Syracuse.com - Deer hunters complain about lack of access in Deer Management Focus Area in Tompkins County

[HuntingNY-News]

The DEC meant well, but it's just not getting the cooperation from landowners, one hunter said.

There's certainly a lot of deer in communities within the special, 60,000 acre zone, such as in this photo taken with the village of Cayuga Heights. Getting access to hunt them, though, is another issue. John Berry/The Post-Standard A series of special deer hunting seasons set up by the state Department of Environmental Conservation this fall in Central Tompkins County to deal with an over-population of deer problem was full of good intentions.

There’s one big problem, according to several hunters I’ve talked to in recent weeks.

There’s a glaring lack of land where hunters have access to hunt.

“Unfortunately, this hunt is a bit of a farce unless you own private land in the zone or had previously applied for a permit from Cornell,” according to Jim McDougal, of Hastings. “My hunting partner and I scouted the two state parks that are in the zone (Treman and Buttermilk Falls) and with snow on it did not take long to determine that while there were deer, that an overpopulation condition did not really exist.

“Also, most hunters think that the whole park is included in the hunt, but less than half of each park is permitted for hunting and there are no boundary markers to guide hunters.”

The DEC set up the Deer Management Focus Area in Central Tompkins County in an effort to deal with the over-population of deer in that area. The idea was that hunters who applied for, and got free permits to hunt in the 60,000 square acre zone, would be allowed to take two antlerless deer per day, each day, of the bowhunting season, regular firearms season, the late muzzleloading seasons – plus, a special season in January.

Hunters I talked to said they went door-to-door talking to property owners in many areas of the zone and were repeatedly turned down. McDougal said he visited areas in Cayuga Heights and Lansing, where the deer were plentiful but there just didn’t seem to be anywhere he could hunt.

“The one exception we found was in a piece of property in Lansing that is controlled by the town. Individuals can call one of two Cornell professors who run the hunt there. I believe there are 20 acres, but it is tightly controlled. You are escorted to the parking area and to a stand which has been previously set up,” McDougal said. “The stands could be as close as 30 feet from houses and you may not be able to follow up your deer after shooting as not all property owners are supportive of the program. As a sportsman this was not an acceptable situation for me.”

The DEC has a map of the Focus Area on its website and intends to continue the special seasons for three to five more years. Early Thursday afternoon, I sent a written request seeking reaction from the DEC to complaints from the hunters about the lack of access.

As of noon today (Friday), there was no response.

Dennis Edwards, of Syracuse, said he hunted in the special zone in early November during the archery season, and then again the second and third weekends of last month.

“I hunted only Buttermilk Falls Park and Robert Treman Park, mostly Treman,” he said. “I had an exciting moment in November when a young buck chased a doe to within 15 paces of me. Moments later, a huge buck followed its trail to also within 15 paces of me standing with my bow pointing the opposite direction.”

During his January outings, though, Edwards said “the only deer I saw were at daybreak and heading to posted lands.”

He added, “I likely would not return to the Ithaca area for a special hunt. I am from Syracuse and roughly calculate that I spent $300.00 over two weekends. I’ll stay local for that kind of investment.”

Bill Donnelly, of Morrisville, said he was excited when he read my column last month about the special January deer hunting season. During the recent warm spell, he said he was strongly considering a trip down to try his luck. He said after talking to a DEC wildlife biologist at the Cortland office, it became clear that he’d have problems with access. He decided to stay home.

“The DEC meant well, but it’s just not getting the cooperation from landowners,” he said.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog