From the February 2005 issue

DEC Announces Statewide Deer Management Meetings

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty announced a series of statewide meetings to be held during the month of February to solicit public comments on several proposed changes to future deer hunting seasons and discuss the results of the 2004 deer season in New York State. The "State of the 2005 Deer Herd" meetings are similar to previous efforts held in 2000 and 2002 and will provide hunters and other members of the public the opportunity to participate in the state's long-range deer management planning. Meetings are being held in all nine DEC regions. Please use the link at the bottom of this page to review the meeting schedule.

Public meetings will be held
throughout the state to discuss
DEC's management proposals

"DEC's proposals reflect the changes in deer numbers, distribution, and behavior that have occurred over time in many areas of the state," Commissioner Crotty said. "It is crucial that DEC continues to provide deer hunting opportunities and practices that meet the deer management needs of the future and help address current trends, like the declining number of hunters and rising deer populations that are expected to continue over the long term."

Fewer Hunters, More Deer

In New York State, the number of deer hunters has been declining since the late 1980s, while deer populations have increased, except for recent losses stemming from the harsh winter of 2002-03. Based upon input received during previous hunter outreach efforts, DEC is proposing several ways to maintain deer hunting as the primary tool for controlling deer populations on a statewide scale. They include changing the hunting season structure and providing new deer hunting opportunities, including opportunities for young hunters.

Deer take numbers for 2004
are expected to be lower
than reported in 2003

Several season changes have been proposed for the Southern Zone, including a Saturday opening day; a new early and limited muzzleloader season for antlerless deer only; an expansion of existing archery and muzzleloader seasons, and a pilot program in wildlife management units 3C and 3J that limits harvest of antlered deer to deer with three or more antler points on one side. Some details are provided below. Further information is available on DEC's Web Site and can be accessed by using the first link at the bottom of this page.

Proposed Changes for Southern Zone

Early Archery Season - First Saturday in October until the day before the regular season (49 days)

For 2005, October 1 through November 18

Early Special Muzzleloader Season (antlerless only) - Third Saturday in October for seven days

For 2005, October 15-October 21
Hunting Allowed with DMP and DMAP tags only
Archery season open for antlerless only

Regular Season - Third Saturday in November for 23 days

For 2005, November 19-December 11 (includes four weekends)

Late Archery and Muzzleloader Seasons - First day after the close of the regular season, running for seven days

For 2005, December 12-December 18 (any leftover tags still valid)

Antler Restriction Pilot Study - WMUs 3C and 3J (all seasons)

Limits harvest of antlered deer to those with at least three antler points on one side
Bucks with smaller antlers may not be taken

Submitting Comments

To submit written comments about the proposals, e-mail DEC's Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, or send comments to: Big Game Season Changes, NYSDEC, Bureau of Wildlife, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754. After reviewing the input from the meetings and other comments, DEC will revise the proposals if necessary and initiate a formal rulemaking with a 45-day comment period following publication in the New York State Register.

2004 Deer Season

At the meetings, DEC wildlife biologists also will discuss results of the 2004 deer season. Preliminary estimates indicate that hunters took slightly more than 200,000 deer in the 2004 season. That represents a decline of about 20 percent from the 2003 harvest of 253,000 deer and 35 percent from the record take of 308,000 in 2002. Other factors, such as winter mortality, hunting conditions, food availability, and deer behavior likely combined to further decrease hunter success. The 2004 harvest is comparable to deer harvests of the late 1990s.

Recent Harvests and Future Predictions

In response to lower deer harvests in 2003, DEC wildlife biologists lowered the deer harvest in 2004 by reducing deer management permit numbers by 17 percent. Preliminary harvest estimates indicate that a decreased deer population will result in further substantial reductions in deer management permits for approximately 60 percent of the wildlife management units for the 2005-06 season. Final, detailed, deer harvest numbers for the 2004 season will be available in late February and will be announced via a press release.