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Village of Lansing Trustees accepted an amendment to local law Monday that will allow Village residents to hunt deer on their own property even when they are within 500 feet of their own residence.  If passed next month the legislation will amend a 2007 law that paved the way for the Village's annual deer population control program.  Firearms are prohibited, as are crossbows and other weapons.  But exceptions to the law allow long bow hunting under certain circumstances, which currently restricts hunters to stay 500 feet or more away from any residence.

"The Village only permits bow hunting," says Village Attorney David Dubow.  "Our current law prohibits any kind of hunting within the Village, but then it excepts bow hunting under certain conditions."

With bow hunting season less than a month away Village officials are looking to repeat the successful deer population control hunt of last year.  With very limited properties in the Village that meet the 500 foot rule, the program got off to a rocky start four years ago.  Last year was the first time it was somewhat effective when about 38 deer were taken in controlled bow hunts for population management on four properties.  Another 40 or so are killed in auto collisions each year, bringing last year's total for the Village to nearly 80.

If passed, the new law will allow homeowners to hunt on their own land even if the property is too small to meet the 500 foot rule.  All other DEC and Village laws and restrictions apply: hunters must have valid permits, must only hunt with long bows, and hunts must be sanctioned by the Village.  Homeowners may apply to the village for DMAP (Deer Management Assistance Program) tags that allow them to hunt for additional does, as larger landowners have done since the program began in the Village.

Additionally Trustees approved an application by Cornell Natural Resources' deep population management program to hunt on land within the Village that Cornell owns.  Both the Cornell and Village programs seek to reduce the population both to create herd sizes that can be sustained by local flora, and to help prevent devastating deforestation that the large deer population has wreaked on the area's wooded lands, fields, lawns, and gardens.

Village Trustees will hold a public hearing to consider the law on October 18th, a couple of days after bow hunting season begins.  If there is no significant public objection the amendment will likely be voted into law that evening.

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