The deer season may be over, but the remnants of irresponsible hunters surfaced last week as unusually warm weather and melting snows brought gruesome discoveries by some Wayne County residents. Deer Dumping – Irresponsible Hunters Dump Carcasses along Roads, Beaches and park Paths
The deer season may be over, but the remnants of irresponsible hunters surfaced last week as unusually warm weather and melting snows brought gruesome discoveries by some Wayne County residents.
Phyllis Rosecrans of Brown Road in the Town of Wolcott walks almost a mile a day to check on some summer homes and cottages on the shores of Lake Ontario . On a recent such walk, Phyllis discovered the remains of a half dozen deer dropped off where Brown Road ends on the beach. Deer heads, some with the antlers removed were piled about. The prime rear quarters, the choice cuts of the animals removed, with the remainder of the deer and hides strewn about. With the above warm temperatures, the smell of the rotting carcasses permeated the air.
Another scattering of deer, butchered for only the best parts were found off Harnden Road , leading to State owned properties.
To Phyllis, once an ardent hunter herself and a longtime resident of the area, the scene was one of disgust. Proper disposal of hunted deer should include burial of the remains, or placing them in bags for garbage disposal. Some landowners allow for remains to be dumped in specific areas. Other hunters pile deer remains as bait for coyotes.
The annual dump of deer carcasses is a painful reminder of bad hunters to Department of Environmental Conservation Officer Bill Powell. He investigated the dumping of carcasses on the beach in Wolcott and several miles away on State lands. “This is a yearly thing,” said Powell. He has investigated cases where the deer is killed simply for the antlers, or just for the kill. “The problem we have is trying to catch somebody in the act.” Powell said that every once in a while a careless hunter will leave a deer tag in the ear of a dumped carcass, making it easy to trace the deer back to the hunter. He is currently investigating just such a case with a hunter in the Town of Huron and is expected to make an arrest.
Powell said that under Environmental Laws concerning Improper Disposal of Solid waste, there is a minimum fine for violators of $1,000 to a maximum of $10,000. Deer dumpers along roadways may also face littering laws.
The DEC Officer also said that with the remoteness of some areas of Wayne County, there are perhaps numerous cases of deer dumping that go unreported.
“Antics like this make all hunters look bad,” said avid hunter and Sodus Town Supervisor Steve LeRoy.
Last week, DEC Officer matt Lochner reported the arrest of Elery J. Mayo, age 47, of Jersey Road in Williamson after six deer were dumped on Tunley Road, just north of the Middle Road intersection in the Town of Sodus. Mayo was charged with the vehicle and traffic violation of Littering, and issued an appearance ticket for Sodus Town Court . The officer reported that Mayo had left the deer tag in the ear of one of the deer that allowed the carcasses to be traced back to the hunter.
On Saturday Powell arrested Thomas J. Muto, age 20, of Dutch Street in Huron for Unlawful Disposal of Solid waste after several deer with tags in their ears were found off Chapin Road in the Town of Huron .