Deer reduction pilot program can begin in Southold

Southold’s effort to rein in the white-tailed deer population will get a boost from the state under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

The legislation signed Friday allows the town to step up its culling program using licensed professionals who can use more aggressive tactics like baiting the animals, using spotlights and hunting from public highways. Specific aspects of this pilot program will be devised by the town’s deer management task force and be subject to review by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. 

The bill's sponsors said reducing the herd is necessary due to a “startling” rise in deer-related car crashes. The animals can also wreak havoc on crops and are hosts for disease-carrying ticks. 

“We’re overrun by them, because the East End is a bottleneck geographically,” said state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk), who sponsored the legislation with Assemb. Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor). “There’s just not enough food for all of them.”

Both lawmakers hope the pilot program will be expanded throughout the East End, where there are similar concerns about overpopulation. Suffolk County’s deer population is estimated to be between 25,400 and 34,600, according to the DEC.

Deer management is a priority in Southold, where Police Chief Martin Flatley said deer collisions routinely surpass 200 each year, particularly during deer mating season from October to January. Police department data Flatley provided shows a total of 167 crashes reported so far this year, through the end of November.

“The worst time is usually between 4 in the afternoon, right at dusk, until the early evening hours,” Flatley said,  adding the majority of strikes are reported along Route 48 due to its proximity to open farmland. 

The law takes effect Jan. 1 and will expire in three years, which officials said will help them monitor the program’s impact.

Since its inception in 2008, Southold’s deer nuisance program has grown to include more than 700 acres of town and county-owned land, according to town environmental analyst Craig Jobes, who oversees the program.

Jobes said there have been 202 deer harvested since the season opened Oct. 1. Of that, 36 were donated to residents seeking venison and 102 were processed and donated to food pantries on the North Fork. “It’s become a big hit,” he said.

Rob Carpenter, executive director at Long Island Farm Bureau, said deer have caused millions of dollars in crop damage to farmers, who then spend thousands installing deer fencing around their properties.

“That has been a pretty big financial and economic strain on the farm community,” he said.

Dr. Luis Marcos, an infectious disease expert with Stony Brook Medicine, said studies would have to be conducted to show if the program has any impact on tick populations and illnesses.

He said deer are an important food source, but ticks also feast on mice, raccoons and other mammals.

A decade ago, Southold was part of a large-scale culling that involved sharpshooters trained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The plan was embraced by residents, though criticized by anti-hunting activists.

“There was some resistance, because it sounded like there were a bunch of cowboys coming in with rifles, shooting at night,” Palumbo said. “But they’re highly skilled, and it’s very controlled.”

 Over the next few months, Jobes will work with town officials and the DEC on the plan, which he and local hunting enthusiasts hope will be the beginning of a wider discussion about expanding recreational hunting activities. 

John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, has long opposed measures to cull deer and called for using nonlethal management methods, such as forms of contraception.

“Officials are determined to waste more tax dollars on cruel and outdated management techniques that endanger wild and human residents alike,” he said.

John Armentano, an attorney and member of the Peconic River Sportsman's Club, said the final bill is a “step in the right direction” but falls short for regular hunters. “Increased recreational access, as an accepted wildlife management tool, could supplement the state and Southold’s ability to reduce deer numbers,” he said. 

An earlier version of the bill proposed expanding weapons use and other incentives, including compensating hunters and allowing 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt with firearms with expert supervision.