2023 Hunting Season

[Descant]

In the Long Island situation (1996) there was a plan and a hired shooter. Hunt at night when the deer are active, use a silencer to not scare the deer and take several at once, meat goes to homeless, etc. Probably baited to a desired location. Without a plan, one island may still be overstocked and another lose the herd completely.
A special permit was mentioned above. Any details on that? Maybe that's the "plan"?

[DickR]

Originally Posted by Descant

In the Long Island situation (1996) there was a plan and a hired shooter...
A special permit was mentioned above. Any details on that? Maybe that's the "plan"?

My understanding is that it was tried one year, but that it wasn't effective enough, and so was not continued. That's when the bow hunting was instituted, and that has been effective. Before the program, the "browse line" of where deer had eaten everything on the ground and as far up as they could reach allowed one to see quite far through the woods, compared to off-island, where one could see just 50-100' into the woods. Now, things have improved dramatically.

[SAB1]

I have no problem with hunting the islands but it should be archery only. Yes deer multiply quickly and need to be culled to protect the forest. Permission from landowner should be required on private land

[John Mercier]

If the landowner legally posts it... then permission is required like any other property in the State.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by DickR

My understanding is that it was tried one year, but that it wasn't effective enough, and so was not continued. That's when the bow hunting was instituted, and that has been effective. Before the program, the "browse line" of where deer had eaten everything on the ground and as far up as they could reach allowed one to see quite far through the woods, compared to off-island, where one could see just 50-100' into the woods. Now, things have improved dramatically.

Couple of thoughts:

1) "Browse lines" exist where trees are cut down, opening up the forest. Most recent wide-scale cuts are for "self-storage" sites and electric "grid". Cutting "nuisance trees", like White Pines, propagates year-round "browse".

2) Overpopulation will occur when only male deer are selected for "harvesting". There will always be other males to contribute to overpopulation. There should be a bounty offered on female deer. Does that make sense?

[tis]

I think it's dangerous on the islands except maybe the biggest ones. What is the law? You can't shoot within 300' of houses?

[Patofnaud]

Correct.

300 ft from houses and you need to know what is behind your target (yes that includes boats in the cove).