BUSTI - In order to better manage the deer population in the town of Busti, more may be killed this upcoming hunting season.
Jesse Robbins, Busti supervisor, said town officials have filed a deer management assistance program application with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. If the application is accepted, special permits will be issued to licensed hunters to possibly kill additional deer - besides what state law already allows - during the open hunting season. Only deer without antlers or having antlers measuring less than three inches in length can be taken with the special permits, according to the DEC's website.
Robbins said under the deer management assistance program, a specific block of land in the town will be designated as the site where hunters may harvest additional deer. Town officials have requested the area east of Wellman Road to Trask Road and from Baker Street south to Cowing Road to be the region where additional deer can be harvested.
Robbins said land owners in this area may apply to receive a permit to harvest an extra deer during hunting season. Also, people who don't live in the specified area may receive a special permit if they have written permission from a land owner in the designated region. If permits are issued by the DEC, town officials haven't decided yet on how they will be issued to hunters.
The supervisor said they have asked for the permits to lessen the population of deer, which cause a problem with public safety with vehicle accidents and anger property owners by destroying trees and shrubbery.
''The theory is there will be less deer,'' Robbins said if more are harvested during hunting season. ''Because, right now, deer are just everywhere.''
Robbins said it is determined by DEC officials how many permits will be issued. The application for the permits was due Sept. 1.
Last year, Busti officials discussed applying for the special permits. They didn't because time was running short before the Sept. 1 deadline and they wanted more information before making a decision.
The deer management assistance program is different than the DEC deer-damage permit program village of Celoron officials have used the last two years. In Celoron, a ''bait and shoot'' program is done at one location in the village. Celoron officials coordinated the program on land where there is no occupied building within 500 feet or where they had permission of property owners inside the regulated area. A total of 44 deer were harvested the last two years in Celoron.
The Celoron deer harvest provided 363 pounds of venison. The venison was given to the Venison Donation Coalition, which supplies meat to the Food Bank of Western New York.