10 Shelter Island hunters take 15 deer in October, representing declines from 2023

For those who have been craving venison, that was plentiful a year ago from the refrigeration unit at the Recycling Center; there has been none so far this year.

But Beau Payne, who coordinates the hunting program on Shelter Island for the Police Department, told the Deer & Tick Committee at its Oct. 6 meeting he expects the situation is on the cusp of improving.

During the month of October, 10 hunters took 15 deer, down from last year at the same time when 12 hunters took 19 deer.

But while hunters contributed 300 pounds of deer meat to feed Islanders at this time of year in 2023, not a morsel was contributed this year, with hunters opting to feed their own families and friends, Mr. Payne said.

There has been a steady decline in recent years in the number of properties hunted, the number of hunters involved, and the number of deer taken, Mr. Payne said. But he said he is fairly confident the slide is nearing an end, if not this season than by next season.

Although it may not be as plentiful as last year, Mr. Payne predicted there would be deer meat available by mid-month.

Just two days before the local recreational hunt started on Oct. 1, Mr. Payne was struggling to get the freezer at the Cobbetts Lane Firehouse fixed.

The freezer has provided a means of keeping deer carcasses frozen until they could be butchered for use. Hunters are free to use the freezer whether they’re keeping it for themselves or contributing meat for their neighbors.

Reporting on the tick situation on Shelter Island, Mr. Payne said tick numbers are slightly more than what was seen at selected sites this year.

Deer & Tick Committee member Julia Weisenberg has been leading the educational effort for the Town on the dangers of disease carrying ticks, including outreach to students with informational programs at the school; archery lessons in warm weather; and mentoring of new hunters, mostly students.

Using funds from the committee’s $36,000 annual budget, Ms. Weisenberg has been able to purchase two tree stands and was planning to take a student out on Oct. 9 for training.

Unlike most committees that meet monthly, the Deer & Tick Committee meets six times a year. The next meeting will be on April 2, 2025 at 10 a.m.

COUNTING DEER/VEHICLE ACCIDENTS ON SHELTER ISLAND

The Shelter Island Police Department has provided data on the occurrences of deer/vehicle accidents over the last five years from January to November.

The reports show that this year, through last week, there have been 23 reported incidents, compared to last year, when there were 20 through the same time period.

Since 2020, the lowest number of the crashes has been 15, and this year has seen the most.
Here are the numbers:

• 2020 — 15
• 2021 — 16
• 2022 — 16
• 2023 — 20
• 2024 — 23
  
• Source: Shelter Island Police Department