Redding moves to cull deer

Redding aims to expand deer hunt

Report on first-ever controlled hunt on town's land expected to be released in March

By Susan Tuz The News-Times Feb 22, 07

REDDING -- The Redding Conservation Commission will continue to hold controlled deer hunts in town for the next several years.

"We're looking at this as a long-term project," the commission chairman David Pattee said.

Pattee hasn't yet seen the report on the results of the hunt, but Ralph Mancini, assistant deer warden for Redding, said that the final count of deer harvested was 100.

Mancini will give his report on the town's first-ever controlled hunt to the conservation commission in March.

"It was a bow and arrow hunt, exclusively on town-owned land, Conservation Commission-controlled open space land, and some land (that) was opened by Aquarian Water Co."

About 1,000 acres of land was opened for the hunt, which started Sept. 15 in some places and mid-October in others. Mancini hopes to double the acreage for the 2007-08 hunt.

"I think it was extremely successful," Mancini said. "I've discussed the numbers with the Department of Environmental Protection and they felt it was a very successful first year."

Dave Sanford, the deer warden who supervised the hunt, fell ill and died in January. First Selectman Natalie Ketcham said he had done an "outstanding job" supervising the hunt.

Pattee said he is "looking forward to the report on the outcome of the hunt. Hopefully the number of deer taken will be significant, so we can look forward to restoring our forest lands."

"It was becoming obvious that there was no young growth near the forest floor," Pattee said.

Those taking part in Redding's controlled hunt were screened beforehand.

Howard Kilpatrick, DEP wildlife biologist, said Wednesday that opening up parcels for hunts is the answer to Fairfield County's overpopulation of deer.

"The fact that they took 100 deer on land where the deer had been protected, with no hunting allowed for years, is a huge step in the right direction to controlling the deer population," Kilpatrick said.

But for Redding resident Lynn Gorfinkle, the hunt was wrong. She cited studies that showed decreasing deer herd numbers in small areas only increased the food source for remaining deer, thus increasing fawn births in the coming spring.

She also questions whether a deer overpopulation exists in Fairfield County.

"I live in Redding. I don't see that many deer," Gorfinkle said. "On the Web sites, I see hunters asking where all the deer are. I believe there were never as many deer as these towns are citing exist."

Contact Susan Tuz at stuz@newstimes.com http://web.archive.org/web/20070312205510/http://www.newstimeslive.com/news/story.php?id=1032038&category=Local&kword=deer&searchtype=AND

As of Tuesday, Dec. 19, 80 deer had been taken in Redding, which allows hunting on approximately 1,000 acres of conservation land, he said. The Redding hunters use bows and arrows, and that season runs from September through January.

Donations sought to process venison

With a few donations to cover the cost of butchering, more local deer meat could go to local food pantries, according to Jennifer Urquhart, a member of the First Church of Christ Congregational in Redding.

Ms. Urquhart is on the church?s outreach interface board. The church calls its deer meat project Venison for the Hungry. ?This is the forth year we have been doing this,? Ms. Urrquhart said Tuesday.

She has been working with The Devil?s Den Preserve, where the Nature Conservancy pays for the processing of venison from its controlled hunts so that that meat can stay in Connecticut. The meat is processed and packaged into labeled five-pound portions.

Ms. Urquhart?s group of volunteers at the Congregational Church makes some of the meat into soup and chili and freezes it before distribution. She delivers it to area food pantries and banks such as the Redding Food Pantry, the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen, Harmony House and Shelter of the Cross, all in Danbury.

She said she is open to other facilities and to individual families in need. People with additional suggestions as to where the meat can go should e-mail her at Urquhart@optonline.net , she said.

Each year, Devil?s Den donates about 30 deer, equaling about a half a ton of meat, according to Ms. Urquhart, who has also offered her assistance to the Redding Deer Management effort. However, financial donations are required to pay for the initial processing. Contributions can be sent to Gail Schiron, director of human services, at the Redding Community Center.

The Devil?s Den hunts ended on Dec. 5, but there is still a need for local venison in local food pantries, Ms. Urquhart said.

According to Georgina Scholl, Redding?s municipal representative on the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management Alliance, contributing toward the cost of processing venison is a valuable contribution to the local effort to control the deer population.

It allows a person whose property is not suitable for hunting to do something to help reduce Lyme disease and woodland deer damage, she said. It also allows hunters to concentrate on hunting instead of having to stop and do the processing themselves.

A $30 tax-deductible donation provides enough venison for 100 meals. A $60 tax-deductible donation will cover the processing costs for an entire deer, which will provide 200 meals, Ms. Scholl said.

For those wishing to donate, checks payable to: Department of Human Services, can be sent to Gail Schiron, Director of Human Services, Redding Community Center, 37 Lonetown Road, Redding, CT 06875.

Oct 12, 2006
Deer management:
Hunt to begin on town land

by SUSAN WOLF and MAR WALKER

David Sanford, the town?s deer warden, has announced there will be a deer management archery hunt on Redding town land starting on Oct. 14.

