Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh looking for archers for its deer-culling pilot

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Sept. 3:

City officials seeking 30 archers for deer culling in Pittsburgh parks

The city of Pittsburgh is looking for 30 qualified archers to help cull deer in two city parks as part of a recently created pilot program.

Interested archers can enter into a lottery system where the city will select 30 qualified hunters.

All selected archers must pass a criminal background check, as well have a clean record with the state game commission, have purchased or plan to purchase a 2B Antlerless Tag and be a resident of Allegheny County. Priority will be given to Pittsburgh residents, according to the city’s website.

The City of Pittsburgh is partnering with the @USDA to host a Deer Management Pilot Program with archery-controlled hunts in Frick and Riverview Parks during the 2023-2024 deer archery season. pic.twitter.com/85TmDC9U8u

— City of Pittsburgh (@Pittsburgh) September 3, 2023

The selected archers will be required to attend an accuracy test. After passing the accuracy test, archers will be assigned a specific location within Frick Park or Riverview Park to hunt.

Pittsburgh Communications Director Maria Montaño said bow hunting to cull deer is being pursued because the deer population is reaching a point where it is causing problems. Pittsburgh’s regional parks have about 51 deer per square mile, where a more appropriate number of deer for such an area would be about 10, according to recent U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.

Related

• Opinions mixed on allowing limited hunting in some Pittsburgh parks to control deer population

Montaño said the size of the local deer herd is causing concerns about soil erosion, disease spread, and is unsustainable. She said the herd is too large for chemical birth control culling and sterilization is too costly and likely won’t be effective given the size of the herd.

Qualified archers are required to take a doe first, which must be donated to a local food bank. Gutting on-site is prohibited.

Man dies in motorcycle crash in Butler County

A fatal motorcycle crash Thursday on Route 422 in Butler County claimed the life of one man and injured another woman.

Butler Township police said Friday that an oversized load struck a low-hanging wire, which fell on the roadway. That wire struck 34-year-old Frank Joseph Weber and his passenger, 31-year-old Kristi Cross.

Weber was killed. Cross was severely injured and airlifted to a Pittsburgh hospital. She remains in the hospital, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV.

Cross and Weber were a longtime couple and both lived in Chicora. Their friend Megan Olson told WTAE that they loved spending time together, including taking long motorcycle rides.

“They were the dream team. I said it all the time,” Olson said. “There’s not many love stories like theirs. They were made for each other.”

Police seek help finding missing Carrick man

A 44-year-old man has been reported missing since Aug. 27, and Pittsburgh Police are seeking help to locate him.

Brian Weaver, of Carrick, is 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, with short brown hair, hazel eyes and neck/arm tattoos. He often wears a ball cap, police said.

Police said may be driving a blue Ford Mustang with a Pennsylvania license plate tag of MBC-6334.

People with information about Weaver should call 412-323-7141.

Police are searching for a missing 44-year-old man.

Brian Weaver has been missing from the Carrick area since August 27.

He is 5'8", 180, with short brown hair, hazel eyes, neck/arm tattoos and often wears a ball cap.

He may be driving a blue Ford Mustang.

Info? Call 911. pic.twitter.com/RnK9ao5JIp

— Pittsburgh Police (@PghPolice) September 4, 2023