Franklin Lakes voters will decide whether the borough should allow professional bow hunters to thin its deer population every year for three years, a question that has split the affluent Bergen County community between residents fed up with crashes and chewed-up landscaping and those who say the animals are part of what makes the town special. The referendum lands on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The ballot question asks whether Franklin Lakes should create a deer management program allowing qualified bow-and-arrow hunters to conduct an annual cull for three years, according to NJ.com. The vote is advisory only — the referendum measures public opinion and does not by itself require the borough to act, per the same report. Business administrator Greg Hart said deer have caused many vehicle accidents and damage to residents' vegetation across town, and he stressed that the mayor and council are not advocating for or against the referendum.
Franklin Lakes spans nearly 10 square miles in Bergen County and is known for one- to two-acre home lots, a median household income of $235,795 — more than double New Jersey's statewide median of $103,556 — and an average home value of $1,628,296 according to Zillow, the NJ.com report notes. The town has also been home to notable residents including Phil Simms, Tommy John and Dwight Gooden. If voters approve the measure, the article notes, the borough would still need sign-off from New Jersey Fish & Wildlife before implementing any deer management plan, and individual homeowners could opt their own properties out of the hunt.
Opposition Petition Gains Signatures Fast
The proposal has drawn pushback from residents and animal advocacy groups. A Franklin Lakes resident started an online petition that had collected 280 signatures since it launched on Oct. 14, the article reports, with organizers arguing that deer are part of what makes the town special. The Animal Protection League of New Jersey and Save New Jersey Deer have also come out against the culling plan, per the same account.
Under the proposal described in the report, the hunters involved would be qualified participants active in the United Bowhunters of New Jersey, hunting only from elevated positions and instructed to shoot initially only antlerless deer. Franklin Lakes officials point to population pressure as the driving force: a Raritan Valley Community College study estimated roughly 62 deer per square mile in northwest Bergen County, well above what wildlife managers consider sustainable. Mercer County, which runs its own deer-management program, says biologists recommend a density of 20 to 25 deer per square mile to maintain a healthy forest, and 10 to 15 per square mile if a forest is already degraded, according to Mercer County, NJ.
Why Deer Numbers Keep Climbing
A New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson said archery-based deer management programs have been operating across the state for years, as the state notes deer populations typically grow 20% to 25% annually. That growth, per the DEP, stems from the animals' long life expectancy and their ability to have up to three fawns per pregnancy. Nearby River Vale offers a starker example of how fast the numbers can run: a township-funded census found about 96 deer per square mile there, according to The Press Group, after the Township Council paid Raritan Valley Community College researchers $3,367 for the survey before the mayor paused a council-approved bowhunt to gather more public input.
Other Towns Have Taken Similar Routes
Franklin Lakes would not be breaking new ground if voters approve the measure. New Jersey has numerous archery-based deer management programs already addressing suburban deer overabundance, and several nearby communities have moved on similar plans this fall. Princeton's council approved a deer-management contract worth up to $120,000 with White Buffalo Inc. on Oct. 12, with a 2027 operation that could target up to 175 deer if additional properties become available, or roughly 120 without expanded access, according to Shore News Network. That plan calls for about 20 days of sharpshooting starting in late January or early February, following a January drone survey that counted 963 deer across Princeton's roughly 18.4 square miles — an estimated 52 deer per square mile, per Patch.
Westfield's Town Council likewise approved deer hunting at Brightwood Park and part of Tamaques Park for the winter 2026-2027 season, using licensed crossbow hunters under Union County's winter deer-management program, which is expected to run from roughly Dec. 1 through Feb. 15, 2027, Patch reported separately. Mercer County has taken a parks-based approach of its own, permitting bow hunting from Oct. 15 through Feb. 20 at Mercer Meadows, Baldpate Mountain and Mercer Oaks Golf Course to address what the county calls white-tailed deer overabundance and ecological damage.
Franklin Lakes residents have until Election Day to weigh in, with early in-person voting running from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1 ahead of the Nov. 3 vote. The borough's voter-registration deadline for the general election passed on Oct. 13. Whatever voters decide, the measure's advisory nature means the mayor and council would still have to take up the question of whether to actually create a hunting program — a decision the dossier does not resolve and that remains ahead for a town more accustomed to debating landscaping than bowhunting.
