HILLSDALE, N.J.—The proliferation of white-tailed deer in Hillsdale—and what to do about them—will be the focus of a town hall meeting in early October at Borough Hall.
The issue of deer overpopulation and its impact in Pascack Valley towns remains a hot topic and a frequent source of aggravation among area residents.
Mayor Michael Sheinfield will host the town hall, which will address the deer population and local options to reduce its impact. The open forum will be held Monday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. in the Borough Hall council chambers. The mayor said he hopes to hold quarterly town halls on issues of concern to residents.
“We did the deer (drone) study, and we’d like to give the residents a chance to talk about how we should handle the deer,” Sheinfield told us. He said the local drone study showed a population of 122 deer, or about 38 deer per square mile, in a 3.2-square-mile study area in Hillsdale.
Biologists generally note that a sustainable average deer carrying capacity is fewer than 10 deer per square mile. See “Deer count above average in Hillsdale, Montvale,” by Michael Olohan, March 19, 2026, thepressgroup.net.
“While we’re not quite as bad as other nearby towns in terms of deer concentration, the deer have no natural predators and continue to increase,” Sheinfield said. He said the only current population controls are deer-vehicle collisions and possibly periods of severe winter weather. “I want to listen to the residents to see if there’s something we can do,” he added.
The event will be the second town hall held by the mayor, following one on municipal taxes in late June. That town hall drew a standing-room-only crowd to the council chambers as the mayor discussed local property tax bills, how taxes are calculated and ways to potentially reduce future tax increases.
Sheinfield said population-control options likely to be discussed include a possible controlled bow hunt or a deer sterilization program, which can cost up to $1,000 per deer—or more. He said he hopes to poll attendees to see who favors specific deer-control options.
Of Bergen County’s 70 municipalities, only Saddle River currently allows an annual deer bow hunt to reduce the population. Franklin Lakes is presenting a nonbinding public referendum question on Nov. 3 about a possible deer bow hunt for three consecutive years.
In fall 2025, at least four greater Pascack Valley towns—including Old Tappan, Emerson, Hillsdale and Montvale—held public information forums on deer populations and management. Most local and state officials agreed that a regional solution was needed because deer do not recognize municipal boundaries and population density was shown to be increasing. See “Officials consider next steps on deer management,” by Michael Olohan, Sept. 17, 2025, thepressgroup.net.
A deer drone survey conducted Feb. 19, 2026, in Montvale counted 341 deer across a 4.4-square-mile area, or about 78 deer per square mile. In addition, Emerson officials are planning a local deer drone study, the borough administrator said recently.
In the Montvale report, Jay Kelly, a researcher with Raritan Valley Community College who conducted the drone study, wrote that environmental impacts on forests and vegetation typically begin to appear when deer populations exceed about eight to 10 per square mile.
“Additional indirect or ‘cascade’ effects on food webs and other ecosystem properties, including wildlife habitat, tree regeneration, soil conditions, and understory plant communities, tend to occur at densities above 15 to 20 per square mile,” Kelly wrote.
Local officials previously said county officials have shown little interest in collaborating on deer management or population-control measures.