The hunt is open only to hunters selected by the town?s Forest Management Committee, he said, and these hunters are all licensed, have had background checks, and are registered with the police department. Mr. Sanford stressed on Tuesday that only bowhunting is being allowed.

In a press release, Mr. Sanford said the program will follow the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) hunting regulations, except it will start later (statewide archery hunting began Sept. 15) and continue through Jan. 31, 2007. Hunting hours will start from one-half hour before sunrise and end at sunset Monday through Saturday during this period. No hunting is permitted on Sundays.

Several requirements have been imposed to address safety issues, Mr. Sanford said. All hunters participating in the program have completed the DEP?s Connecticut Conservation Education Bowhunter Safety Training Course, or its equivalent. In addition, all hunters will be hunting from tree stands. ?This ensures a downward shot, causing the arrow to penetrate into the ground and eliminating further travel,? the release said.

Where

Bowhunting will be allowed in town-owned open spaces at 142 Gallows Hill Road, 113 Limekiln Road, the Old Edwards Farm at Sunset Hill Road and Black Rock Turnpike, and 100 Cross Highway, said Mr. Sanford. There are two other areas where bowhunting will be allowed. These are areas that abut Aquarion Water Company land and have no open space trails on them, said Mr. Sanford.

Mr. Sanford said hunting is also being allowed on the Kruger property on Stage Coach Road through the Nature Conservancy. As on the town-owned land, only selected hunters may hunt on this land. All of the homeowners here have been notified and the area will be posted, said Mr. Sanford.

All abutting landowners have been notified of the hunt, said Mr. Sanford. He also said hunters will have pink dashboard permits in their vehicles. The trails in the open space land will be marked and the property posted to alert visitors about the deer hunt.

According to the release, the deer management program is aimed at protecting the ecosystem and watersheds. It states the DEP?s wildlife officials ?have documented a spiraling deer population in Fairfield County. Overbrowsing by deer is impacting tree regeneration, resulting in an eventually fatal loss of vegetation and increased potential for soil erosion within the watersheds. These conditions adversely impact the long-term conditions of the ecosystem and the quality of untreated water supplies ...?

Mr. Sanford also noted that the forests play ?an important role in maintaining water quality.? The deer management effort will reduce the deer herd and protect the forest ecosystem and water quality, he said. It ?is likely that deer-vehicle collisions in the area will decrease, and the deer damage to landscape plantings will be reduced,? Mr. Sanford said.

The health of the forests is not the only thing at risk, said Mr. Sanford. ?Lyme disease affects hundreds of people, primarily children and the elderly, in Fairfield County every year. Health experts in the field have concluded that the best way to break the vicious Lyme disease cycle and to check the potentially crippling disease is to reduce deer herds to a number within the recommendations of the DEP.?

Those with questions or concerns about the town?s deer management program may call the deer warden?s office at 948-2844.

Discussion

At the Conservation Commission?s Oct. 3 meeting, commissioners heard a report of the hunting plan from Ralph Mancini of the Forest Management Committee. Though commissioners voted to approve the plan at the end of the meeting, some commissioners took issue with it.

Commissioner Fred Schroeder objected to hunting without closing off the trails.

?This is not what we originally talked about,? Mr. Schroeder said, adding that he was not against the hunting on town properties, just the methodology. He reported getting calls from mothers who were concerned about the hunt.

?I thought we would close an area for a month and involve a bunch of hunters,? he said.

Mr. Mancini said that although the committee had discussed this quite a bit, eventually they felt that because it was bowhunting from elevated blinds, which he said has a very good safety record, the committee decided to proceed as proposed. He cited other organizations where trails were kept open while bowhunting from blinds was in progress. The Forest Management Committee said red signs would be placed at the trailheads, and hunters would place large signs on the dashboards of their cars at the property entrances, so hikers would know someone was hunting there.

?We are going to assign a limited number of hunters to each property. They will have directions to stay away from trails and dwellings,? Mr. Mancini said. Mr. Mancini said in bowhunting from elevated stands, all shots that miss their targets travel downward into the ground.

Commission Chairman David Pattee told the commission he had met with Mr. Sanford and with First Selectman Natalie Ketcham. He said the hunters would be quite motivated to locate themselves away from trails since hikers crashing about would scare the deer away. He, too, referred to the large, red signs that state, Notice ? Controlled Bowhunting Area.?

Commissioner Joseph Beres wondered if the hunt would achieve its goals of reducing the deer and tick populations.

?The estimates of the number of deer vary and public property is a small percentage,? Mr. Mancini said. He said the committee hoped to bring several hundred private properties around town into play besides the town-owned and Nature Conservancy-owned properties.

Redding moves to cull deer

Town approves hunt to reduce population

By Susan Tuz THE NEWS-TIMES

REDDING ? Hunters with bows and arrows will be brought to Redding before the year's end to kill off some of the town's deer.

