Deer Management Pilot Program, Including Cull, Gets OK On North Fork

SOUTHOLD, NY — A deer management pilot program proposed for Southold — one that has fierce advocates and staunch opponents, has been signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo announced Monday.

The new law, he said, is designed to combat and help reduce the impact of the region's deer population in the Town of Southold, and serve as the model, in an effort to expand the program throughout the East End of Long Island.

The plan allows for the New York State Department of Environmental Protection and Southold Town to allow deer culling by professionals in controlled circumstances, he said.

"The adoption of this legislation is a long time coming," said Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell. "From the very beginning, when I created the deer management program with former Department of Public Works Chief Jeff Standish, we knew that we could make a successful program even more effective if we had the help and support of New York State. We've now received that support and I look forward to an even more robust program.I want to thank Senator Anthony Palumbo, Assemblyman Fred Thiele and Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio for their tireless efforts to make this happen."

A controversial deer cull in Southold Town in 2014 sparked both applause and vehement opposition, including litigation, as some cried out against the killing of deer by sharpshooters.

According to Southold Town officials, an original plan was amended to focus on creation of a deer management program helmed by professionals, not recreational hunters.

The DEC and Southold's deer management group is working to put together a deer management plan, to give professionals additional tools and strategies to manage the herd, officials said.

The bill allows trained professionals with oversight from the NYS DEC to employ more aggressive management tools and strategies such as baiting (enticement) and using lights.

Unlike the original version of the bill, everything in the bill that was signed is restricted to trained professionals.

Palumbo outlined the concerns posed by deer in Southold Town.

"The region's deer population is a major concern for area farmers and residents alike. The exploding deer population causes millions of dollars in crop loss each year, has led to an increase in motor vehicle accidents and poses health risks to families due to the spread of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses," Palumbo said. "This new law, which has broad community support, will provide the Town of Southold with the tools it needs to help reduce the deer population. This program will be a benefit to the agricultural community and residents and bring balance to the region's ecosystem and protect the environment.""

Under the new law, the Town of Southold will work with the New York State DEC to ensure all guidelines are met for the taking of deer and to monitor the effectiveness of the program, he said.

Many in the community have long lauded the pilot program. In April, Arnold Blair kicked off a change.org petition, "Support the NYS Legislature's Pilot Deer Management Program in Southold Town."

"Help stop the growing public health, public safety, environmental and economic crisis caused by the out-of-control deer population on the North Fork," he wrote. "The Town of Southold is experiencing an explosion in its deer population. This has led to a startling rise in deer-vehicle accidents, tick-borne illness, and ecological devastation. Deer collisions in Southold are 2.5 times the national average, cruelly killing and maiming deer. "

Blair added that the lack of natural predators has led to a deer overpopulation, which is unmanageable with the tools currently provided by law.

"Our deer inundation has seriously inhibited forest regeneration, reduced desirable biodiversity, and destroyed property," he said. "Most laws around deer hunting were crafted at a time when deer were considered a scarce resource. Today, these strict parameters hinder attempts to effectively limit deer populations to sustainable and healthy levels."

The DEC, Blair said, has called Southold’s deer-related problems “severe,” “wide-spread” and a “threat to human health.”

Local officials lauded the legislation.

In a 2021 poll 91 percent of Southold residents said they knew someone who had a tick-bite resulting in a tick-borne disease; 94.2 percent said they wanted Southold to take action, Blair said.

"New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo and Assemblyman Fred Thiele have proposed legislation to establish a deer management pilot program in Southold Town," he wrote. " This pilot program will be under the purview of the Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC will be given full authority to issue, modify, or repeal any rules or regulations regarding the recreational deer hunting season as they deem necessary, allowing the DEC to constantly monitor the changing situation and react quickly. The Town of Southold will work alongside the DEC to develop rules and processes for the safe and effective management of the program. This should also serve as a blueprint for future partnerships between municipalities and the DEC. "

"This law is a great step forward and is something we should all be proud of," Southold Town Councilman Greg Doroski said. "Working together with local conservationists, the town's deer management task force, state elected officials on both sides of the aisle and state experts we crafted a pilot program to give us much-needed tools to start addressing the deer and tick crisis facing our community."

He added: "Our pilot received wide-spread local support: from almost 700 people who signed a change.org petition, various civic groups, local newspapers, and the Suffolk County Health Commissioner and Board of Health. The work isn’t done, but this is a great start to address the crisis. Assembly Member Thiele and State Senator Palumbo deserve our gratitude for their hard work to get this bill signed into law, as does Assembly Member Giglio who helped us draft an early version of the bill. "

The deer problem has been one of the chief complaints voiced by residents in Southold Town for more than a decade. In 2013, a crowd of almost 300 filled the Southold Town Recreation Center for a deer management forum organized to bring a multi-pronged approach to the escalating problem — demanding answers and pleading passionately for help.

One by one, they stepped up to the podium to share stories that resonated with a common theme — the havoc wreaked upon their lives by herds of deer roaming through residential neighborhoods and backyards. Stories of car accidents. Crops destroyed. Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Even death.

And a common cry was sounded: "Cull the herd."

Others have strongly opposed the program. John Di Leonardo, president and executive director of Humane Long Island, told Patch: "Nearly a decade ago, federal sharpshooters partnered with Southold officials and the Long Island Farm Bureau to wage war on deer in Southold. Their efforts failed miserably, but it appears no lesson was learned and that officials are determined to waste more tax dollars on cruel and outdated management techniques that endanger wild and human residents alike."

He added: "Pennsylvania-based Erie Insurance found that the opening day and opening Saturday of deer season are 'two of the most dangerous days to drive.' The Missouri Insurance Information Service reported that hunting is a 'major factor' in the rise in deer-vehicle collisions in the last three months of the year. When hunters turn our suburbs into war zones, terrified deer run, often onto the road."

As both an anthrozoologist and a former nuisance wildlife control operator, Di Leonardo said he feels "lethal wildlife management is not effective. The high reproductive rate of deer can quickly compensate for declines in population and deer exhibit higher productivity when they are subjected to intensive hunting. In other words, they bounce back. Survivors simply start new families with renewed vigor and plentiful food and territory."

He advocated for nonlethal management methods, such as immunocontraception, Strieter-Lite reflectors, fencing, and repellents, which he said are "truly humane and effective at managing deer long-term. And unlike hunting, none of these result in fatalities to either deer or humans."

Di Leonardo also noted that the Humane Society of the United States has said that the killing of deer will not reduce incidents of Lyme disease; instead, he advocated for avoidance of tick bites and the use of four-poster tick control devices.

To read more about the pilot program, click here.