By Russ Tarby

Contributing Writer

As villagers awoke last Christmas morning, their festive mood was darkened by a volley of gunshots ringing out over Onondaga Lake. Duck hunters in boats were firing their shotguns at 6:30 a.m.

“This has been a problem for a long time,” said First Street resident Bill Pease. “Whenever duck hunting is in season, the hunters are out there banging away as soon as the sun rises.”

This year, the duck hunting season in the state’s Western Zone is divided into two periods, one from Oct. 17 to Nov. 8 and another from Nov. 28 to Jan. 3. That means the hunters will be active during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Last year on Christmas Day, Pease walked along the lake and found a live shotgun shell near the Onondaga Lake Park marina.

So not only is the gunfire annoying, Pease said, “There’s also an element of danger. What if some kid found that shell?”

The eastern shore of the lake includes Onondaga Lake Park, the county’s most popular spot for jogging, biking, rollerblading and dog-walking.

“I don’t know how you deal with this,” Pease said. “I mean, there’s all those people walking dogs and kids on their bikes. It’s crazy, and nobody seems able to do anything about it.”

Pease, who’s an attorney, has tried for more than a decade to get local governments to do something about the disturbances.

On Sept. 15, Liverpool Mayor Gary White, Village Attorney John Langey and Pease met with Onondaga County Attorney Robert Durr and Onondaga County Parks’ co-commissioners Mark Nicotra and Brian Kelley to discuss the situation.

The county officials pointed out that duck hunting is regulated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The DEC website lists few restrictions on hunting from a boat.

“You may hunt waterfowl with a firearm or bow, over water, within 500 feet of a dwelling or public structure,” the site states, “as long as neither are within 500 feet (for a firearm) or 150 feet (for a bow) in the direction you are shooting.”

The town of Salina prohibits firearm use within the town which includes the eastern shore of the lake, and County Parks prohibits weapons in the park, but last year White learned that rule has been waived for the duck hunters who routinely launch their boats from the park marina.

Pease and White are trying to schedule a meeting with 128th District Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter to urge the repositioning Onondaga Lake in the DEC’s Southeastern Zone, where duck hunting season runs this year from Oct. 17 to Nov. 29 and from Dec. 5 through Dec. 20.

“Christmas and New Year’s Day would be quiet then,” Pease said.

Thanksgiving would still be affected by the gunshots.

“But at least the other two holidays, when people have company coming in from out of town, would be spared,” Pease said.

The DEC website offers advice about avoiding conflicts between hunters and property owners:

“Many non-hunters are unfamiliar with firearms and the prevailing media reports of firearms typically involve their use in crimes. Firearms, shotguns especially, can be loud and difficult for a person to determine where or how far away a shooter may actually be. Gunshots that occur unexpectedly, particularly in early morning hours, may cause landowners to be alarmed or disturbed.

“Hunters have a legal right to hunt on most public lands and waters. However, landowners may object to hearing gunshots, be concerned about their safety, and try to exert ownership rights over the land and water near their property…

“A waterfowl hunter may legally hunt from shore, a boat, or blind even if there is a house less than 500 feet behind him or her, as long as shooting occurs out over the water and away from the house.”