Following extensive research and broad community consultation—and with the permission of the Pennsylvania Game Commission—a cull of the Crum Woods deer herd was conducted by professional sharpshooters from mid-December to mid-January, during the College’s winter break.

According to a conservation and stewardship plan completed by the Natural Lands Trust and the consulting firm Continental Conservation, an overabundance of deer tops the list of factors threatening the ecosystem of the 200-acre woods.

The Crum Woods Stewardship Committee, established by the College in 2000 to study and make recommendations about the future of the woods, considered several other population-control alternatives before applying to the state for a permit to conduct the cull. As part of the cull, the commission also required a limited bow-and-arrow hunt, which was conducted in fall 2009.

In planning this winter’s action, the College took care to ensure the safety of all who use the woods, limiting both the hunt and cull to times when there is minimal traffic in the woods and to locations away from trails. Both the bow hunt and the cull were conducted by trained, licensed professionals. More information about the research regarding the deer population is available online, as are answers to frequently asked questions about the cull.