Long Island Deer Cull
New York
Contributors to this thread:
Check out todays newsday for info that the Feds and the Long Island Farm bureau want to use sharpshooters to kill at least 3,000 deer on long island this february. As it is i'm not seeing many deer this year and hunter access is getting worse.
I've read that they're concentrating on several towns out on the North Fork, including East Marion, Orient, etc. I guess they took over 440 road kills to the landfill in the town of Southold last year. Population in Southold estimated at 35-50 per square mile. that's about all I know.
Mint, where are you from out there? I was born out in Greenport and raised in Southold...left in 1968 just as they were starting to see deer out in Orient and East Marion area. The south side and Shelter Island always had deer but not the north fork unless you count the occassional buck who swam across the bay during the rut.
They've got so many rules out there which inhibit legal harvest...wealthy residents who wont grant permission, the 500' rule and very restrictive shotgun rules, acreage, pernmission forms, whatever.I went back for a week of vacation to Southold about 5 years ago and took an early morning drive around my old stomping grounds....saw 17 bucks in about 15 minutes including some slammers. I was in disbelief.
I'd like to see the archery harvest figures for the town of Southold...have to look that up.
Pat, I agree they ought to apply the pressure to the antlerless segment of the herd as much as possible. Sounds like an invitation for them to trophy hunt under guise of deer control...who knows.
Oh, by the way, I went to visit my cousin down there a few years ago. It was March I believe. Was introduced to a guy down there in Southold who's a big shed hunter and good deer hunter. He had already picked up about 42 sheds at that point and was just getting going so he said. Lots of big sheds I can tell ya.
Any body know what the decision was with culling out east? Last I heard was the taking of approx 1000 deer instead of the original number of 3000...did some walking around through some spots out east and didnt see much...very little sign and only 2 does?