Update: Thanks to Kris Altucher in comments, it's clear that "central Tompkins County" includes the Town of Dryden roughly south and west of the Ringwood Road intersection with Route 13. It looks like there's an extra January season "for taking of antlerless deer only".
Just when I was starting to forget that the Department of Environmental Conservation handles more than fracking regulations, I see that they're changing the hunting rules for Tompkins County:
Establishing a Deer Management Focus Area in central Tompkins County to intensify use of hunting to assist communities in the Ithaca area with the burden of overabundant deer populations. The focus area program is established to reduce total deer populations within the focus area by providing more time and more tags to hunters who can gain access to huntable land.
DEC plans to evaluate this new approach over the next several years and, depending on the results, will consider designation of other locations as deer management focus areas. More information about the focus area program, including registration forms will be available on the DEC website in September.
My main question is "huntable land" in "central Tompkins County"? There isn't a whole lot that's huntable by the usual rules. I don't know if they plan to suspend some of the rules, or if they're hoping more people will hunt in the adjacent areas (say, western Dryden) and the deer population might consider migration.
I'm sure this will add to the cranky conversations around Cayuga Heights and its efforts to deal with seemingly infinite deer. Even a lot of the land bordering "central Tompkins County" is Cornell Plantations and similarly protected land. I guess people could hunt on the research fields?
Posted by simon at July 12, 2012 10:03 PM in New York State , hunting , natural areas
Isn't this it? I'd like to see it mapped. From the DEC site linked to in the article:
1) Deer management focus area #1 - Those parts of Tompkins County beginning at the mouth of Glenwood Creek near Duboise Corner and southerly along the west shore of Cayuga Lake; thence easterly and all other variations thereof along the south shore of Cayuga Lake; thence northerly along the east shore of Cayuga Lake to the mouth of Salmon Creek near Myers; thence northeasterly along Salmon Creek to Ridge Road (34B); thence easterly along Ridge Road to Auburn Road (34B) in south Lansing; thence easterly along Auburn Road to Peruville Road near Terpening Corners; thence easterly along Peruville Road to Scofield Road in Howland Corners; thence southerly along Scofield Road to Asbury Road, thence southeasterly along Asbury Road to Dryden Road; thence easterly along Dryden Road to Hanshaw Road; thence southerly along Hanshaw Road to State Highway 13; thence easterly along State Highway 13 to Dryden Road (State Highway 13); thence easterly along Dryden Road (State Highway 13) to Ringwood Road; thence southerly and southwesterly along Ringwood Road to Ellis Hollow Creek Road; thence southerly along Ellis Hollow Creek Road to Ellis Hollow Road; thence southeasterly along Ellis Hollow Road to Slaterville Road; thence easterly along Slaterville Road to Boiceville Road; thence southerly along Boiceville Road to Valley Road; thence westerly along Valley Road to White Church Road; thence westerly and southerly along White Church Road to Caroline Depot Road; thence westerly along Caroline Depot Road to Coddington Road; thence southerly along Coddington Road to Miller Road; thence Westerly along Miller Road to Nelson Road; thence northerly and westerly along Nelson Road to Danby Road; thence northerly along Danby Road to Comfort Road; thence westerly and southerly along Comfort Road to Jersey Hill Road; thence westerly along Jersey Hill Road to King Road; thence westerly and northerly along King Road to Jersey Hill Road; thence southerly and westerly along Jersey Hill Road to Blakeslee Hill Road; thence westerly along Blakeslee Hill Road to Danby Road; thence northerly along Danby Road to Decker Road; thence northerly along Decker Road to Elmira Road; thence westerly along Elmira Road to Van Ostrand Road; thence westerly along Van Ostrand Road to Butternut Creek Road; thence southwesterly along Butternut Creek Road to Douglas Road; thence northwesterly along Douglas Road to Stone house Road; thence northwesterly along Stonehouse Road to Woodard Road; thence westerly along Woodard Road to Hines Road; thence northerly along Hines Road to Enfield Falls Road; thence northwesterly along Enfield Falls Road to Enfield Main Road; thence northerly along Enfield Main Road to Bostwick Road; thence easterly along Bostwick Road to Sheffield Road; thence northerly along Sheffield Road to Krums Corners Road; thence northerly along Krums Corners Road to Perry City Road; thence easterly along Perry City Road to Glenwood Road; thence southeasterly along Glenwood Road to Glenwood Creek; thence easterly along Glenwood Creek to the point of beginning.