Deer Hunting Proposed on Borough Public Lands
Ordinance would set rules for bow hunting and ban feeding deer.
With residents pleading Wednesday for action, the Borough Council introduced a deer management ordinance that would ban the feeding of white tail deer and allow bow hunting on certain borough-owned properties.
The council will hold a public hearing on the ordinance at its Sept. 19 meeting, when representatives from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife will present information relating to state laws and deer management.
Resident Edgar Owen said the borough needed to take swift action because deer hunting season starts next Monday.
“I know this ordinance would not be in effect then, but it will help out in the community,” Owen said.
He said he hears illegal hunting taking place at 3 a.m. on private property near his home.
Joe Bonjourno, a resident of the Elba Point neighborhood, said the borough has to act to reduce the number of deer in his lakefront area, but Mayor Sylvia Petillo said the borough cannot authorize a hunt on private property.
She said the homeowners association should meet to determine what it wants done. She said the residents should attend the next meeting when the state wildlife officials will be present.
Bonjourno said there have been 145 car-deer accidents in the borough and his small yard has an average of five deer a day.
The concern is that incidents of Lyme disease, spread by deer ticks, is increasing.
Councilman Michael Francis said with deer “ you can interrupt the birth cycle or the death cycle.”
Contraception, which has been tried in New Jersey towns, can cost $2,000 to $2,500 a deer and has not been effective. Some towns contract with companies that provide professional hunters to cull herds, he said.
Francis said the deer management ordinance is one of the steps the borough is planning as its tries to balance the environmental impact to the borough.
The proposed ordinance would only allow bow hunting on certain borough properties according to a schedule based on the state hunting season for the areas. Petillo said the hunting sites would be outlined at the Sept. 19 meeting.
Borough permits would be needed to hunt, and no rifles or shotguns would be permitted.
The ordinance said that the borough’s deer management task force would inform the council on about June 15 of each year whether a hunt is needed, and the areas where it should take place.
The ordinance set out rules for the use of deer fencing, and bans the feeding of deer on public or private lands of less than five acres. A fine of $100 would be imposed.
The distinction was made to avoid conflict with state laws that allow deer feeding for hunting purposes on lands over five acres.
Michele Guttenberger
3:29 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
"The ordinance set out rules for the use of deer fencing, and bans the feeding of deer on public or private lands of less than five acres. A fine of $100 would be imposed." MMK Reinsurance (Bermuda) Ltd a.k.a. Hudson Farms controls over 600+ acres of Hopatcong Properties so this ordinance would NOT apply to them. With them having a private Sports club good bet they feed wildlife. Also a good question to ask on Sept 19th - Will the 600+ acres of tax exempt public land trust properties of Hudson Farms be included in the bow hunting permitted properties? 600+ acres in Hopatcong is a significant area that should NOT be overlooked in deer population management. If, Hudson Farms - MMK Reinsurance Bermuda Ltd is the largest Hopatcong landholder and they are exempt from this feed ban ordianance than why enforce it on middle-class small property owners. The effectiveness of this ordinance cannot be achieved when large areas of the wildlife population in Hopatocong reside inside these man-made boundaries that are exempt from Borough rules and ordinances . This is another fiasco of political folly to make people believe our borough is addressing the problem. Funny thing about deer - they don't know how to read no trespassing signs and they don't know the difference between public/private small acre property. They will be getting their treats at Hudson Farms and then saunter over to the rest of Hopatcong's backyards for their veggies.
Michael Flippin
12:55 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
The last sentence in the article clearly states: "The distinction was made to avoid conflict with state laws that allow deer feeding for hunting purposes on lands over five acres." Sounds like to me they are exempt due to state law.
Michele Guttenberger
3:50 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Michael - You are absolutely correct. Many of the State laws give unfair advantage to the wealthiest landholders but impose taxes and fines on the middle class and the small property owners. In essence the Burroughs laws to not apply to this group and they cannot be forced to cooperate in resolving the deer management problem either under the law. This enables Land Trust landholders tax exemption and their own private control of these properties at the same time - great state rule for wealthy land trust landholders. Don't you wish you had as much tax free liberty. Land you don't pay taxes on and the Town can't fine you or tell you what practices you can or can't do on your own property. The Liberty and Justice for all has jus been overridden by state laws. But it's in the State law so that makes it OK. Let's just fine our neighbors with the bird feeder in their backyard that the deer have been raiding. Meanwhile 600+ acres in Hopatcong can do whatever they want to do. They can fatten the deer population to their hearts content and post their no hunting signs on acres, and acres, and acres, and acres of land in Hopatcong. Burrough Deer Management - what a hoot. State laws and fines are almost nonexistent in controlling land trust properties. So the state will not be involved and it will be hands off in the deer management of this land by the state too.
Daniel Rodriguez
3:50 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Hudson Guild is a sportmens club that already hunts they have private property for thier members who have been hunting the land for years
Michele Guttenberger
5:04 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Daniel - Agreed Hudson Guild is a Sportsman's Club and some members have been hunting on this property for years. However, this property title is now part of Tax Exempt Public Land Trust. The Club pays hefty membership fees for commercial use of this public land. None of this membership fee is going towards tax revenues to the Burough of Hopatcong. The Hudson Guild is merely a name that has been assumed from the previous non-profit group that once had an adult camp on this property. The Legal name of the current landholders is MMK Reinsurance (Bermuda) Ltd. This entity has also vastly increased the acreage of the original Hudson Guild camp area. This property is no longer listed as tax rateable commercial property. Hopatcong has lost a taxable property and therefore potential tax revenue. You as a taxpayer have compensated for this loss because the Municipal budget was not adjusted for tax rateable revenue lost in Land Trust transfers. So technically this loss will soon be spread among all commercial and residential properties in Hopatcong as an adjusted tax rate.
MC
9:13 pm on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Where and when tonight if anybody knows