Syracuse to continue trap-and-euthanize deer pilot after 2025 season that removed 137 deer

Syracuse City officials on Thursday reviewed results from the 2025 tick and deer management season and recommended continuing a new trap-and-euthanize pilot after the program removed 137 white-tailed deer across the city, including 55 deer taken in the pilot.

The pilot, introduced for the first time this season to allow operations in neighborhoods where firearm use is not feasible, resulted in about 4,000 pounds of venison donated to local food banks — an amount the city estimated could provide a little more than 12,000 meals. Greg Lowe, chief policy officer in the mayor’s office, said the city worked with USDA wildlife managers, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Onondaga County to run the program.

Lowe said, “This past January through March, we did for the first time use a trap and euthanize method in the city.” He said the method was deployed only where state criteria allowed it and in locations where firearms could not be used safely.

Why it matters: City officials framed the program as public-safety and environmental management, noting deer contribute to vehicle collisions, damage parks and private landscaping, and factor into local concerns about tick-borne disease.…