IN THE WOODSThe Facts on Hunting
By Russell Drumm
(11/30/2006) About a week before the season for woodcock closed in early November, a hunter’s Brittany spaniel flushed a bird in a section of Northwest Woods in East Hampton. The hunter raised his shotgun, fired, and hit what he’d aimed at.
 Chris Foster |
A woman who had been hiking in the woods went ballistic. Frightened by the blast, she attacked the hunter verbally, demanded his name, and threatened to call the police. If she had, the police might have cited her for harassing a hunter who was legally pursuing his passion as well as a 300-year-old East Hampton tradition.
People may disapprove of hunting, or fear being accidentally shot, or they may simply want to avoid places where and when hunting is permitted. The fact is, ducks, deer, and small game are fair game this time of year, and it is up to hikers, birders, equestrians, and mountain bikers to make themselves aware of the specifics.
Hunting areas are posted, and maps and a complete list of hunting areas, their seasons, and types of hunting and trapping are available at the East Hampton town clerk’s office in Town Hall on Pantigo Road.
Although all hunting is managed by New York State, and this includes seasons, methods, bag limits, and general regions, the town’s municipal government and the town trustees decide which local areas are open or off limits to hunters.
First, an often-confused state law: No firearms or bows may be discharged within 500 feet of a residence, school, public building, or business. However, there is an exception. The 500-foot rule does not apply when shooting over water during waterfowl season.
Speaking of waterfowling, the sea duck season (scoters, eiders, and long-tailed ducks) that ends tomorrow will reopen next Thursday and remain open until Jan. 25. Most of this hunting takes place offshore in Gardiner’s Bay and Block Island Sound.
The preliminary season for freshwater, or puddle duck, species, which include mallards, pintails, canvasbacks, and wood ducks, will end tomorrow and reopen next Thursday. The Canada goose season mirrors the duck season, the difference being that geese may be hunted on land as well as over the water. There is a goose blind at Long Lane, across the lane and at a safe distance from East Hampton High School.
Both the number and placement of duck blinds are managed by East Hampton trustees, except in Montauk. This year, Napeague Harbor has two blinds, Fresh Pond in Amagansett has 5, Accabonac Harbor, 5, Three Mile Harbor, 10, Georgica Pond, 23, and Northwest Creek, 1. While homeowners living within close proximity to blinds may be discomfited by shotgun reports, the exception to the 500-foot rule rules the day.
Seasons for small upland game are regulated according to species. On the East End, state law allows cottontail rabbits, ruffed grouse, and pheasant to be hunted. The season for rabbits and grouse is from Oct. 1 to Feb. 28. Pheasant season runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. Shotguns are the only firearm permitted. The use of rifles, for any kind of game, is prohibited anywhere on Long Island.
Within East Hampton Town, the areas where small game may be hunted are organized by school district. In the Wainscott district, small game are fair game in the Town Line Road woodland, Six Pole Highway Reserve, Chelsea Woods, Miller’s Ground Preserve, Six Pole Highway Preserve, Six Pole Highway watersheds, around East Hampton Airport, and in the Highview Drive woodland and the Buckskill Preserve.
In the East Hampton district, the Grace Estate, West Gardiner Park (Camp Norwesca), Sammy’s Beach wetlands, Three Mile Harbor wetlands, Sammy’s Beach Preserve, Grassy Hollow Preserve, the Northwest Swamp Preserve, the Grace Estate Preserve, Crooked Highway, Chatfield’s Hole Preserve, Stephen’s Hands Path Preserve, Soak Hides Dreen Preserve, and the Route 114 pine forest are open to small-game hunting.
In Springs, only the Hog Creek Road woodlands, owned by Suffolk County, is open to small-game hunters. In Amagansett, hunters and their dogs may hunt the Napeague wetlands, Hither Woods near Napeague Harbor Road, and Fresh Pond Park. Only the Culloden Point Preserve and Hither Woods are open for small game in Montauk.
In Montauk’s state parks, the small-game season is shorter, from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28, except on Napeague. The open areas include the park at Montauk Point, Hither Hills, Hither Woods, the Koppelman Preserve (a county park), and Napeague State Park. On Napeague the season runs from Sept. 1 to March 31.
The state’s big-game season for white-tailed deer begins on Oct. 1 with the start of the archery season in certain areas. The Swamp Road section of Cedar Point County Park has an Oct. 1 start. Theodore Roosevelt County Park in Montauk has no archery season. However, it does participate in the state’s January shotgun season for deer, which runs from Jan. 8 to Jan. 31, excluding weekends.
The bow season in Montauk’s state parks runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. Areas include Montauk Point, Hither Hills, Hither Woods, the Koppelman Preserve, and Napeague State Park.
The state shotgun season for deer is confined to weekdays from Jan. 8 to Jan. 31. The number of hunters on state land is controlled by a lottery system. Open areas include all of Montauk’s state parks, except on Napeague.
Deer hunting is also permitted on some town-owned lands. In Wainscott, this includes the Town Line Road woodland, the Six-Pole Highway Preserve, the county-owned Six Pole Highway watershed area, Miller’s Ground Preserve, the land surrounding East Hampton Airport, and the Buckskill Preserve off Stephen Hand’s Path and Route 114.
In East Hampton, the Grace Estate Preserve and the Grassy Hollow Preserve will have shotgun-toting hunters. In Springs there is hunting in the Hog Creek woodlands and the Jacob’s Farm area. Hunting is permitted at Fresh Pond Park in Amagansett and in the Culloden Point Preserve in Montauk.