Municipalities represented at the meeting were Easttown, Tredyffrin, East Pikeland, Charlestown, Schuylkill, Upper Merion, Lower Merion, Willistown and Lower Providence, said Andrew Kreider, a legislative intern with Rubley.
The task force was formed out of concerns about damage to plants and danger to humans.
The July 26 death of Stephen G. Calvert of Berwyn - killed by a deer that was thrown through his windshield after being struck by another car - has further fueled interest in controlling the deer population.
At the mostly informational meeting last night, Mike Schmit, the southeastern director of the state Game Commission, dismissed the options of deer contraception and relocation.
"Hunting is our primary tool to manage wildlife, just like a hammer is a primary tool to a carpenter," Schmit said.
About three weeks ago, Schuylkill Township in Chester County formed a Deer Management Committee. The township now has 15 bow hunters committed to helping control the deer population, said Jim Morrisson, chairman of the committee. Additionally, committee members are talking with the owners of large properties to see if they are willing to allow hunters on their land, he said.
Tredyffrin residents are urging the township to enact legislation to allow more hunting in the area, encourage bow hunters to cull the herd, and participate in a local deer-counting survey, said task force member Jackie Schlichthernlein before the meeting.
But Lee Diamond, an Upper Merion resident who owns a property near Valley Forge park, does not agree that hunting is the best option.
"We keep hearing about a deer problem, but we really don't hear any quantitative discussions," she told the audience.
"My concern is how do we safeguard our children (from hunters)? How do we safeguard small animals and pets? We're not talking about 20-acre properties or estates. We're not talking about closed-off areas."
Some wondered about the cost of controlling the deer population.
"From a financial standpoint, now it's in the township's hands. Is the state going to help us in any way to control the deer population? It's coming out of the pockets of the people of the township," said Edward J. Wilkes Jr., chairman of the Upper Merion Board of Supervisors.
But Schmit countered that the Game Commission receives all its money through the sale of hunting licenses, and that many townships forbid hunting altogether.
"If the Game Commission were to fund it, what you're saying is those people that hunt, those people that are denied access, would have to pay to control the deer population," Schmit said.
