Duck Hunting Ban Called for on Fort Pond

With duck hunting season just around the corner, starting on Sunday through the end of January, one waterfront resident of a Montauk pond has already had enough.

According to the East Hampton Star, a duck blind was constructed in the northwest corner of Fort Pond and has since been moved, following the outcry of Jane Bimson, who lives nearby and is petitioning for a hunting ban on the pond.

Close to 120 people have reportedly signed the petition, which called hunting a danger to people who live near the pond as well as those who use the pond recreationally during hunting season.

While local municipalities are not permitted to regulate hunting laws themselves, they can dictate whether or not to permit hunting within their jurisdiction. The East Hampton Town Hunting Guide does not mention Fort Pond as an area where waterfowl hunting is permitted – nor as one where it is specifically prohibited. Department of Environmental Conservation laws state that as long as hunters fire away from the shore, there is no distance requirements for duck blinds.

After a brief three-day duck season last weekend, the 2012-2013 season for ducks, coots and mergansers commences for good on Sunday and is set to end on Jan. 27.

Click here to read the entire article on the East Hampton Star.