Syracuse.com - Auburn man suggests way to improve hunting access in DEC's special hunting area in Tompkins County

[HuntingNY-News]

He suggested the DEC should arrange the hunting zones ahead of time if they really want to reduce the herd, and also get landowner permission signs posted.

The following letters were emailed over the weekend to me from Auburn hunter Joe Leogrande following my column about hunting dissatisfaction with the new Deer Management Focus Area in Central Tompkins County. Hunters have found it a tough go in the area, which was set up due to lack of access. Their major complaint is lack of access.

(Following the DEC's new press policy, I forwarded questions about the access issue last Thursday to the DEC's public relations department. As of this morning, I have still not received a reply.)

Dave,

Thanks for the article on the Special Hunting area in the Ithaca area. Your article prompted me to send the hunting reports in to DEC with a letter to get landowner permission and permits to hunt.

I enclosed the below letter to DEC with my Special Deer Hunting Season reporting forms in Tompkins County near Ithaca which is required by DEC to submit f you were granted a special permit number. Maybe each hunter who was disappointed, should tell DEC in writing about their frustration finding a place to hunt with a shot gun.

Limited or no places to shot gun hunt was a deterrent. All posted lands that were good to hunt prevented hunting.

Maybe the DEC and landowners who want to get rid of nusiance deer should have big signs with areas 1,2,3,4, etc, anf the DEC should distribute daily permits for those areas to reduce hunting accidents in popular areas. The Orange County co-op in the Neversink River Gorge near Monticello and Middletown and Port Jervis and Foresburg, and also the Montezuma refuge has co-op areas, and I think I remember going to Union Springs at a co-op there a while ago.

The DEC should arrange the hunting zones if they really want to reduce the herd, and also get landowner permission signs posted.

The Ithaca area has limited public lands, and the state parks were just bow hunting only.

Regards

Joe Leogrande

2/3/13

Dear DEC,

If you want hunters to harvest deer in the Thompkins County area to reduce the herd, then you should ask the landowners to allow hunting with shotguns in those areas.

A list of names of landowners, addresses, phone numbers, and big posted signs on trees that say “Shot gun hunters allowed with landowner permission, see landowners” will generate the results you want. The landowners will give written permission to valid hunters, and can get their license numbers to know who is hunting. The hunting co-ops for deer hunting in certain areas have that system, and will allow DEC control, and landowners control.

I do not live in the Tompkins County area and driving around the area only found posted signs forbidding hunting in areas god for hunting.

The special season in my opinion may not have harvested many deer due to the limited shot gun areas available to hunt.

My opinion. Thanks.

Joe Leogrande

Auburn,NY

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog