The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has adopted rules affecting deer and bear hunting in New York, including the expansion of antler restrictions into seven additional Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) this season. The new rules implement certain aspects of the state’s Five-Year Deer Management Plan, the agency announced on Thursday.
“With these changes, DEC has started implementing several strategies of the recently adopted management plan for white-tailed deer,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. “Though the management plan addresses much more than deer hunting, these changes emphasize the value of hunting as a tradition for New Yorkers and as the primary tool for deer management.”
The adopted changes include:
-- Beginning bow season and the regular season for the Southern Zone in Westchester County (bowhunting only) on Oct. 1 and establishing a late archery season concurrent with the late muzzleloader season in the Northern Zone. These changes will increase opportunities by several weeks for most bowhunters.
-- Adjusting the Northern Zone season dates by opening the Northern Zone regular season for 44 days, beginning on the 2nd Saturday after Columbus Day. This is a slight change from the original proposal to begin the regular season on the 4th Saturday in October. Some hunters were concerned that the original proposal would extend the season too late into December. The adopted season structure results in fewer years when the regular season will extend later than it has in the past.
-- Allowing Deer Management Permits (DMPs, “doe tags”) to be used in all seasons in the Northern Zone. This change will simplify regulations and increase hunter opportunity and choice. No management impact is expected since DEC determines the total number of DMPs issued in each area of the state based on current deer population conditions and hunting activity.
-- Expanding mandatory antler restrictions (3 points on one side minimum) into WMUs 3A, 4G, 4O, 4P, 4R, 4S, and 4W, as called for in the Deer Management Plan. DEC said it is working to develop a systematic and objective process to guide future decisions regarding antler restrictions or other buck harvest strategies to best satisfy the desires of New York deer hunters and stakeholders. Mandatory antler restrictions have been in effect in four WMUs (3C, 3H, 3J and 3K) in the southern Catskills since 2005-2006 and in a portion of another WMU (3A) since 2011.
-- Opening all of Suffolk County for the special January firearms season, subject to local discharge ordinances. This change will simplify options for hunters, should local municipalities change ordinances to allow discharge of bows or firearms.
-- Establishing a Deer Management Focus Area in central Tompkins County to intensify use of hunting to assist communities in the Ithaca area with the burden of overabundant deer populations. The focus area program is established to reduce total deer populations within the focus area by providing more time and more tags to hunters who can gain access to huntable land. DEC plans to evaluate this new approach over the next several years and, depending on the results, will consider designation of other locations as deer management focus areas. More information about the focus area program, including registration forms will be available on the DEC website in September.
The DEC also announced that it will adjust bear hunting seasons to remain concurrent with deer seasons. DEC believes retaining a consistent season structure for big game hunting is currently preferable, though future bear management may necessitate deviation from this approach.
The full text of the adopted regulations is available at www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/81317.html. To read DEC’s rationale for the adopted season changes and review DEC’s assessment of public comments on this rulemaking, visit www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/deerregapc2012.pdf.
Information on New York’s 2012 deer and bear seasons is available here: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28605.html. Additional information about mandatory antler restrictions in New York is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27663.html.
