Deer Sightings in Local Villages on the Upswing

Old Field resident Carole Trottere can appreciate the sight of a deer, as she noted in she saw near her home.

Lately, though, she said it has been happening more frequently. She often sees hoof prints in the sand on the beach near her home and even saw a family of deer passing across her driveway recently.

"They do not always seem to be keeping to the early evening and dawn hours either, because I see them often in the middle of the day," Trottere said. "Last year it was a pretty rare – and always magical – occurrence to see deer, but this year I see them with much more frequency."

In Old Field and Poquott, officials have taken note of the increase in deer sightings. Particularly in Old Field, the population of deer seems to be causing a nuisance when it comes to preserving the vegetation in the village.

Resident Bruce Feller volunteered to look into the deer problem, and even found a company that deals with deer control in humane ways.

According to that company, SavATree, which has locations in Southampton and Old Brookville, a deer repelling spray can be applied to plants to discourage the deer from nibbling, and a proprietary system using ultrasound technology may also be effective.

"Unfortunately, there appears not to be a 'silver bullet,' but rather a range of methods to reduce such damage. In combination they can help, depending on deer population, winter snow cover, and other variables," Feller wrote in an open letter to Old Field residents posted on the village's website.

Meanwhile, in Poquott, deer sightings are becoming more frequent, but village residents have not experienced the loss of plants to the deer population.

"We're seeing more deer in Poquott," mayor Barbara Donovan said in an interview Monday. "I haven't had any problems where residents have called to say the deer are eating the vegetation."

Though not specifically a problem in Poquott, Donovan also noted that deer crossing Route 25A have sometimes hit cars in the region where the road curves around the intersection with Washington Street on the Setauket/Port Jefferson border.

Have you noticed an increase in deer sightings in Three Village? Share your experiences as a comment below.