Thoughts?????

[njg0621]

If it was up to me let the hunters fill their freezers and donate any other meat. This seems like a waste of money if you ask me! What are your thoughts?

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ny-village-birth-control-trim-deer-herd-19862177

[EspressoBuzz]

I agree with you! and consider this; while the town's deer grow older and weaker with little new blood, older weaker deer will attract coyotes. Then will they be voting on birth control for the coyotes? If they were having car accidents and losing shrubbery to deer how are they gonna handle losing their dog or cat?

 

I respect their right to choose their own solution but I can't help but think that these are misguided and misinformed town folk.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I don't see how they can have an immediate impact with this approach. The article states they are already like 3 times the concentration to notice damage and the birth control option provides no avenue for reduction other than vehicle and natural death rates. And that doesn't even factor in the migration of deer into this area. It is a wet dream but you can tell from the comments about the article they type of folks that support this.

[mike rossi]

The article doesn't say if shooting guns or bows can be done safely or not. If it cannot be, they should live trap and slaughter as many as possible before implementing birth control. Birth control is not "green" and I will leave it at that... Another problem with birth control is that the population will remain high for a relatively long time and during that time the deer will continue to be a nuisance. Problem with trapping, is the animals wise up and begin to avoid the traps. At that point the use of birth control may be necessary. In any event, after the population is reduced or eliminated the town should install deer proof fencing and fragment travel corridors to prevent recolonizing.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Mike, I don't even think the use of lethal methods was entertained. But there is NO question it could be done safely. I am not talking about an open season but skilled archers, qualified. in stands in prescribed locations and over bait? Half that population could be taken out before the season even opens up. This is just a waste of money and their goals and projections don't even correct the problem. a 40% reduction in 5 years still leaves the population at almost 2 times the level the studies cite as the limit before destruction of habitat occurs. ANd this doesn't account for migration in or the birth rate of the ones not vaccinated.

[Doc]

Can you imagine the process of trying to vaccinate 120 deer. How much time and money will be wasted re-vaccinating the same deer by mistake. How many man-hours will be spent in this fiasco. 2 square miles doesn't sound like a big area until you try to perform some injection procedure on 120 animals romping around anywhere within that area. I hope they video this thing. I would like to see it.

[DTG3k]

I drove by that area recently. Saw an AMAZING buck hanging out on the side of the road. They really should just let us hunt in backyards.

[Dan92]

sounds pretty inhumane and just not natural to me!

[G-Man]

90% to be inoculated? how are they going to keep track of the ones they already did, there will be dead dying deer for years to come old age and malnutrition will lead to diseses and predator increase.. stupid idea, and waste of tax payers money

[nyantler]

The idea of birth control has been considered many many time as a means to control over populated areas where there is a high concentration of homes and hunting is not allowed... always with the same result... the idea gets the axe as soon as smarter people explain all the negative things that could happen by messing with the reproductive systems of animals. They usually end up having law enforcement shoot deer in numbers or open a controlled bow only season with unlimited tags or just do nothing.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

On  the first round the deer are going to be tranquilized and tagged. That is probably how they will track it for the upcoing booster shots. After the first year they will be using a dart gun. Seems like a waste of money to me.

[mike rossi]

Mike, I don't even think the use of lethal methods was entertained. But there is NO question it could be done safely. I am not talking about an open season but skilled archers, qualified. in stands in prescribed locations and over bait? Half that population could be taken out before the season even opens up. This is just a waste of money and their goals and projections don't even correct the problem. a 40% reduction in 5 years still leaves the population at almost 2 times the level the studies cite as the limit before destruction of habitat occurs. ANd this doesn't account for migration in or the birth rate of the ones not vaccinated.

Using sport hunting under relaxed regulations is great, but baiting introduces the issue of CWD and other diseases. Also, I am reserved about hunters with a utilitarian mind set, using relaxed regulations, in close proximity to the same public which expressed a preference for non lethal control methods.

