Deer in the southeast part of Genesee County have figured out that if they hide out in the county park they are not going to get shot at, which has led to an overpopulation of deer in the park, causing problems for the county's forestry management efforts.
County officials are considering -- and the discussion is still in early stages -- allowing a limited number of hunters to hunt deer in a portion of the park during bow hunting season.
"We're still working on the actual nuts-and-bolts details of the plan," said Tim Hens, county superintendent of highways. "It hasn't even been presented to the parks advisory committee yet, but I can tell you it would be very limited in nature in terms of not being through the entire park. It would be limited to specific areas of the park to avoid obvious conflicts with bicyclists and hikers and horseback riders and everything else that goes on down there. It is a multi-use park and the safety of everybody is obviously paramount."
The County Park covers about one square mile in Bethany. It was established in 1915 as the first county park in New York. The land was purchased in 1882 in order to procure cooking and heating wood for what was then the county poorhouse. Various efforts to plant trees in the park took place over the next two decades, and by 1935 nearly 170,000 tress had been planted.
The deer hunting plan is being drafted by an ad-hoc committee comprised of the parks supervisor, affiliated agencies like the Department of Environmental Conservation, wildlife and forestry experts, and members of the Genesee County Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee.
The plan would be presented to the advisory committee when completed and if the committee approves it, it would still need approval by the County Legislature.
"Speaking in very general terms, the initial concept calls for a fee-based lottery draw for hunters who will have access to limited regions within the park for limited period of time during regular bow season," Hens said. "Hunting will be bow-only. Focus will be on deer management and there will be an initial emphasis with disabled vets and youth hunts."
The hunt would likely take place for more than one season, Hens said, but whether it became a perpetual event would depend on how successful it was at knocking down the deer population in the park. Letchworth, which is significantly larger, has an annual deer hunt for the same reason, but since the county park is smaller, an annual hunt may not be necessary.
Hens said the ad-hoc committee is interested in community feedback on the proposal and there will be a public information meeting on the plan before it is presented to the Legislature.
"Deer in the southeast part
"Deer in the southeast part of Genesee County have figured out that if they hide out in the county park they are not going to get shot at ..."
Ha ha! Howard, sometimes you crack me up. Just wondering how many deer you had to poll to get THAT reason for them congregating in the park (and, how many of them skewed the poll, just to throw you off).
None of the deer have come
None of the deer have come forward to contradict the statement.
Or, maybe my skepticism comes
Or, maybe my skepticism comes from learning through the years to be very wary of the answers from someone I call "Deer" (sp).
I would hunt there.
I would hunt there.
wouldn't it be a great spot
wouldn't it be a great spot for the youth weekend? In an environment that encourages learning about nature. Just a thought.
I don't know how that would
I don't know how that would work with the Youth weekend. Shotguns/rifles in the county park?
Jason, who said there would
Jason, who said there would be firearms? This is for bows, and in a limited area.
The youth weekend is a
The youth weekend is a weekend during bow season every year in which 14-15 year olds may use a gun to take a deer as long as they are mentored by an adult hunter.
I was responding directly to Sheryl, not commenting on the proposal as a whole.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/46245.html
Sorry my mistake. I wouldn't
Sorry my mistake. I wouldn't want them running around with shotguns in the county park. It would be a good idea for them with a bow though.
No worries. For the record,
No worries. For the record, I would 100% support some youth hunting activities in Genesee County Park, should they open it to bowhunting next year.
I just thought it was worth pointing out that the youth weekend is an established event that includes firearm hunting and that the article specifically stated bowhunting only.
There are 3 compelling
There are 3 compelling reasons to reduce the overpopulation of deer:
1.) allowing overpopulations in areas that cannot naturally sustain them is more inhumane than a controlled harvest.
2.) overpopulations are extremely expensive in terms of property damage and insurance claims...I've hit 8 over the last 30 years, one even sheered off the preventative "deer whistles", I don't care to hit another.
3.) they are a delicious, low fat alternative to beef.
". . .one even sheered off
". . .one even sheered off the preventative "deer whistles","
Are those effective, Jeff? What I've heard has been contradictory.
I say we invite all the local
I say we invite all the local SWAT cops on a Saturday. They can canvass the park from one end to the other while using flash grenades and fully automatic weapons that are in fact assault weapons, and wipe those pesky deer off the face of Genesee county. These men and women have been trained and could become even more qualified after one of these exercises in animal annihilation.
Folks there is a population problem with feral cats too.
Totally ineffective if you
Totally ineffective if you use my experience. Don't even know if they sell them anymore.
Thanks , Jeff.
Thanks , Jeff.
Scott. I remember when that
Scott. I remember when that question was asked of the Monroe County Sheriff' Dept, @ 30 years ago. Their reply was that they had no "hard" evidence, one way or the other, but, the Sheriff's dept. had experienced (something like) a 50% decrease in deputy car/deer collisions after they started using them. Not much to go on, there.
Let's face it. The only ones that could tell you for sure are the deer themselves, and, as Howard pointed out, they ain't talkin'.
I never put much store in them, but, I never hit a deer wth any car I put them on. Hell, for $5, I figured they couldn't hurt.
That's interesting from
That's interesting from the Sheriff's Dept. But disappointing if even they couldn't get the deer to talk. Who knew deer embrace Omerta? I'm with you on the $5 investment -- where's the harm. If you can find 'em.