Expanding deer population worries some Bergen County residents

Residents in Bergen County are trying to figure out how to deal with a booming deer population. On the same day a buck came crashing through a window in a home in Saddle Brook, Saddle River residents

News 12 Staff

Oct 28, 2015, 6:54 AM

Updated 3,240 days ago

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Residents in Bergen County are trying to figure out how to deal with a booming deer population.
On the same day a buck came crashing through a window in a home in Saddle Brook, Saddle River residents held a meeting to discuss a deer hunt.
In Saddle Brook, the Scala family spent the morning cleaning their home after the deer busted in, rampaged around the home and then left the way it came. 
"He had antlers, big antlers," says Dawn Scala. "I'm amazed... I'm still shaking."
The Scalas' experience was extreme, but in Saddle River, it is a big concern. Experts say Saddle River has anywhere from 250 to 300 deer. 
At the meeting held Tuesday, residents discussed a possible hunt. People opposed to killing the animals suggested several non-lethal alternatives to culling the deer population such as sterilization and various deterrents to keep deer away from homes.
"Bergen County is way too populated to have any hunts," says resident Cynthia Soroka. "There should be alternatives done first."
However, other residents say a hunt is the only way.
"We have to thin the herd. It's cruel to the animals by not reducing the herd," says Marilyn Goldfischer.
Saddle River officials have deemed the deer population a public health hazard.