Deadline Looms for Special Deer Season Permits

The special shotgun season for deer hunting in Suffolk County starts January 3, 2016, the state Department of Environmental Conservations (DEC) announced last week. Hunters must enter a drawing to hunt for deer on DEC managed lands during the firearms season by November 30.

“Hunting on Long Island has been a long-standing tradition, enabling hunters to harvest food for their families as well as control deer population numbers that, if left unchecked, can be damaging to people’s health and property,” said Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos. “DEC’s recent updated deer hunting regulations in Suffolk County further allow hunters to control these populations by expanding access to properties and increasing the number of hunting days. We are excited for these new opportunities and wish all hunters a safe and successful season.”

Over the past several years, changes have been made to existing laws and regulations expanding opportunity for hunters. These changes have been implemented to help increase recreational deer harvests to manage increasing deer populations in Suffolk County. Overpopulations of deer have the ability to negatively impact natural habitats along with agricultural, public and private properties, according to the DEC. Public health can also be affected in the forms of automobile/deer collisions and tick-borne diseases, the agency reports.

In 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation expanding the use of archery and firearms deer hunting seasons in Suffolk County. The regular (bow-hunting) season for deer in Suffolk County now runs through January 31. The 2016 firearms deer season in Suffolk County will begin Sunday, January 3 and continue until Sunday, January 31, including weekends. Town permits are now only required in the towns of Southampton, Islip and Smithtown.

DEC regulations require that lands eligible for firearms deer hunting must be at least 10 acres in size, and hunters must possess a valid big game hunting license, a signed landowner’s endorsement and a town permit where required. Deer may be taken only by shotgun, using a single ball or slug, or by a muzzleloading rifle or pistol. Crossbows are not a legal hunting instrument in Suffolk County.

The following state managed properties will be open for shotgun deer hunting from January 3 to January 31: Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area; Westhampton Dwarf Pine Plains Preserve; Henrys Hollow Pine Barrens State Forest; Barcelona Neck Cooperative Hunting Area; David Sarnoff Cooperative Hunting Area; and Otis Pike Preserve.

The East Hampton Cooperative Area and Noyac (part of the Southampton Cooperative Areas) will be open for firearms deer hunting from Jan. 4 – 31; weekdays only.

To hunt for deer on DEC managed lands during the firearms season, hunters must enter a drawing by November 30. For more information, call (631) 444-0249 or email Aphrodite.montalvo@dec.ny.gov.