tyler State Park Manager Brian Flores. “Deer impact the delicate balance of the park’s ecosystem by over-browsing on tree saplings, forest understory, shrubs and wildflowers.”
A group of deer hunting protesters outside Tyler State Park along Swamp Road in Newtown in 2010.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
State law enforcement usually blocks the entrances to the park during the hunt to ensure there is no unauthorized access.
Protestors against the hunt are a common fixture during the annual event.
In addition to the hunt Wednesday, a late season antler and antlerless archery hunt is scheduled to run from December 26 to January 28 at a 500-acre portion of the state park. In total, 60 permits for the archery hunt were issues with only 12 hunters authorized per day.
For more details and to ask questions on the Tyler State Park hunt, call 215-968-2021.
