Aurora, NY (WBEN) The town of Aurora recently posted on social media it's looking for the input from residents on whether to move forward with a bait and shoot program to control the deer population.
Deputy Supervisor Joe McCann says he's been approached over the years by a number of residents who have concerns about both tick-borne illness, deforestation, and car-deer accidents. "The primary driver is the tick-borne illnesses and deforestation," says McCann. He says the town tried something last year. "We did participate in New York State DEC's DMAP program, which essentially gave us access to unlimited doe permits last season, and we just didn't get enough response. We only had three additional doe reported as having been taken, which isn't sufficient to make any sort of dent in the population." He says the problem with that program with any skill a hunter can get three or four permits as it is. "The number of hunters out there that are looking to take five or six deer are few and far between. That's a lot of venison, so that's when we realized we needed to sort of take it to the next level to make a real impact in our deer population," adds McCann.
He says the response has been mixed. "I understand this is an emotional issue. We're not fond of doing it. The idea of culling deer isn't isn't on anybody's sort of bucket list, but so I'd say it's been mixed. Those that are responding negatively are, as you would understand opposed to the killing of any wildlife, any any creatures. Those that are responding in favor are telling us stories about themselves and loved ones that have been affected by Lyme disease, which seems to be the primary focus. My personal focus is also just as much on the deforestation, but the Lyme disease seems to be the thing that's really hitting home. It's important to note, though, deer do not give ticks Lyme disease, and therefore don't transmit Lyme disease. But they do act as a super highway for the ticks to spread throughout our community," says McCann.
He says an issue in controlling the deer population naturally is a lack of predators. "Obviously, folks don't want to live around bobcats, and I don't know if there are ever wolves in our area, but predators like that. So, if the deer have no predators, and combined with the mild winters we've been experiencing, there's nothing to sort of naturally cull the deer population. And as you probably know, does typically have twins every year, so you don't have to go very far to realize how what kind of population explosion you can have with that kind of situation," notes McCann.
There is no time limit, so anyone with thoughts is encouraged to email deer@townofaurorany.gov.
DMAP program had little response according to deputy supervisor
DMAP program had little response according to deputy supervisor
