View Finder: Deer Sightings Around West Islip This Winter

This winter, West Islip residents are seeing more deer around the town than in the past years.

One park officer on Fire Island said, "there are just so many these days and they are friendly. People feed them and leave garbage behind so now the deer pretty much walk right up to the cars. And to make the situation even worse, the drivers of these cars aren't seeing them!" 

The seemingly ever-growing population of white-tailed deer around Long Island brings many hobbyist hunters to the area.

One West Islip resident, Robyn M. said, "my husband used to hunt deer around Long Island but stopped. Last season the deer he shot was loaded with ticks and mange. When his deer was loaded and examined for preparation we found out its stomach was full of pine needles! Apparently, deer only eat pine needles out of starvation and obtain no nutritional value required for healthy survival."