City of Syracuse to start winter program to cull deer on Dec. 12

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The next installment of the City of Syracuse’s deer-management program will begin the week of Dec. 12 and continue through March 2023.

Qualified wildlife managers, including sharpshooters, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will handle the program, killing deer in designated areas of the city.

Syracuse will be one of several municipalities across the county completing deer-damage management with the USDA this winter, per the announcement from the office of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh.

The City of Syracuse is again undertaking targeted removal of deer this season “in response to public health and safety concerns.” The program’s purpose is to address the impact of deer overpopulation on deer-vehicle accidents; parks, gardens, and the ecosystem; and public-health risks, such as Lyme Disease.

The city identified “suitable sites” meeting strict New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) criteria on the east, west and south sides of the Syracuse.

All of the locations are on large private and city-owned properties. USDA wildlife managers will only do their work on DEC-permitted sites where property owners have provided “explicit written permission;” The sites are required to be at least 500 feet from any occupied dwelling, and all sites are either private or closed to public access when work is conducted, Walsh’s office said.

Specially trained USDA wildlife managers will do their work at night from dusk to dawn. All sites are closed to public access when work is conducted.

Walsh’s office also noted that no wildlife-management officer should be accessing private property without permission. Residents should call 911 if you see suspicious activity on public or private property “at any time.”

The integrated plan also includes community education on personal safeguards from tick-borne disease. The City Department of Parks, Recreation & Youth Programs will conduct education programs in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension next spring and summer.

The Syracuse Common Council authorized funding to implement the tick and deer-management plan. Primary funding is provided by Onondaga County with support from Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and the Onondaga County Legislature, Walsh’s office noted.

 Additional information

The City has issued a frequently-asked-question sheet, “What Syracuse residents should know about Deer Damage Management.”

The sheet is available through the link: bit.ly/syrdeermgmt-facts2022, or by calling the Syracuse Parks Department at (315) 473-4330.

More information about the Syracuse Tick and Deer Management Plan is offered at https://www.syr.gov/Initiatives/Tick-and-Deer-Management.