Posted 11/14/05 -- Outdoor Liaisons by Frank Carbone Jr.
For immediate release --
DEC ANNOUNCES SOUTHERN ZONE DEER HUNTING BEGINS NOVEMBER 19
Catskill and Allegany Regular Bear Season Also Starting Soon
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting
Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced that the starts of the 2005
southern zone regular deer and Catskill and Allegany regular bear seasons are
soon approaching.
"New York is looking forward to another successful and safe season of big game
hunting this year," Commissioner Sheehan said. "During the 2004 season, hunters
harvested more than 208,000 deer in New York and this year, many WMUs will
continue to provide considerable opportunities to harvest antlerless deer. Deer
hunting is a long-standing tradition and an important part of New York's outdoor
heritage. I wish all hunters a safe and enjoyable season."
The Southern Zone includes most of upstate New York outside of the Northern
Zone, except for Westchester County. In the Northern Zone, which generally
includes the Adirondacks, the Tug Hill Plateau, the Eastern Lake Ontario Plain,
and the Champlain and St. Lawrence valleys, the regular deer and bear hunting
season opened October 22 and closes December 4, 2005.
The 2005 regular deer hunting season opens at sunrise on Saturday, November 19,
2005, in New York State's Southern Zone. Regular bear hunting opens November
21, 2005, in the Catskill Mountains and on November 26, 2005, in the Allegany
region in western New York. The regular Southern Zone big game hunting season
closes at sunset on Sunday, December 11, 2005.
Specific descriptions of areas that are open for bear and deer hunting, as well
as other seasonal regulations, are listed in the 2005-06 DEC Hunting and
Trapping Regulations Guide (www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/guide/guide.html).
Immediately following the regular season, late archery and muzzleloading seasons
for deer and bear open December 12 and close at sunset on December 20, 2005.
Hunters taking part in either of the late seasons must possess either bowhunting
or muzzleloading privileges. Late special season hunters may use their
bowhunting and muzzleloading tags, and they may also take a deer of either sex
with an unused regular season big game tag. Unused Deer Management Permits (DMPs)
may also be used in the late seasons for antlerless deer.
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A late muzzleloading season will be open in portions of the Northern Zone from
December 5 to December 11, 2005. The specific Wildlife Management Units (WMUs)
open for muzzleloading hunting in the Northern Zone are outlined in the 2005-06
Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide and on the DEC website.
New York's deer management program strives to maintain deer herds at levels
compatible with human interest, while minimizing negative impacts and providing
high-quality hunting opportunities and other recreational benefits. To aid in
determining desired deer population sizes, local Citizen Task Forces are
convened by DEC to represent a broad range of public interests and are charged
with developing a desired deer population objective for the area in which they
live. Citizen Task Forces consider many issues during the process, including
habitat availability and the concerns of farmers, foresters, conservationists,
the tourism industry, motorists, businesses and hunters. DEC uses regulated
deer hunting to achieve the desired deer population level in most WMUs across
the State.
"Deer hunters provide a valuable public service by keeping deer populations in
check. By harvesting female deer, hunters help limit the growth of the deer
population and reduce the negative impacts of the deer herd," Acting
Commissioner Sheehan said. "Regulated hunting is the most effective and
efficient tool to maintain deer populations at levels that are compatible with
the needs of our residents."
Since mid-August, DEC has issued over 381,000 DMPs through the DEC Automated
License System (DECALS). DMPs allow hunters to take one or more antlerless deer
in addition to the deer allowed by the regular, bowhunting and muzzleloading
licenses. DMPs may be used in all Southern Zone seasons, including the early
and late special seasons. Bonus DMPs are still available in the archery-only
units. For information about obtaining Bonus DMPs, please check the DEC website
(http://www.dec.state.ny..us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/guide/bonusdmp.html)
.
