Deborah Weisberg

The harvest count in Pittsburgh’s first-ever controlled bowhunt is 80 deer as of Dec. 9, when the program was paused for an 18-day break until after Christmas.
Archery began in two city parks – 644-acre Frick and 288-acre Riverview – Sept. 30 and concludes Jan. 27. The 30 hunters chosen in the lottery-based initiative are required to harvest a doe before they target a buck and to donate venison from their first kill to a food-distribution charity.

Jon Ebbitt, 42, spends a lot of time in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park with his wife and kids since the 644-acre green space is practically in his backyard.
As a lifelong hunter, he is keenly aware of the park’s over-density of deer, and its impact on park habitat.
“I used to think, they need to let archers in here, even for a day,” said Ebbitt, whose wish came true this fall when he earned a spot in a first-ever archery program aimed at thinning the herds in two city parks.