HILLSDALE — Hillsdale and Montvale expect to receive results of deer drone population surveys sometime in February and will likely discuss them at public meetings, the borough administrator told Pascack Press.
Administrator Mike Ghassali, who also serves as Montvale’s mayor, said the drone deer surveys of both towns were done back to back over the winter and were expected to be provided to the towns in February.
The reports will include maps of the areas covered by thermal-imaging drone flights and indicate whether deer numbers are above or below the land’s biological “carrying capacity,” Ghassali said. The reports are not expected to offer recommendations for deer population management in either town.
The drone surveys and reports are being prepared by a survey team at Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, supervised by Dr. Jay Kelly, a biology/science professor.
Ghassali said, “Each of the two towns will have to decide if this is a big problem or a small issue, and decide what could be done.”
Ghassali said that the “best thing” residents of both towns should stop doing is feeding deer.
“People should not be feeding or leaving out food for any wildlife. It’s illegal, against the law and should not be done,” Ghassali said.
He said residents who see someone feeding deer or wildlife should contact authorities, including local police or the health officer. Ghassali urged residents to report those who are feeding deer or wildlife so the practice can be stopped.
Several towns featured public presentations on deer management last fall, with representatives from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Animal Protection League of New Jersey providing information. Possible deer control measures discussed included controlled bow hunts by professional bow hunters; road signage to warn of deer crossings; and deer contraception and sterilization methods, which can be expensive.
In addition to Hillsdale and Montvale, Emerson is planning a future deer drone survey as part of an approved NJDEP grant. Westwood Mayor Ray Arroyo attended an NJDEP deer presentation at a September Old Tappan Council meeting. Old Tappan Mayor Tom Gallagher held two deer information sessions during the fall to inform the public and solicit public feedback. No actions have yet been taken by any town in Pascack Valley.
Ghassali said he would bring the results of the two deer drone surveys to a wider audience of public officials at two regional mayors’ associations: the Bergen County League of Municipalities and the Pascack Valley Mayors’ Association. Both organizations include mayors and public officials from the greater Pascack Valley, including Old Tappan and Oradell, and the BCLOM includes Northern Valley mayors.
Public officials have said the deer population issue is countywide and regional and that meaningful changes may require cooperation among towns in a specific area.
Throughout 2025, mayors and public officials received a steady stream of resident complaints and concerns, ranging from property and landscape destruction to deer’s role in spreading Lyme disease and deer-vehicle collisions.
Though only two confirmed deaths of residents due to deer-vehicle collisions have occurred recently — one in Emerson last year and one in Teaneck of a River Vale resident in 2021 — the risk remains high of deer-vehicle crashes. Each year, insurance officials note, hundreds of thousands of dollars are paid out due to deductibles and vehicle damage claims.
Deer population and impacts
Kelly, director of the drone surveys at Raritan Valley Community College, said interpreting and acting on the results of deer drone surveys can be “complicated,” as multiple interests and stakeholders bring a variety of perspectives to the debate.
He said deer population concerns include public safety risks due to increased deer-vehicle incidents; economic impacts due to deer browsing on public and private landscapes and farms; and public attitudes and perceptions toward specific deer management measures.
Kelly has conducted deer drone surveys in Saddle River, the only Bergen County town allowing nearly annual deer bow hunts, and River Vale, which conducted a couple surveys but decided against a bow hunt due to public opposition.
In 2019, River Vale’s then-Mayor Glen Jasionowski pressed for a deer hunt to control deer numbers, but after numerous meetings and growing public dissatisfaction, the township paused and eventually abandoned the effort to hold a bow hunt.
Kelly said most North Jersey towns can support approximately 10 deer per square mile or less, known as the area’s biological carrying capacity. He said at 20 deer per square mile, the deer population begins to impact the region’s ecosystem.
From prior drone studies, Kelly said many North Jersey towns average 60 to 70 deer per square mile, well above the normal carrying capacity. He said only in one or two drone surveys done in North Jersey did they find deer population densities at 10 to 20 deer per square mile.
He said his team provides estimated deer population numbers, but does not offer any deer management recommendations. That is up to local, county and regional officials, he said.
Other deer population impacts can adversely affect an area’s quality of life, including possible water quality degradation due to contaminated runoff and destruction of forest understory, affecting forest health and forest regrowth.
Kelly noted that in some areas where deer numbers have been “way too high” for decades, residents may get used to high numbers of deer and not find it a problem to be addressed.
Residents can hear the deer management presentations from NJDEP biologist Brian Schumm and Animal Protection League of New Jersey legal director Doris Lin by accessing the Sept. 15, 2025, and Oct. 6, 2025, Old Tappan Council videos archived on the borough’s website.
See also: “Officials consider next steps on deer management,” by Michael Olohan, Sept. 17, 2025, thepressgroup.net.