Environment DEC
From the December 2006 issue
Late Deer and Bear Seasons Extend Hunting Opportunities
The regular hunting season
remains open until December 10
in the Southern Zone
For rifle hunters, the 2006 regular deer and bear hunting seasons will close relatively soon-at sunset on Sunday, December 3 in the Northern Zone and Sunday, December 10 in the Southern Zone, Catskills and Allegany regions. But for bow and muzzleloader hunters, late archery and muzzleloading seasons for deer and bear will extend their hunting opportunities, opening in portions of the Northern Zone, from December 4 to 10, and in the Southern Zone, from December 11 to 19.
Bow or Muzzleloading Hunting Privileges are Required
Hunters taking part in these special seasons must possess either bow hunting or muzzleloading privileges. During the late special seasons, hunters may use either of their bow hunting and muzzleloading tags, and they may also take a deer of either sex with an unused regular season deer tag. Unused Deer Management Permits (DMPs) may also be used in the late seasons for antlerless deer.
DMPs function as the cornerstone of DEC's deer management program. They are valid for antlerless deer only and are issued for specific Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). Since mid-August, DEC has issued more than 386,000 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, bow hunting and muzzleloading licenses. DMPs may be used in all Southern Zone seasons, including the early and late special seasons. Bonus DMPs are also available in the archery-only units. For information about DECALS and obtaining bonus DMPs, see "Related Links" below.
Regulatory Changes
Bear hunting has been expanded
in several areas in the Southern Zone
Hunters are reminded that several regulatory changes have occurred for the 2006 hunting seasons. The areas open to bear hunting in the Southern Zone have been expanded to include WMUs 4F, 4G and 4H. Adding these units to the bear hunting area is expected to reduce bear nuisance activity and property damage while providing additional hunting opportunities.
Also, the pilot antler restriction program in the southern Catskills has been expanded to include WMUs 3H and 3K located primarily in Sullivan County. The pilot program was initiated in WMUs 3C and 3J in 2005 and is intended to expand the age structure of the buck population. This harvest strategy requires that bucks taken in WMUs 3C and 3J, and now also WMUs 3H and 3K, have at least three antler points on a side to be legal. Hunters under 17 years of age are exempt from the three point requirement.
The Latest on CWD
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) regulations have been updated in response to the finding of the disease in a moose in Colorado and deer in West Virginia. Hunters bringing carcasses into New York from most of the western states, some Canadian provinces and territories, and West Virginia, must process them to remove tissues of concern prior to import. Moose have been added to the list of susceptible species that previously included only deer and elk.
More than 8,000 wild deer were tested for CWD in New York following the discovery of CWD in two wild and five captive deer in April 2005, and no additional animals have tested positive for the disease. Special restrictions are in place within the CWD Containment Area of Oneida and Madison counties, governing how harvested deer and specific deer parts may be possessed, transported and disposed of. Mandatory testing of all deer taken in the Containment Area has been occurring again this fall, as well as random testing in other counties throughout New York State.
New This Fall
New this fall, successful hunters in the Containment Area will have the option to bring the deer head only to the Oneida Deer Check Station, or they can present the field dressed carcass. Background information about CWD, DEC's response, and pertinent regulations can be found on the Current Situation on Chronic Wasting Disease in New York web page at "Related Links" below.
