As New York state officials say deer populations in and around Saratoga Spa State Park continue to increase beyond sustainable levels, they’ve proposed creating a hunting season in the park.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is looking to open a novel white-tailed deer hunting season at Saratoga Spa State Park that would run from Oct. 13 through Jan. 1.
OPRHP will use a lottery system to chose 15 applicants to provide hunting permits to, allowing them to kill one deer in the park for the entire season.
Allison Andritz, president of the nonprofit Friends of Spa State Park, was one of several dozen local residents in attendance at an information session hosted by state officials Thursday.
“I’m a big runner and avid biker, hiker and I use the park pretty much 24/7 year-round. So, safety on the trials was of the utmost importance and it sounds like all the deer hunting will be done in a completely different area than the trails that I’m running and moving on. So, that makes me happy. But it sounds like everyone can coexist and recreationally it sounds like a great opportunity,” said Andritz.
The proposal would allow hunting on a roughly 600-acre parcel of land out of the park’s 2,500 acres. State officials say there are no paths that run through the designated area and signage will be posted in advance of the hunting season. Additionally, hunters will be allowed to set up temporary tree stands for the season.
Leo Nosal has been hunting his whole life. He said he’s excited by the proposal.
“I’ve heard about it, rumors talking over the years and I’ve always encouraged it and I hope it comes to fruition and actually happens,” said Nosal.
At Thursday’s meeting, state officials said this proposal is almost a decade in the making.
While 15 deer may not seem like a lot, OPRHP says the plan is to adjust the parameters of the hunting season as needed. Nosal said you’ve got to start somewhere.
“Yeah, 15 is a starting point. You’ve got to get your feet wet before you jump in so I think it’s a good start. It’s better than doing nothing, waiting for disease, sickness, starvation to cull the deer herd as far as that goes. So, I think hunter intervention is a good starting point,” said Nosal.
Saratoga Spa State Park falls within an area of the state that officials consider to be dealing with “deer overabundance.” If not kept in check, state officials say white-tailed deer can severely damage local ecosystems.
Kristina Kline was one of a few who attended the meeting who generally opposed the proposal: she understands that too many deer can be harmful, but she’s concerned that state officials didn’t provide any hard data showing the overabundant population.
“There don’t seem to be a lot of specifics to this location as to, you know, what is the population, at what point do we know the population is causing a problem because it’s too many deer for the amount of property that we have. The only thing they could really point to, it seems, is the appearance of the impact on the undergrowth,” said Kline.
Public comment on the proposal is open through May 29. OPRHP is set to make any needed adjustments and approve the plan this summer.
