Issue #30, October 20, 2006

Hot to Trot

Deer Attend Mating Season Then Face Bows & Arrows & Shotguns

By David Lion Rattiner

Fall is the mating season for deer, which means the deer out here are going completely bananas. It is simply impossible to drive down a road now for more then ten minutes and not be forced to slow down or stop short because you see a deer or two in the road. The population of deer this year is greater then they have ever been in previous years. Because of this, especially this time of year due to the mating season, deer are more likely to dart out in front of cars in a sexual rage. The number of accidents with deer has risen over the years as well. The problem is two fold because of the amount of land that is developed and because of the failure of population control efforts. With less land to prance around in, deer are forced to prance around on developed property, and with poor population control measures, the Hamptons in the fall turns into an all-out wild deer orgy.

Southampton has noticed the problem too and the town has developed a deer management plan as they have in the past. The plan always involves hunting as part of the plan, usually just bow hunting for town owned property. This year however, the plan will also include shotguns.

That’s right, more then 700 acres of town-owned land in the eastern part of Southampton Town is going to be open to shotgun hunters. This has not been done in the past. The agreement was worked out with the State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Southampton Town Board so that shot gunners could use the same land as bow hunters during the deer-hunting season.

In any given week, the Town of East Hampton reports more then half a dozen car accidents involving deer. This is a very high number, considering that just ten years ago, hearing about an accident involving a deer was considered extremely rare. Now, even athletes have to be cautious. Three weeks ago, Joe Flanagan of New York City was competing in the Might Montauk Triathlon racing his bicycle. A deer collided with his bike and sent him flying forward. He crashed right on his head; fortunately, he was wearing a helmet. “It saved my life,” he said at the race.

The shotgun season for deer hunting starts on the first Monday after the first Saturday in January and runs through the last weekday of January. You can only hunt on weekdays. So the question is, where are the shot gunners going to be?

You don’t have to worry about walking into your backyard in January to find a hunter in full camouflage stalking a deer drinking water out of your pool. Although this may be a welcome thought for some, the locations are vast areas of land with very few residential homes. Also, in most cases, only about two shotgun hunters are allowed for every 70 acres of land or so. The maximum number of shotgun hunters allowable under even the largest plots of land is 4. Hunters know not to go hunting in certain areas because of designated parking spaces for hunters. If you see a camouflaged Ford F-150 in the spot, you move on.

However, you still might want to be a little cautious when walking through the 100 acres in Sagaponack Woods, just west of Town Line Road and the 100 acres east of Millstone Road in Noyac. You also might want to watch out when hanging out north of Sebonac Road in Tuckahoe, west of Millstone Brook Road in the Scallop Pond Preserve and the 100 acres north of White’s Lane in Tuckahoe. It’s not a bad idea to make orange your fall color of choice if you live near these areas.

Although it may sound strange, hunters have a reputation in the Hamptons for being very respectful of the land in the area and are very quick to report vandalism or illegal activity on town-owned land. The men and women that shoot the animals have the future in mind and obey the laws that are set for them.

As for the deer, they may be in trouble in January, but for now they are having the time of their lives. Police advise everyone to drive slowly, especially at night when the deer get super hot and heavy. Having some good luck while driving also helps a bit too.

If you are like me, you may have gone through a transitional period recently when it comes to deer. Last year, when you saw a deer, you pulled over to have a look, told your friends in your car how beautiful they are and had visions of Bambi in your head. This year however, you wish the town would make shotgun hunting for deer on 27 legal and that venison was served in restaurants.