Crime & Safety

Hunt Will Not Be Stopped By Montville Officials

Despite county ending hunting season early at Pyramid Mountain for PSE&G power line project, township official said Montville will allow hunting through the end of the month.

While hunting at Pyramid Mountain has been cancelled by Morris County, one local official said Montville will not be putting any regulations on the hunting season to stop hunters from shooting at the park because of ongoing work on the PSE&G Susquehanna-Roseland power line project.

The Morris County Park Commission sent a letter to hunters advising them that the hunt was being cancelled early this season as work continues on the power line, which runs through parts of Montville, Boonton, Kinnelon, Jefferson and other municipalities. The Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area is located in Montville and borders the Borough of Kinnelon.

According to the letter sent to the hunters by Kelli Kovacevic, superintendent of natural resources management for the Morris County Park Commission, the county had become concerned about hunters shooting while work on the project begins to pick up.

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"Due to anticipated levels of disturbance and noise in the area, as well as safety concerns, the Morris County Park Commission has decided to cancel the remainder of the bow and shotgun hunt in this park," the letter said.

But since the county park lies within Montville boundaries, Kovacevic reached out to the township to inquire about whether Montville will permit hunting for the remainder of the season, as per the township's regulations. Township Administrator Victor Canning said, after speaking with the township committee this week, the township will.

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"We have quite a bit of land. We won't be able to enforce it," Canning said Thursday. "We just felt at this point, people would have to be responsible when they go hunting."

Canning said attempting to enforce a no-hunting rule for the rest of the season, which ends on Jan. 31 according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, could also become costly. The township would have to separately advertise the cancellation of the hunt and possibly staff patrols to enforce it.

"Logistically, it's a nightmare to even try to stop," Canning said.

However, while the township is not planning to outwardly stop the hunt, Canning said the county will still enforce the cancellation of hunting at Pyramid Mountain for the remainder of the season using county resources.

"They made that decision, but again, they have more assets than we do," he said.

The 500-volt power line project, which began with a pre-construction phase in September, will go through 45 miles of the state in total, stretching from Berwick, PA, to Roseland.


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