Saturday, Sept. 30, marks the beginning of archery deer hunting season in Pennsylvania, along with the City of Pittsburgh’s pilot Deer Management Program. City Council recently approved an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help cull a growing deer population in two city parks – Frick Park and Riverview Park. Studies have shown there are at least 500 deer in Frick Park alone.

Pittsburgh’s exploding white-tailed deer population is spreading ticks and Lyme disease, becoming traffic hazards and devouring the gardens of homeowners who live near the parks.

Thirty Allegheny County archers were chosen last week from among hundreds of applicants, following a tough accuracy test.

City officials have assigned each hunter to a designated area in each park. They are required to kill a doe first and donate the meat to a local food bank program, such as Hunters Sharing the Harvest. Hunters are then able to bag as many white-tailed deer as they have tags for. Deer are not to be cleaned inside park limits.