Town officials say they must take aggressive action to reduce the herd because deer are damaging forests with their eating habits, carrying the tick that causes Lyme disease and getting hit by motor vehicles in growing numbers.

"It is hoped that by culling the deer number back, we will see a reduction in these areas," said First Selectman Natalie Ketcham.

Proposals to thin the deer population in neighboring Ridgefield caused widespread controversy. The town ultimately decided on a hunt, which hasn't been carried out yet, partly because there has been continued opposition to it.

The Redding decision came after a year of study by the town's Conservation Commission.

No date has as yet been set for the hunt, but it will be a bow hunt only and will take place this year, Ketcham said. The hunt will take place only on property owned by the town or jointly owned by the town and the Nature Conservancy.

Ketcham named Dave Sanford as the town's deer warden and he will oversee the hunt. Sanford, who was on the committee that studied the deer situation, is a senior instructor with the state Department of Environmental Protection and specializes in wildlife conservation and bow and gun safety.

He also belongs to the International Hunter Education Association and is a lifetime Redding resident.

Sanford will interview and select qualified hunters. He will also help choose the parcels where they will hunt.

"All hunting will be done from elevated tree stands with shots aimed downward, making the hunt as safe as possible," Sanford said. "The hunters will be qualified, certified and responsible. The hunting will be on a limited basis with a minimum of hunters."

Sanford said he will come up with other safeguards by looking at other towns that have had successful controlled hunts.

"This isn't trophy hunting," Sanford said. "Meat harvested not taken for personal use by the hunters will be donated to Hunters for the Hungry, a state level organization that provides food to the needy."

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Hunter to chair new deer panel

By Susan Tuz THE NEWS-TIMES

RIDGEFIELD ? Tom Belote is Mr. White-tailed Deer for Ridgefield.

Belote is chairman of the Fairfield County Deer Management Alliance, and co-chairman of Ridgefield's Deer Committee.

For the past year, Belote has been a tireless advocate for finding solutions to Fairfield County's problem with an overpopulation of white-tailed deer.

Now, the board of selectman has named Belote chairman of the Deer Management Implementation Committee, which will take the next steps in Ridgefield's attempt to bring the population of white-tailed deer to a manageable number. Belote favors a controlled hunt, as does the town's 19-member deer committee.

Belote is an avid outdoorsman. He is both a hunter and a fly-fisherman who has fished in Alaska, Montana and the Florida Keys.

As a sportsman, Belote believes he brings a heightened awareness of the ecological balance that must be achieved for a healthy environment for both humans and deer.

"I practice catch and release when I fish, except when I'm hungry," Belote said. "I don't kill anything that I'm not going to eat."

He said his view is that humans caused the problems that led to conflicts with deer ? the spread of Lyme disease, destruction of natural environment, and auto/deer collisions ? and humans need to bring nature back into balance.

"It is essential that humans try to put things back in order," Belote said. "If you take the position that culling of white-tailed deer is a deer management tool that we're going to employ, being a hunter gives you an essential perspective on how the municipality can carry out a safe and effective controlled hunt to restore the balance."

A lawyer who has traveled the globe as a special attorney for the United States Department of Justice, Belote has always maintained a home base in Ridgefield, the town where he grew up. He now has a law firm in town, Belote & Belote.

As chairman of the Fairfield County Deer Management Alliance, he has led that group as it serves as an umbrella organization for local deer management operations in Fairfield County towns. The group lobbies for state legislation and regulation that promote "intelligent" deer management practices.

It supports the drive to extend the hunting season, implement Sunday hunting, and get more state money for more conservation officers in the Department of Environmental Protection.

Belote has not become a deer expert without help.

He has worked closely with Georgina Scholl of Redding and Pat Sesto, a scientist from Ridgefield who is director of environmental affairs in the town of Wilton.

"Georgina and Pat are extremely knowledgeable about issues regarding deer overpopulation," Belote said.

Belote is also close friends with Dave Sanford, the recently named deer warden in Redding, where a controlled hunt has been authorized by First Selectman Natalie Ketcham.

"You will see coordination between Ridgefield and Redding as well as with Pat Sesto's group in Wilton," Belote said. "Redding will allow hunters to take what venison they want and then donate the rest. If a controlled hunt is authorized by the selectmen in Ridgefield, as in Redding and in Wilton, if hunters are not taking venison for their own use, it will also be donated."

Belote will be joined on Ridgefield's Deer Management Implementation Committee by Major John Roche of the Ridgefield Police Department; Sid Kelly, who was also on the Deer Committee and is a member of the Ridgefield Land Conservancy Trust; Stefano Zandri of Ridgefield who participated in Wilton's controlled hunt as a hunter; and Richard Douville, who has lived in Ridgefield for two years and participated in his previous New Jersey town in its controlled hunts both as a landowner and a hunter.

The first meeting of the Deer Management Implementation Committee will be Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in the small conference room in Ridgefield's Town Hall, 400 Main St.

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