Few Deer Killed By Hunters

The first controlled hunt has resulted in four fewer deer in town. Animal control officer Mary Ann Kleinschmitt attributed the low number to the hunters’ truncated season. Two bow-hunters started hunting deer on the on watershed property near Oenoke Ridge and Michigan Road toward the end of the season, which runs from mid-September through Jan. 31. Hunters on the property, which is owned by South Norwalk Electrical and Water, started Dec. 15., leaving them eight weeks to hunt.

Kleinschmitt informed the Deer Committee of the town’s hunting tally at the committee’s meeting last week.

Kleinschmitt estimated a total reduction of 200 deer in town. She confirmed 88 of those kills through reports from hunters.

“There are hunters out there hunting on private property. Two hundred is just a guesstimate because I do know some properties with hunters on them,” Kleinschmitt told the News~Review.

She said there are roughly between 1,500 to 1,700 deer in town, based on an aerial survey conducted four years ago.

The controlled hunt started late because of the time it took to get the necessary state approvals. SNEW needed the OK from the state Department of Public Health because of the proximity to the drinking water reservoir. The hunters were required to keep dead dear away from the reservoir and field dress them off the property.

The controlled hunt allowed only two bow-hunters who could hunt from sunrise to sunset Monday through Saturday, except during school vacations. They were required to check in and out with the Police Department. State hunting laws applied as well.

The Deer Committee worked with SNEW to arrange the controlled hunt, which didn’t require town approval because the hunting took place on water company property. SNEW informed neighbors before the hunt. The Deer Committee reported that none raised any objections.

Residents can allow hunting on their private property. Bow-hunters can hunt on property of any size, as long as they work at least 500 feet away from any dwelling. They can hunt Monday through Saturday from dawn to dusk. They often work out an arrangement with the homeowner.

The landowner must give written permission and the hunter must have a valid archery license. Kleinschmitt said she does not recommend hunts in dense areas or near a school.

Gun hunting requires 10 acres of land. Neighbors can agree to combine their properties for such a hunt.

Kleinschmitt manages a list of hunters and pairs them with residents who want to host a bow-hunter during the season. However, property owners do not have to go through her office to get a hunter. Kleinschmitt said several residents seek out a bow-hunter on their own, and she only gets tallies from hunters she sets up with residents.

Hunters can donate the venison to food banks, but Kleinschmitt said most keep meat for themselves.

“That’s why they’re out there hunting,” she said.