From the December 2004 issue

Deer Hunting in New York State's Southern Zone

New York State's 2004 regular deer hunting season opened at sunrise on Monday, November 22 in the Southern Zone. The regular big game hunting season in the Southern Zone will close at sunset on Tuesday, December 14.

It is estimated that there
are approximately
1 million white-tailed deer
in New York

"Southern Zone big game hunters can look forward to a productive season of excellent prospects this year in New York," Commissioner Crotty said. "With an estimated population of just under one million white-tailed deer statewide, opportunities for success remain high. 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 deer harvest of 253,000 in 2003 was a decline from recent high harvests, primarily because of losses that occurred during the harsh winter of 2002-03. Last winter saw a return to more typical winter weather in most areas of New York State, and deer numbers have begun to recover as a result.

Citizen Task Forces

New York State's deer management program strives to maintain deer herds at levels compatible with people's use of the land, while minimizing negative impacts and providing high-quality hunting opportunities. To aid in determining 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 level for the areas in which they live.

Citizen's 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 in most wildlife management units (WMUs) across the state to achieve the desired deer population level.

Southern Zone

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 on October 23 and will close on December 5.

In the Southern Zone, a late, five-day archery season will open on December 15 and close at sunset on December 19. A late, seven-day muzzleloading season in the Southern Zone also will begin on December 15 and conclude on December 21. Hunters taking part in either of these late seasons must possess either bowhunting or muzzleloading privileges, and they may use their bowhunting/muzzleloading tags. They also may use their deer management permits to take an antlerless deer, and, in addition, they may take a deer of either sex with an unused regular season big game tag.

"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 impacts of the deer herd," Commissioner Crotty 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. Successful hunters are reminded to make sure that they report their deer by calling the automated reporting system at 1-866-933-2257. Reporting your deer is the culmination of a successful hunt."

Bear Hunting

Black bear hunting
season began on November 27
in the Catskill region and
on November 29 in
the Allegany region

Hunters also are reminded that Southern Zone bear hunting seasons do not open at the same time as deer season. Black bear season opened on November 27 in the Catskill region and on November 29 in the Allegany region in western New York. Specific descriptions of areas that are open for bear hunting are listed on page 24 in the 2004-05 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide.

Although not included in the this guide, changes to DEC regulations (effective November 24, 2004) will open several additional areas to bear hunting this year. These changes, which were subject to a 45-day public comment period, will allow bear hunting in WMUs 4O and 4P in the Catskill region and in WMUs 9J, 9K, 9M, 9N, 9P, and 9W in the Allegany region. Firearm bear hunting began on November 27 in the Catskill region and on November 29 in the Allegany region.

Proposed Season Changes

An archer poses with
the doe he took during
bow-hunting season

DEC also has proposed a number of changes to the Southern Zone deer hunting seasons for 2005. Included among these changes are an expansion of the special archery season by making the opening date earlier, changing the opening day of the regular season to a Saturday instead of the traditional Monday, and creating a new antlerless only muzzleloader season in mid-October for black powder enthusiasts. DEC has proposed these changes to enhance hunter satisfaction, increase participation (especially of young hunters) and to increase antlerless deer harvests where needed. A statewide outreach program regarding these proposals will occur in February 2005.

Chronic Wasting Disease

As a result of nationwide concern about chronic wasting disease (CWD), DEC will continue a random sampling program during the 2004 season. CWD is a rare neurological disease that affects the brains of deer and elk. It has been documented in parts of the Midwest and in several Canadian provinces. Since July of 2002, over 2,500 samples have been collected from deer in New York State, but no CWD has been detected. Extensive research elsewhere has been done, and, to date, there is no scientific evidence that the disease can be transmitted to humans. Hunters can be confident that DEC will continue to use random testing and surveillance to monitor the deer population for the presence of CWD.