Hunting for deer control
Town looks to reduce deer herds
7 comments below
Michael Clark, a state Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife biologist, explains the many challenges that stand in the way of controlling the escalating deer population on the North Fork during a Sept. 16 deer management forum at Town Hall.
Tuesday's Town Board vote came six days after residents filled the board's meeting room during a Sept. 16 deer-management forum. A number of potential deer-control methods, such as expanding hunting opportunities or injecting the animals with contraceptives, were aired during an emotional debate.
But hunters and self-proclaimed "Bambi lovers" alike agreed it is virtually impossible to bring down deer numbers effectively with the existing methods.
"This is not just a Southold Town problem, this is a Long Island regional problem and over the years it has gotten worse," said Joe Gergela, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, one of the forum's panelists. "The time has come to develop a comprehensive plan."
The exploding deer population has caused a variety of problems, including damage to farm crops estimated by Mr. Gergela at $5 million a year, a rise in deer/motor vehicle accidents and the spread of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease.
Michael Clark, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said help is needed from Albany. The effectiveness of having hunters thin the herd is greatly diminished by the state's restriction against discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a house. With so many homes ringing open lands and farm fields and so many of the 500-foot circles overlapping, objections from a single property owner can leave most of the land off limits.
Mr. Clark also cited the need for opening up more public lands to hunting, permitting the use of crossbows and trapping deer. Trapping would involve fence-like structures, not steel-jaw leg-hold traps.
The Town Board's options include establishing a no-cost deer carcass disposal program at the Cutchogue waste transfer station. Throughout the forum, hunters said the lack of disposal options limits the number of animals harvested.
"Nobody wants to dig a hole and bury it", said John Hass of Cutchogue, a hunter named Tuesday to the town's deer-management group.
The other members are Town Supervisor Scott Russell, Councilman Al Krupski, John Becht, John Rasweiler, John Rumpler IV and John Standish, the town's deputy public works director.
Mr. Rasweiler, a retired wildlife biologist, disputed the notion of leaving the deer alone because they were here first. The population problem is largely man-made, he said, and began when colonists cleared forests, which are poor deer habitats, and planted farms, which produce a steady supply of food.
He added that humans have also eliminated the natural predators, such as wolves, that kept the deer herds in check.
"The population has reached the point of doing very severe damage to the broader environment," he said Wednesday. "It's also reached the point of being environmentally unsustainable because the deer are outgrowing their food supply."
In a bad winter the deer will starve, he said. "It's not a pretty sight to see and to see it has had a profound impact on me that stays with me today," he said.
Mr. Rasweiler also argued that deer droppings washing into bathing and shellfishing area waters can raise bacteria counts to unhealthy levels. A single deer can consume up to eight pounds of vegetation and leave two pounds of waste each day.
Feeding deer only makes matters worse and it is illegal, said Tom Gadomski, the DEC conservation officer assigned to Southold Town. Putting out food leads to an increase in birth rates and, by drawing animals to a specific area, causes more deer/vehicle accidents.
Deer crowding around a feeding station also increases the risk of spreading disease, he added.
Several of Wednesday's speakers said contraception programs are not a practical alternative. Aside from the cost, up to $350 per animal, the deer are very mobile, which makes it difficult to dose a significant number of female deer. Mr. Clark added that contraception has not been shown to reduce the deer population. Current hunting practices also limit the number taken, with many hunters bypassing does and looking for trophy bucks with large racks.
In upstate areas, hunters are allowed to kill wild swine on sight, said Mr. Clark. He added, "We're almost about there here."
In the town's search for additional lands suitable for hunting, it is reaching out to the Peconic Land Trust, Councilman Krupski said.
Following that comment, one Southold woman said she would be willing to open up her lands if she can meet with a hunter and set a schedule.
"Where do you live?" a young man asked.
"Bayview," she said. "And I'll cook you dinner."
tkelly@timesreview.com
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7 comments found
DEER HUNTING : 10/14/2009
I am a safe and ethical bow hunter that would love the oppurtunity to hunt on private land in Suffolk County. I am a Suffolk County resident and if I can help you out in any way, do not hesitate to conatct me via e-mail (sodnir@aol.com).
deer : 10/1/2009
Why can't we put out salt licks with material in it to disturb the matting cycle ,state of ct has done this and it worked ..
Bambi Solution : 9/25/2009
I suppose I could obtain a NYS wildlife management license, then call Wolf Rescue in Minnesota to "rescue" a wolf. They eat white footed mice as appetizers for their deer meals. I have the space, they have the appetite. It'll restore the balance in North Fork nature. It's gonna be one fat wolf!
No Doubt On Lyme Disease : 9/25/2009
You have got to be kidding saying the deer don't carry lyme disease. The incidence of the disease has clearly gone up in my area as the deer have increased. We never used to see the deer right around the house and now that they show up there people in my family and all the neighbors are getting lyme disease. I haven't seen a white footed mouse in the area in my life.
deer control : 9/24/2009
Joe Gergela, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, should get his facts straight regarding the purported connection between Lyme Disease and deer. The major carrier for the tick that causes Lyme Disease is the Eastern White Footed Mouse. The tick should be called the Mouse Tick, not the Deer Tick. Migrating birds are the major cause for the spread of the tick that causes Lyme Disease, not deer. Don't blame Bambi for man's bumbling and misguided mismanagement of paradise.
Deer : 9/24/2009
Whatever you do don't let these people sell you on the idea of the 4 Posters. We have them on Shelter Island and despite what they told us, our deer and environment are now contaminated with Permethrin. Wake up people! It's the DEC disquised in sheeps clothing!
The real solution : 9/24/2009
The deer problem is part of the development problem. Humans can and should learn to limit and reduce the indirect feeding of deer. So, if It has been, and is being, agravated by the spread of suburban development! I doubt humans will bring back the natural predators, and the natural forests are gone forever. The immanent Comprehensive planning process will determine if humans will be able to limit our destructive impacts on the natural environment.
