Riverhead Town has authorized shotgun hunting for deer on certain town-owned properties during the special deer season in the month of January.
Shotgun hunting for deer at the Enterprise Park at Calverton and at 1751 Sound Avenue in Calverton will be allowed from sunrise to sunset on Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, by New York State-licensed hunters who obtain the town’s landowner endorsement document.
Licensed hunters seeking to hunt on town-owned property will be selected by lottery to be held Thursday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Riverhead Senior Center, 60 Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue. The town’s wildlife management committee will conduct the lottery.
The lottery is open to Riverhead Town residents or owners of real property in the town. Eligible persons interested in entering the lottery should attend the meeting at the senior center on Dec. 8. No advance application is necessary.
Licensed and qualified hunters must also possess a big game tag.
EPCAL, including the recreation path, will be closed to the public for the month of January. The property at 1751 Sound Avenue will also be closed to the public.
Archery season for deer continues through Jan. 31. However, the EPCAL and Sound Avenue sites will be open for bow-hunting through Dec. 31 only.
There are other hunting opportunities on public lands in Suffolk County managed by the State Department of Environmental Conservation. For more information, visit the DEC website.
Shotgun hunting for deer on private land of 10 or more acres in size is allowed with the landowner’s endorsement. Download the landowner’s endorsement document here. No town permit is required in Riverhead or Southold towns for hunting on private land that meets the minimum area requirement with the landowner’s endorsement. The landowner’s endorsement document must be carried by the hunter, along with a state hunting license and big game tag. A town permit is required in the Town of Southampton. Visit the DEC website for more information on shotgun hunting for deer on private land.
Correction: This article has been amended to correct an error in an earlier version stating that an advance application is required. Eligible hunters need only attend the Dec. 8 lottery to enter it.
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