Where we stand
DEC wrote the case. Albany needs to act.
In June 2026 DEC reported to the State Senate and Assembly on its Urban Deer Management Pilot Program and recommended changes to help communities manage deer. SCDM supports them.
DEC's recommendations
Urban Deer Management Pilot Program, June 2026
- Make the pilot program's tools available under every DEC permit that uses nuisance wildlife specialists, not just two municipalities.
- Allow shooting from a stationary vehicle with an elevated platform. DEC's own data: 2.7 deer an hour from a vehicle vs 0.8 from fixed sites.
- Allow rifles on Long Island and in Westchester for this work.
- Allow suppressors.
- Open "nuisance wildlife specialist" to qualified private contractors.
Source: NYSDEC, Urban Deer Management Pilot Program, A Report to the NYS Senate and Assembly (June 2026). SCDM's positions are its own.
Our positions
The owner chooses
On private land, the owner decides who hunts. We operate only with written consent and never where another group has permission.
Public land, open to qualified hunters
Restricting access manages hunters, not deer. Open doesn't mean unregulated: suburban public land needs suburban rules.
Standards, not crowds
More hunters isn't the answer. Better hunters are.
Measure everyone the same way
Harvest by tag, doe ratio, recovery and independent results. Let the results pick the provider.
Nobody wants hunting. They want fewer deer. We deliver that, one property at a time.
Enroll Your Property