Hunting issue

[Chant]

A hunter "shooting arrows" at a deer from a tree stand is a lot less risk to your kids then your neighbor backing his car out of his driveway or you having a collision with a deer with your kids in the car.

Number of deer-car collisions in NY per year: 65,000+
Number of people shot by a bow hunter in NY per year: 0

The people complaining about this matter seem to either be ignorant of the activity they are complaining about or are faking it because they are really just anti-hunting.

The misguided bambi crowd will do all they can to prevent this from turning into a an education event for the mis-informed. That is unfortunate because urban and suburban bow hunting areas need to be expanded to control deer populations

Oh boy... agreeing with the NG.

A lot of people do not realize, that when deer over-populate the available habitat, and decimate their normal food supply, they will eat the bark off trees. Once a tree has been debarked around its entire trunk, that tree dies. Back in the early 50's, the state of Ohio cancelled their deer hunting season for just 3 years. At the end of that time, over 600,000 White-tail deer died from starvation and disease. The damage they did to their environment took 10 years to recover from - with man's help - before it could support its normal deer population again on its own.

And don't think that because you have a fenced in property that deer will not get into it to eat your landscaping and trees if they were hungry. A deer can easily jump a 8-ft fence, and they will even go under them if they find a way.

Over-populating deer are also destructive to the farm land. A single deer at night will go into a hay-field, or oat-field, or some other crop... and trample down a circle about 15 to 20 feet wide and then lay down in the middle of it. They do this so its harder for predators to sneak up on them. And they will do this every single night. Now multiply that by the number of deer in any given herd, and that is a lot of lost crops, or bales of hay, that go to feed livestock, which in turn feed us.

Controlled conservation of wildlife is necessary for a very important reason.

[4248]

As the over building of Lancaster continues - so will these type issues continue.

Soon every green space around the Walden/Genesee/Pavement area will be subdivisions. Hunting has been a sport/recreation in Lancaster for as long as Lancaster has been on the map.

Next you will hear from people in the Cross Creeks area - just as we have in the past in different parts of Lancaster.

People who came here because it was green and country like soon find that changes quickly. They don't notice the roads are marginal and there is no side walks - their so excited to see their new part of the American Dream ! Well you know the rest !

Then they move in and they start to hear gun shots - then they see people in the woods near their homes carrying rifles/shotguns and bows. Some of these people look almost military like in their camouflage cloths. OMG - whats going on - parents start to get nervous and even scared.

They aren't used to this stuff -

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Now, it's been brought up at multiple Town Board Meetings over the years - nothing new ! But nothing was done - no actions by the Board or Town Hall ! They even empanelled a few Boards to discuss the issue - yet nothing was done - no findings and the Boards dissolved without fanfare .

Its sad but unavoidable - progress has brought an end to another traditional aspect of Lancaster living. The days of hunting will soon come to a end. It will be done for "safety" concerns - it will be done because in today's world gunshots create fear in the uniformed. The media has convinced people that people in camouflage carrying guns means one thing - danger.

Everyone I know owns firearms(95% of them) - but most understand if Lancaster is to keep growing hunting will end.

Just as surely as the Indians built long Houses near where Cross Creeks Subdivision in now. Just as their way of life disappeared and was forgotten.

Progress for some bring restrictions and loss of freedoms for other.

[Save Us]

Bring back mountain lions and wolves...that should solve the problem.

[Neubs24]

just have known too many dumb ass hunters in my life and have no reason to trust a stranger to not be a dumb ass. not that hunters are any more likely to be *******es, however the fact that they are shooting arrows should increase anyone's level of concern. i did run this by a DEC officer/nature cop friend of mine who told me personally he finds it ridiculous to hunt in neighborhood like that. but, this is someone who has dealt with hunters shooting themselves/others pretty regularly

honestly if the red box is accurate, its really not bad. i had the impression he was down that whole strip of land and there are some deep backyards there with a much more narrow wooded area

The idiots are the casual hunters who only hunt gun season. Bowhunters tend to be more dedicated and serious hunters. I have never heard of an accidental shooting during bow season. Gun season offers a hunter the opportunity to get a deer from a greater distance, so idiots will shoot a "Hail Mary" at what they think is a deer, whereas a bow hunter needs the target to be within 20-30 yards generally, 40 if its an open area. So a bowhunter generally has an exact idea of what they're targeting.

