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Rye Shoots Down Bow Hunting Idea To Deal With Deer

RYE, N.Y. -- Rye has decided not to go ahead with a proposed bow hunting program to cull its deer population. 

Rye will not be moving forward with a proposed plan to control deer overpopulation using bow hunters.

Rye will not be moving forward with a proposed plan to control deer overpopulation using bow hunters.

Photo Credit: File Photo

The city had considered partnering with Westchester County to use bow hunters to hunt deer at the Jay Heritage Center and the Marshlands Conservancy, in the hope that it would reduce overpopulation.

The city is stepping back and will not go through that program, City Council member Catherine Parker said at the last council meeting. There were concerns that the bow hunting program could make the deer overpopulation in the nearby Greenhaven neighborhood worse, rather than better.

The city will take a step back and will likely implement a program that involves more research into how large the deer population is and where deer would go, Parker said. One possible solution mention would be a contraceptive program similar to the one being used in Hastings-on-Hudson.

Rye is looking for partners to share in a flyover program, in which infrared equipment would be used to map deer population and determine where it is most dense, according to City Manager Scott Pickup. Based on that knowledge the city would devise solutions on how to deal with specific populations and densities.

The research would likely cost $10,000 to $20,000, Pickup said. A new plan is expected to be brought before the City Council before the summer.

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