Hunters to inform Deer&Tick Committe of needs
In its ongoing effort to foster a bond with Island hunters, the Deer & Tick Committee plans a meeting Wednesday night to hear what incentives would prompt them to increase the deer they take.Numbers rose this year to 370 for the full season, but that’s still well below the 40 percent of the herd committee members estimate that would have to be culled to have an impact on the tick population.
Josh Stiller of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will be at the meeting to hear the hunters’ ideas for possible changes in laws that could increase the efforts to reduce the herd.
Committee members want to hear the hunters’ view of the incentive program that has rewarded hunters with gift cards for their efforts. The town is restricted by the DEC from directly awarding prizes for a deer kill.
No one on the committee wants to bring in sharpshooters, but members agreed that if the cull isn’t increased, that may have to be an option. Keeping the option open is important, Mr. Scheibel said.
“There’s no doubt it’s a hammer,” he said.
One idea the committee liked during their discussion at the May 6 meeting — until they heard from Town Clerk Dorothy Ogar and Deputy Town Clerk Sharon Jacobs — was eliminating a $1 permit fee hunters pay to access town managed lands.
“It seems like it doesn’t seem to serve any purpose, committee chairman Mike Scheibel said.
But the two women pointed out that it’s the only way they have of tracking who is hunting where.
Ms. Ogar called it a “safety issue” to assure those using guns weren’t over populating some hunting areas.
“They’re very conscientious hunters” who tend to go to the same sites every year, she said.
Often, five, six or even seven hunters will get permits together, Ms. Jacobs said.
At the same time, she noted that since installation of 4-posters, the number of hunters has declined from about 400 to 136 during this year’s hunt.
That may be because of what Mr. Scheibel called “a very misguided perception” that the meat is tainted because of the tickicide permethrin that coats the necks of the deer that feed at the 4-posters.
Ms. Jacobs said she no longer eats venison for that reason.
Although committee members disagreed with the perception that the meat is tainted, they agreed to leave the $1 permit fee in place.
A number of suggestions the hunters made at a previous meeting last September with the Deer & Tick Committee have been implemented, while others are still pending. Among changes implemented were:
• Extending the bow hunting season into January.
• Advertising for more property owners to open their land to hunters. The town manages 20 properties, eight of which are new to the program as a result of an advertisement the committee placed in the Reporter.
Seven are small private properties where only bow hunting is allowed. Four are in the Center; two in the Heights; and one in Silver Beach. Another is on town-owned land at 118 North Ferry Road.
• Providing hunter safety courses.
A suggestion that the hunting season be delayed to November instead of starting in October remains an issue. Local hunters said the earlier start allowed off-Island hunters to illegally shoot here while the locals were still engaged in other activities. The result was more bucks being killed in October, they said. But the committee isn’t sure it has the authority to delay the season here until November since the DEC sets the dates.
On the other hand, the DEC has allowed weekend hunting, something the Island doesn’t allow, concerned about safety issues.
Other requests from the hunters that are still pending are:
• Allowing the use of crossbows during the bow season.
•Allowing a buck to be taken for every two does.
• Allowing off-Island hunters here who are currently allowed only in the buddy program where outsiders can hunt if they’re accompanied by an Islander.
• Requiring that every other deer harvested be donated to the town venison program.
That’s something the committee thinks shouldn’t be required, concerned that some might be discouraged from hunting if they had to turn over half their take.
NEW COMMITTEE MEMBER
With the recent death of Dr. Vincent DiGregorio, the committee has advertised for a new member. One person members favored adding is hunter Beau Payne, who attends many of its meetings. But Mr. Payne took himself out of the running while promising to attend as many meetings as possible.
Mr. Scheibel said he appreciates Mr. Payne’s acknowledging that he can’t take on committee membership since it’s important that members be able to attend meetings more regularly than some have.
The committee meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. at Town Hall.
The meeting with the hunters takes place on Wednesday, May 13, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