[Neubs24]

The longbow hunting controversy on a narrow strip of land in a Lancaster subdivision will be the topic of a special meeting Tuesday between two town leaders and former state Assemblyman Sam Hoyt of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration.

Supervisor Johanna M. Coleman and Councilman John Abraham Jr. plan to meet with Hoyt to see what can be done to alleviate safety concerns raised by residents of Trentwood Trail in the Walden Trace subdivision, where a Buffalo man hunts with a longbow on a narrow strip of land between two subdivision streets.

Sean Petronsky of Buffalo has hunted on his 50-foot-wide-by-1,731-foot strip of land along Mohawk Place for two years but does not live on it. His hunting has upset residents who say that although it is legal, it is still too close to their homes and where their children play.

“We feel it is not a town issue, but an issue for the state Department of Environmental Conservation to address,” Coleman said Monday during the Town Board meeting. “So, we’re going to work that angle.”

Only one resident from Trentwood Trail, who has been outspoken about her concerns, attended the meeting and spoke on the issue to commend efforts by town officials to see what they could do.

The state recently shortened the required distance for longbow hunting by residences to 150 feet from the original 500 feet.

Technically, Petronsky is within his rights to shoot his longbow on his property and says he does so 30 feet up in the air from a tree stand. He has insisted he is very careful of nearby residents and uses a range finder.

After Monday’s town meeting, Abraham said he hopes to get direction from Hoyt on how to help the residents. “We are hoping the DEC could come up with a solution for these residents,” he said. “It won’t be cut-and-dried.”

The Town Board last month was eyeing a proposed local law to restrict the discharge of weapons such as longbows to within 500 feet of residences within four residential districts of the town. Many bucked that, including hunters, who attended the public hearing.

But residents of the Walden Trace subdivision were equally passionate about having special restrictions to ensure safety.

Petronsky has vowed that he won’t back down and said in an interview that he feels targeted by residents who he feels want to take away his right to hunt on his own land within state requirements.

“After the public hearing, we realized we can’t just come in and pass a local law,” Abraham said.

Coleman said the town’s objective is to try “the path of least resistance.”

email: krobinson@buffnews.com

[FisherRd]

There is just something so Nancy-boy about the non-hunting crowd. I know it's really your lack of knowledge, but it just comes across so sissy-ish.

Don't worry, the scary man with stubble on his face and a pocket knife won't embarrass you in front of your family...

[4248]

Yea - but if we do away with all the legal guns then only criminals will have them !

We can all rest easy knowing our government will protect us. Ask Geronimo !

No guns = No crime RIGHT ?

[commonsenseplease]

I'm not comfortable with hunting in a residential area. 50' isn't a heck of a lot of room. Just my opinion...

[Neubs24]

I'm not comfortable with hunting in a residential area. 50' isn't a heck of a lot of room. Just my opinion...

See previous posts showing where he is allegedly hunting... its not near the houses.

[4248]

I see who ever owns the land on the Walden end has a solution - their removing as much of the shrubs and small tress as they can.

Just keep bull dozing and building - that takes care of the pesky wild life and green space - SMART

[Neubs24]

I see who ever owns the land on the Walden end has a solution - their removing as much of the shrubs and small tress as they can.

Just keep bull dozing and building - that takes care of the pesky wild life and green space - SMART

Where is this happening because I haven't seen it?

[4248]

Take a slow ride by - look north along Walden. West of Traceway -

[Neubs24]

Take a slow ride by - look north along Walden. West of Traceway -

The property isn't along Walden (also, Walden runs East-West). Anything along Walden (closest to Juniper) is owned by Marrano. West of Traceway is way beyond where this guy hunts.