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Trustee John O'Neill reported on a plan Monday that could reduce the deer population in the Village of Lansing later this year.  Deer overpopulation running to an estimated 80-90 deer per square mile in 2002, with more now, has plagued the Village.  Deer have caused about 35 automobile collisions per year and untold damage to plants and trees throughout the municipality.  Village officials have explored options over the past several months, and have learned that a controlled hunt is the only option available to them.  "I had a conversation with (DEC representative) Dave Richlman and things will keep going forward," O'Neill said.  "I think we can make this happen."


In February Richlman and Curt Armstrong of the Cortland NYS office of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) presented information to the Trustees about the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), which allows landowners additional deer tags which they can pass on to licensed hunters they are willing to allow on their property.  At that time they explained that trapping deer is prevented by law, making it impossible to trap them in order to sterilize the animals.  They also noted that because of concerns about chronic wasting disease, tuberculosis, and other diseases make relocating the deer undesirable.

Experiences of municipalities around the state bear out the conclusion that culling is the best way to control the deer population.  When officials in Irondiquoit, on Lake Ontario north of Rochester, banned deer hunting the population there soared.  An estimated 500 deer overran the town, exhausting food sources.  Over a period of four years they spent $25,000 inoculating deer with birth control serums, but the plan was not effective.


That leaves a controlled hunt as the only effective solution.  But Trustees know they will have to address humanitarian concerns that some Village residents may have.  "I'm not comfortable with the idea that we're killing these deer because they're annoying me," said Trustee Frank Moore.  "It is species arrogance when we do that."

Moore said the Village would have to carefully control the hunt with a police presence, and authoritatively assure residents that the carcasses would be properly disposed of.  "I would want to see that regulated in some way that the public be assured that the carcasses have a valid use," Moore said.  "Any deer that's killed should be accounted for in terms of its meat.  You know there would be a certain amount of concern about the humanitarian aspects of this.  The answer to that is that this meat is going to be used to feed children.  We're going to control the fact that this is what is going to happen.  I think that's going to be an important issue for the political side."

With Carla Marceau the only member of the public attending the meeting, O'Neill asked how she would feel about a deer hunt in the Village.  "I think every shrub in my lawn would vote for it enthusiastically," Marceau  said.  "Especially after last winter.  It was really bad."

O'Neill said that he is exploring the idea of a controlled hunt on many fronts.  He has approached the owner of Sundown Farm and plans to contact the LBH Archery Club, a bowhunters club in Lansing.  But before contacting hunters O'Neill says there is a lot of work yet to do.  "I didn't want to get in touch with them until the process is in place,' he said.  He also noted that the Village should proceed slowly with a small group in the first year to work out the snags in the process.  "In the first year we should keep to one club and one landowner," he said.  "Start small and see how it goes.  There's a lot to iron out."


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