Home of Suffolk Archers and Bow Hunters

The Suffolk Archers Deer Management Committee (“SADMC”) can provide land owners and communities on Long Island and throughout New York State with an effective means of controlling deer overpopulation that causes excessive damage to commercial crops, residential landscaping and public lands.

SADMC is committed to demonstrating archery's effectiveness as a deer management tool and conveying a positive image of bowhunting while providing additional bowhunting opportunities to the members of Suffolk Archers.

We are working with community leaders and private landholders, as well as consulting with the NYDEC to provide the services of proficient, conscientious and dedicated bowhunters, at no cost to land owners.

The SADMC Governing Council utilizes qualification procedures to select hunters who are safety conscience, proficient, ethical, discreet, and respectful of landowners and their property, and assigns Property Leaders who will be responsible for managing member assignments, monitoring member behavior, and managing relationships with the property stewards and/or private landholders.

Members of Suffolk Archers who want to participate in this program should read all the information on requirements in this section and then should download and print both the SADMC Application and the SADMC Certificate of Eligibility and submit it along with all required documentation requested in the application.

The assignment of members to specific hunts is determined by the needs of the landholder, the date on which a members SADMC application was received and, when necessary, by lottery as well. There is no guarantee that a SADMC member will have a hunting opportunity, but it is our goal to provide such opportunities for as many members as possible.

Land Owners who want to benefit from the Suffolk Archers Deer Management Committee Land Owners Assistance program should Click Here

Questions? Comments? Contact Scott Raso at 516 449-8656.

Suffolk Archers Members Requirements for Deer Management Committee Participation

Membership is by invitation of the Governing Council of the SADMC, hereinafter referred to as the Council. Such factors as integrity, ethics, attitude, and quality of experience weigh heavily in the selection process. SADMC maintains stringent qualification procedures, which are intended to select hunters who are safety conscience, proficient, ethical, discreet, and respectful of landowners and their property. This is very important as many adjoining property owners may object to hunting. Minimum qualifying criteria is as follows:

1. Applicants must be current good standing individual members of Suffolk Archers and Bowhunters, and thus being covered by Suffolk Archers, Inc. insurance for a minimum of one million dollars of general liability insurance;

2. Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

3. Applicants must sign an affidavit stating that they have prior experience harvesting at least three big game animals within ten years with bow and arrow.

4. Applicants must complete and return an application. This application provides a hunting history and personal references. New member applicants are selected for membership using this process. Any applicant who is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm or weapon, who has been convicted of a felony or indictable crime, or who within three years of the date of this application has violated either the US or New York State Fish & Wildlife Code, or any State or local regulation pertaining to parks or hunting, shall not be eligible for this program.

5. Applicants must complete the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA ) safety course. All hunters must provide evidence of the successful completion of a state sponsored hunter safety course. If you have already completed the course you must show proof of completion (IHEA Card or Hunting License).

6. Applicants must pass a shooting proficiency test. Selected candidates will be contacted and informed of locations, times, and dates. The shooting proficiency test consists of placing 80% of a candidate’s broadheads in a ten inch circle at twenty yards. This test demonstrates shooting skills with actual hunting equipment.

7. Applicants must complete an interview with the Governing Council. A personal interview is given, then the Governing Council examines all of the above information and decides whether to accept, decline or defer the hunter’s request for membership.

8. Applicants must attend a New Member Orientation. Selected candidates will be contacted and informed of locations, times, and dates. A mandatory orientation course is given to insure that all applicants understand the bylaws, rules and regulations, and policies of the SADMC, and the metro communities and private landholders in the program.

9. Applicants must commit to about 8 hours for the year to help the assigned metro community, private landholder or other assigned location with stewardship activities. These include, but are not limited to, litter patrol, perimeter posting, border patrol, trail maintenance, invasive species control, etc.

10. Applicants must commit to the assigned metro community’s, private landholder’s or other assigned location’s deer management goal of harvesting antlerless deer. Applicants must commit to utilizing fixed blade broadheads on program properties at all times. Applicants must also commit to utilizing body harnesses when entering, exiting and utilizing tree stands on program properties at all times.

11. Applicants must pass periodic re-evaluation procedures in good standing. Bowhunter activity reports are solicited from cooperating landowners, game wardens, and biologists periodically. SADMC will continually re-evaluate hunters and take any disciplinary action necessary for reports of unsafe, unethical, and all improper activities, up to and including expulsion.

12. Applicants must agree that all decisions of the SADMC Governing Council or appointed Property Leaders shall be binding and without recourse.

There are no guarantees that access will be granted to any property or that any member will have an opportunity to hunt as a result of this program.

The Benefits of Membership

Members of the Suffolk Archers Deer Management Committee will receive periodic updates via email, in The Arrow newsletter, and specific flyers informing them of available hunts, upcoming meetings, events, etc.

As more properties become available or special bowhunts are organized, members will have more opportunities to be selected for placement on a property.

Benefits of membership include:

• Possible access to private property for regular in-season hunting, or for deer management under nuisance permits.

• Possible access to restricted-use, public property. Suffolk Archers Deer Management Committee intends to demonstrate why local politicians should grant access to restricted-use public property.

• An opportunity to improve the image of bowhunters with the general public.

• An opportunity to participate in a sport you love while serving your local community.

Members of the Suffolk Archers Deer Management Committee are assigned to properties via a lottery-style drawing. Members are grouped into batches in the order that they join on a first-come first-served basis .

The Governing Council determines the size of each batch. A lottery is conducted for each property, the purpose of which will be to assign a priority number to each member. Each member will be assigned to the property in the order of their priority number. When a new property is acquired, members are assigned to that property in the order of their priority number. Members can apply for any property in the program, and will be selected for the applied-for property by this lottery. When all members in the current batch are assigned to a property, a new batch is opened. Each bowhunter may be reassigned or rotated by the Governing Council to best achieve the deer management objectives of the communities and private landholders within the program. The Governing Council will select a Property Leader for each new property from the group of members assigned to a property. The Property Leader will manage member assignments, monitor member behavior, and manage relationships with the property stewards and/or private landholders. Rules regarding logging members arrival to and exit from properties, and logging animals taken, will be discussed during the New Member Orientation.

How Communities and Private Landholders Can Work With Us

The purpose of the Suffolk Archers Deer Management Committee is to provide a safe, efficient and cost effective deer removal alternative for urban, suburban and rural deer management by means of a qualified and well-managed archery program. SADMC is dedicated to, and will work closely with municipalities, other governmental units, and private landholders in their deer management efforts. SADMC does not charge for its service.

We have over 100 qualified archers from the Long Island, New York area who are available to help you with your deer removal problem. References can be provided upon request.

Before contacting the SADMC, communities and landholders should have the following information ready:

1. Number and locations of properties to be hunted.

2. Approximate size (acreage) involved for each hunt.

3. Proximity to residential areas.

4. Approximate size of deer herd on each property.

5. Names and contact information of the stewards, owners, and/or persons responsible for each property to be hunted.

There are two ways to contact SADMC with this information. The first method is simply to send an email. This is the most effective way to contact a SADMC Governing Council member. Email is checked on a daily basis. The second method is by phone. A SADMC Governing Council member will contact you, usually within 24 hours, to discuss your needs.

Scott Raso – email or cell: 516 449-8656
Robert Watterson – email or cell: 516 369-6004
Michael Jones – email or cell: 516 456-5829