Meeting held in Southold for proposed Suffolk County deer cull

Meeting held in Southold for proposed Suffolk County deer cull


A meeting was held last night to debate a plan to control the East End's deer population.

Nearly 100 Southold residents attended the meeting to discuss the plan that calls for sharpshooters to be brought in to hunt roughly 3,000 of Suffolk's estimated 30,000 deer.

Some residents applauded the plan as a solid way to control the overpopulation, while others call the plan unnecessary and a waste taxpayer dollars.

The deer cull would be carried out by sharpshooters working under the U.S. Department of Wildlife Services.

Those in favor of the cull say the deer are responsible for car crashes, crop damage and health problems. Opponents to the plan said that local hunters would be able to perform the cull for free, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.

The cull is scheduled to start next month.

Opponents say they will continue their fight with an anti-cull rally in East Hampton tomorrow at 1 p.m .