That same public wouldn't relish trap and slaughter either, but IMO that is the best management practice.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Don't agree Mike. The "public" is not the ones expressing the preference for non-lethal. It is special interest., Humane Society and the sort. The Mayor is even quoted that he believes the Population would suipport a killing program.

 

As far as your baiting concerns, how many outbreaks of disease have there been in states that actually allow it on a wide spread program legally during the season. I haven't seen any recently documented. CT in areas along the coast allow baiting and that is probably very similear to , not only the mind set of residents, but in term of population density as well. They ran a bait and shoot North of Rochester and they didn't have a disease outbreak either. They went through a crazy expense of using police sharpshooters for a while but they were paid OT to do it. There was also a program where archery had to qualify through shooting to get in a lottery and drew stand locations. A program like that is NOT using relaxed regulations other than allowing the hunting in a area that normally didn't. I hope the DEC shooots this program down and then see how the ones against it change their tune. THis is TAX money being pissed away to soothe the touchy feely needs of the antis.

[mmkay]

I'm all for hunting them if feasible. But there is no land and no real backyards in this town. Most folks have a 1/4 ac lot or smaller.  These are urban deer living in narrow strips along MAJOR highways and shopping centers. 

 

The above said, they need to bring in trained shooters with small cal. Rifles to eliminate the deer problem.  It would be a nightmare hunting 10 miles outside NY city.

[mike rossi]

I reread the article, not just the tone of it, lol... It does quote the mayor as saying most residents would NOT oppose lethal means.

[Five Seasons]

i think the stat is that an unmanaged deer population will double in just 2 or 3 years? there is obviously a limit as food and shelter are finite resources. As much as the show "Chaising Tail" bothered me, they have the right idea.

 

introducing man-made solutions like birth control doesn't sit very well with me.

[Doc]

On  the first round the deer are going to be tranquilized and tagged. That is probably how they will track it for the upcoing booster shots. After the first year they will be using a dart gun. Seems like a waste of money to me.

What an amazingly labor intensive way to solve a problem that could be handled for free.

[shawnhu]

I actually drive by this area pretty often going to or coming from hunting and fishing. On days where we don't see a thing in the woods, we'd see 5-6 deer along the saw mill on the way back and think, why can't we hunt here?!<br /><br />There's a few spots where hunting would be possible, and should be allowed.

[mmkay]

Not in Hasting on the Hudson. Not much land. I doubt any public large tracks. You could pull off the highway and great bucks if you want to jack one.......Just hope they don't run 30 yrds into someone back yard.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to hunt them. But there no land. And the Westchester County Cops have been treating these small tracks on the side of the highway as their private hunting preserves for years. They will chase you out.  

the town needs to hire sharp shooters to cull their deer

[Doc]

Actually, in spite of its "goofyness", That program "Chasing Whitetails" or whatever it was called, did show how effectively bowhunting in a tight suburb can be. No it is not something that I would consider for even a moment, but it did show that bowhunters can be used to control deer populations even in urban/suburban settings.

[mmkay]

You have a better chance at hitting the power ball than getting permission to hunt private land in hasting on the Hudson. Greenwich CT is quite a different town. Large estates and MULTI million dollar properties. Hasting is a town of city commuters (mostly middle class) with very small parcels of land. Most of these folks would call the cops if you knocked on their door asking permission to hunt or they would report you to the humane society

[Five Seasons]

fair enough, but if there is a deer population, they're bedding in some woods somewhere. I doubt they're bedding under the pool decks and in the garden sheds

[mmkay]

they are bedding along highways.  train tracks, schools and office parks.  and yes along side houses.  These deer are tame.  you can walk up to them and pet them.  I'm sure you could get a nice buck down there with a baseball bat or golf club!

Edited August 7, 2013 by mmkay

[Culvercreek hunt club]

THen if they won't give permission then let them have a barren yard. Seems pretty simple to me. If they want the population controlled there is currently only one effective way.If not they can start building fences and wrapping their shrubs in wire.   Not one tax dollar should be spent on a useless program like this.

[mmkay]

Culvercreek hunt club - I 100% agree with you.  This town needs to fund it's own solution.  You and I don't need to pay for it!!!