MORRIS COUNTY

Deer hunt announced for Morris parks

Parks to be closed to public, open to hunters

Michael Izzo
@MIzzoDR
A deer spotted in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

Several Morris County parks will be closed to the public but open to hunters on select days this winter as part of a controlled deer hunt announced by the Park Commission.

The deer hunt is in accordance with the Park Commission’s White-tailed Deer Management Program, which seeks to improve forest health in Morris County parks through management of the deer population.

The controlled hunt is one of the population management tools used in the program and runs on certain days from December 2015 through February 2016. During those days, the parks will be closed to the public all day, only open to hunters with special permits.

Lewis Morris County Park’s hunts begin Dec. 2 and will be held on Wednesdays through Feb. 10, in parts of Harding, Mendham, and Morris Townships that the park covers.

Black River County Park in Chester, which includes Cooper Mill, Kay Environmental Center, Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center and Willowwood Arboretum, and lands managed for Chester Township, will be closed to the public for the hunt on Thursdays.

Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area - covering parts of Kinnelon, Boonton, and Montville Township – will be closed for hunts on Thursdays in December and Fridays in January. The park will also be closed Friday, Feb. 5, and Thursday, Feb. 11, for hunts.

All hunts begin the first week of December and run through Feb. 11, excluding the final two weeks of December for holidays.

Bow hunting is scheduled in additional Morris County Parks between now and February but those parks will remain open to the public.

The Morris County Park currently protects and maintains 18,730 acres at 38 distinct sites. For additional information, including a complete hunting schedule, go to www.morrisparks.net.

The state Department of Environmental Protection’s annual black bear hunt is also scheduled to begin Monday, Dec. 7 and run through Saturday, Dec. 15. The hunting zone encompasses 1,000 square miles in northwestern New Jersey, including Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon and Passaic counties and a small portion of Bergen County.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com