Government Briefs 12.19.13

East Hampton Town

Hunting Deadline Tomorrow

    Applications to hunt deer on East Hampton Town lands are due in the town clerk’s office on Pantigo Road by 4 p.m. tomorrow. Permits for individual hunters will be awarded in a lottery-type drawing. The 2014 deer-hunting season will open on Jan. 6 and last for the month, excluding Saturdays and Sundays. Guidelines are available from the clerk’s office.

New York State

D.E.C. Website Blackout

    Beginning next Thursday, the state website through which hunting and fishing licenses are bought and big-game and turkey kills recorded will be unavailable while the system is overhauled. Joe Martens, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said in a release that the move is part of a statewide effort to consolidate licensing operations. The changeover is expected to last one to two weeks.

    The website blackout means that those planning to get licenses to hunt or fish in New York State must do so before Wednesday. The current sales page can be accessed via dec.ny.gov. Hunters are required by law to report deer and turkey harvests within seven days of killing the animal. During the blackout period, hunters will not be able to report their harvest. They will be given a seven-day grace period to report their kills once the new system is functional.