Letters

New and serious tick-borne diseases, some fatal, as well as environmental and personal property damage, and concerns about safety, mandate that the deer population be reduced, and hunting is the only proven method of doing this.

At the last meeting of the village trustees, a sober and very informative presentation and proposal was given by Michael Tessitore of the nonprofit Hunters for Deer, who are dedicated to the safe and efficient culling of deer by bow and arrow, and wish to work with the village in management of this accelerating problem. They maintain that a removal of 10 to 15 deer per square mile will reduce the tick population by 90 percent.

The hunting season begins on October 1 and runs through January 31. During that period, Hunters for Deer, if you give them access to your property, will set up a tree stand, and certified and insured bow hunters will hunt deer at sunrise and sunset, at no cost to the property owner. The tree stand is set 150 feet from any adjoining property owners who may not wish to participate. They also state that there has never been an accident where a person or a pet has been injured in Suffolk County during the time they have been bow hunting.

They take care of removal of their tree stands, documentation of deer killed and indemnification of their hunters, all of whom have gone through extensive training to hunt in environmentally sensitive areas, and have passed criminal background checks.

For this necessary health and safety remedy, all you have to do is contact them at www.huntersfordeer.org, or at 631-445-7568, to sign a state property owners consent form and to learn more about their program.

I urge everyone plagued by this problem to contact them, and for the village to support them in every way.

Joseph McLoughlinSouthampton Village