The 2005 hunting season marks the adoption of a several new regulatory changes
regarding season structure and timing. The opening day of the Southern Zone
regular deer season has been changed from a Monday to a Saturday. This change
specifically provides opening day hunting opportunities for young hunters and
others who are unable to take time off from work during the week. A similar
change to a standard Saturday opening day for the early archery season in the
Southern Zone accomplished similar benefits for bowhunters. Extending the late
archery and muzzleloader seasons to nine days in length affords greater hunting
opportunity and consistency to the late deer hunting opportunities. It is hoped
that this expanded opportunity will be actively embraced by young hunters.
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Also, a pilot program intended to expand the age structure of the buck
population and better balance the sex ratio will be implemented in two WMUs
located primarily in Ulster County. The pilot program is based upon a strong
local initiative and will serve as a learning experience for both the DEC and
New York deer hunters. The pilot antler restriction program will require that
bucks taken in WMUs 3C and 3J have at least one antler with three points (or
more) which are each at least one inch in length. This proposal is similar to
successful alternative harvest programs implemented in other states. These new
regulations apply to the archery, regular and muzzleloader seasons in these two
WMUs. Young hunters, under the age of 17 are exempt from this regulation, and
may continue to take a buck with an antler at least three inches in length.
There will be a reduction in the buck take in each of these units during this
initial year of implementation, however it is anticipated that the total buck
harvest will return to previous levels with a greater percentage of 2½ year old
bucks in the population in future years.
Hunters are reminded that new portions of the Southern Zone are now open to
hunting with rifles. The law, which was signed by Governor George E. Pataki in
early September, allows centerfire rifles to be used during the regular hunting
season in the whole counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chenango, Herkimer,
Montgomery, Oneida, Oswego, Otsego, Schoharie, and Tioga. Hunters should be
aware that the new law does not affect hunting with rifles in Broome County.
Rifles may be used in the easternmost portion of the county as in past years.
However, the new law does not allow the use of rifles in any new areas of Broome
County. For a map of areas where rifles may be used, see the DEC web page on
legal implements for regular hunting season.
The use of rifles for big game hunting is already allowed in all counties of the
Northern Zone and certain counties in the eastern portion of the Southern Zone.
Rifles are considered to be as safe, and more accurate, than shotguns and
muzzle-loading firearms.
DEC is continuing efforts to monitor the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease
(CWD) which was detected in five captive deer and two wild deer in Oneida County
in April, 2005. Nearly 800 wild deer from this area have been tested with no
additional infected animals found to date. CWD is a rare neurological disease
that affects the brains of deer, elk, and moose causing the animals to become
emaciated, lose body functions and eventually die. For the upcoming hunting
season, a mandatory deer check and testing procedure will be in effect for all
deer taken by hunters in the Oneida-Madison County CWD Containment Area. DEC
will also be collecting approximately 5000 random samples from hunter harvested
deer throughout the state. Hunters should consult the 2005-06 Hunting and
Trapping Regulations Guide, or visit the CWD page on DEC's website for more
information.
Commissioner Sheehan encouraged hunters to follow a few basic firearm safety
rules that can prevent virtually all hunting related shooting incidents.
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Assume Control from Trigger to Target...and Beyond
* Assume every gun is loaded.
* Control the muzzle - Point in a safe direction.
* Finger off the trigger 'til ready to shoot.
* Be sure of your target and beyond.
* Wear Hunter Orange. YOU control where others shoot!
Although safety-conscious hunters have significantly reduced the number of
firearms-related injuries, studies show that individuals wearing hunter orange
clothing are seven times less likely to be injured than hunters who do not wear
the bright fluorescent color. During big game hunting season, people who wear
hunter orange are 16 times less likely to be the victim of a visibility-related
mishap, and 23 times less likely to be killed in such an incident.
For specific descriptions of regulations and open areas, hunters should refer to
the 2005-06 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide. The guide is published
annually and is available free from DEC regional wildlife offices, all license
issuing agents and on the DEC website at
www.dec.state.ny.us. Hunters are urged to review all regulations and safety
tips contained in the guide.