Riverhead opens town land to bow hunting as deer, tick concerns grow

Riverhead will again open several town-owned properties to bow hunting for deer this fall as part of its effort to control the local deer population.

The Town Board on Tuesday authorized hunting at Enterprise Park at Calverton, the town property at 1751 Sound Ave. in Calverton and a town-owned parcel on Middle Road in Riverhead.

Bow hunting at EPCAL and the Sound Avenue property will run from Oct. 1 through Jan. 1, while hunting at the Middle Road property will continue through Jan. 31.

Hunters will be selected through an in-person lottery Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at Riverhead Town Hall. Only Riverhead residents and people who own property in the town are eligible.

The program comes as East End communities continue to grapple with large deer populations and the public-health risks associated with ticks.

Earlier this summer, a 9-year-old Riverhead boy was among four probable Suffolk County cases of tularemia, a rare bacterial disease sometimes called “rabbit fever” that can be transmitted by ticks as well as through contact with infected animals. The boy tested positive after his mother removed a tick from his head in April and remained fatigued months later despite treatment, the Riverhead News-Review previously reported.

A Riverhead woman was later diagnosed after being bitten by her cat, which had become ill and later died. Cats can become infected after being bitten by ticks or coming into contact with infected wildlife and can then transmit the bacteria to people through bites or scratches.

Tularemia is far less common than Lyme disease, but Suffolk County recorded four cases in 2024, three in 2023 and one in 2022, according to the state Health Department.

Town officials have increasingly pointed to hunting as one tool for reducing deer numbers and limiting damage to vegetation, vehicles and property.