Why New Yorkers Asked to Chop Off Deer’s Heads and Freeze Them

If you visit your neighbor's home and find a deer head in the freezer, don't worry. They're just following instructions from New York State.

New Yorkers have always had a love/hate relationship with deer. Seeing one of these beautiful animals walking across your lawn at sunset is always a thrill. Many Hudson Valley residents have been known to snap photos of the deer in their neighborhoods and track the progress of the baby fawns as they follow close behind.

On the other hand, deer are notoriously stupid animals that will think nothing of jumping in front of your car when you're driving down the road. I doubt there's anyone in the Hudson Valley who hasn't either hit a deer or knows someone who did.

Why is New York Requesting People Chopping Off Deer's Heads?

Last week, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that a deer in Herkimer County was discovered with Chronic Waste Disease. The sickness is fatal and its spread throughout New York can threaten the moose and white-tailed deer populations.

Luckily, the one deer that was diagnosed with the disease resides in a captive deer facility. However, the DEC is taking every precaution to make sure that Chronic Waste Disease does not become widespread throughout the state.

Hunters are being requested to report any sick or dying deer that they come across. In addition, deer taken in the areas surrounding Herkimer County should be decapitated for testing.

The DEC is instructing hunters to "cut the deer head with some neck remaining" and store it in a freezer until it can be dropped off for testing. The frozen heads should then be placed in a plastic garbage bag, labeled with the hunter's name, address and phone number and deposited in special containers throughout the county.

The large, white metal containers will be emptied by the DEC and samples will be tested for Chronic Waste Disease. More information about the program and the locations of collection sites are posted on the DEC's website.