Tickets issued for feeding deer

During July, seven people were charged in the Old Forge area with violating the statewide ban on feeding deer. In an effort to curb this illegal activity, Environmental Conservation Officer Russell Ritzel has pro-actively patrolled, and at times conducted stationary surveillance of areas in Old Forge where tourists attempt to feed deer by hand.

Feeding deer is not only illegal, but it is a dangerous activity. White-tailed deer are wild animals and should never be enticed to eat out of human hands. This is not natural behavior for deer and can cause them to lose their fear of humans. This behavior endangers both the people and the deer. The hand-feeding of the deer often takes place on or near a public roadway, which can result in the deer becoming a hazard to motorists and pedestrians.   

The following subjects were issued tickets for feeding wild deer:

• Erica L. Torchia of Frankfort, was ticketed for feeding deer white bread from her motor vehicle on South Shore Road.

• Barry L. Arnold of Rochester, was ticketed for feeding deer a bag of bread from his motor vehicle on South Shore Road.

• Greg P. Wedyck of Baldwinsville, was ticketed for feeding deer marshmallows on Park Avenue.

• Paul E. Barclay of Victor, was ticketed for feeding deer carrots on Beechwalk Road.

• Ray H. Reynolds of Moravia, was ticketed for feeding deer crackers in a parking area off Route 28 in the Old Forge business area.

• Matthew E. Kalvaitis of Mooers, was ticketed for feeding deer animal crackers in a parking area off Route 28 in the Old Forge business area.

• Nicole Adam of Cortland, was ticketed for feeding deer apples from a motor vehicle on South Shore Road.

The tickets are all returnable to the Town of Webb Justice Court. The deer feeding charge carries a fine with a maximum of $250 dollars and/or a maximum of 15 days in jail, plus a mandatory $75 surcharge.

Information provided by the Department of Environ-mental Conservation.