By Hayleigh Gowans

Staff Writer

The village of Fayetteville has been a safer place for drivers and for deer in 2016, a possible result of the deer management program implemented this year, according to Mayor Mark Olson.

According to data from the Town of Manlius Police Department, then number of deer-related car accidents reported from January through October of 2016 were 22, a 48 percent decrease from the 42 that were reported January through October of 2015.

While implementing a bait-and-shoot program that brought sharpshooters into the village to cull white-tailed deer as a management measure in March 2016 had varying opinions, the overall decrease in reported vehicular accidents involving deer in the village has been one positive short-term effect.

“One of the reasons we gave for starting this program was to decrease the amount of car accidents we see caused by deer each year,” said Olson at the Nov. 14 meeting of the village board. “I think this data shows we’ve been able to do that do far.” Olson said he is hoping to get statistical data for 2014 to compare with the current figures.

The village has approved another round of deer culling to be carried out by the United States Department of Agriculture beginning Jan 1, 2017, and has authorized two tick drags and a deer count to be done before the next round of culling.