Big Game Briefs: April - June 2004
The Big Game Briefs are a compilation of recent events, program status and anecdotes pertaining to deer and bear management issues across the state. Submissions of local interest from each regional Deer Biologist, along with statewide perspectives from Central Office Big Game staff are consolidated to present a review of current deer and bear management program issues across the state.
REGION 1
DEER DAMAGE
A total of 138 Nuisance Deer Permits (NDPs) have been issued in 2004 to date. At this point last year, only 89 had been issued. Several more applications for NDPs have been received recently, and there are still about 20 farms that had permits in 2003, that have not requested a permit for 2004. In addition to deer damage at farms, we are receiving numerous requests from residents of villages and other non-agricultural areas for assistance in reducing deer damage. Many of these areas are not currently open to hunting, or are effectively off-limits due to local discharge ordinances. Regional staff have met with local residents and village officials in several areas to discuss possible solutions. Some of the solutions would require lifting the discharge ordinance, and in many cases getting neighbors to grant permission for discharging a firearm or bow within 500 feet of their homes. In many areas the deer are safe from any sort of control efforts because of the legal limitations on shooting any hunting implement within 500 feet of buildings. The present regulation greatly restricts and limits the options for relief available to property owners who are experiencing deer damage.
REGIONAL DEER HERD CONDITION
Deer on Long Island came through the winter in fair shape in most areas. There were some pockets of significant winter mortality, especially in some areas closed to hunting, with documented cases of adult deer starving to death at Brookhaven National Lab. The acorn crop was reduced last year and harvested deer averaged about 20 pounds lighter going into winter. The month of February was quite harsh locally with cold temperatures and snow cover for most of the month. The reduced deer numbers found on hunted areas likely fared much better because of less competition for food, and these deer look to be in good shape. The numbers of does without fawns seems to be a bit higher this spring, likely the result of the harshness of the winter. However, many fawns have been seen, and appear to be growing well.
REGION 3
2004 SEASON PROSPECTS
The deer herds in most WMUs in the Region came through the winter in good condition. Reports of winter mortality were very light following the past winter. As a result Hudson Valley units will see slight increases in Deer Management Permit numbers for the 2004 season. Conversely, the Catskill Mountain units which have experienced winter mortality the past few years will see major reductions of permit availability. For the 2004 season Region 3 has a target harvest of about 10,000 adult female deer with a target of 90,000 DMPs.
2004 FAWNING SEASON
Fawn Drop started with a few in May and became heavy in early June. Field reports are indicating to a good fawn drop in all areas.
DEER DAMAGE
Based upon the current complaint load, Region 3 will surpass last years record of 313 deer complaints in early July. Through the end of June last year, the Region had received 299 deer complaints.
BLACK BEAR
Despite the record bear harvest of 2003, nuisance complaints are at a level slightly above last year's total for the same time period. Along with the usual public education provided to complainants over the phone and through mailings, staff have been out on numerous field visits issuing rubber buckshot, providing technical advice and occasionally applying aversive conditioning to bears. A number of bears have been reported in urban situations, and in two instances staff assistance was required. In Rockland County, a yearling repeatedly returned to a neighborhood where it was accessing garbage after being frightened off and hit with rubber buckshot by local police. When Wildlife staff arrived, the attractant had been removed and the bear was treed. Shortly after people left the scene the bear came down and was conditioned again with rubber buckshot and a marking load. No problems were reported following this incident.
The other instance occurred in White Plains, Westchester County, where a bear treed in a very urban area after days of harassment by local law enforcement. Wildlife personnel spent the night working with the local authorities to tranquilize the 175 pound male. The bear was tagged and subsequently released about 30 miles away, on the Ninham Multiple Use Area in Putnam County.
Staff again attended NYSDOH of Sullivan County meetings in Brooklyn and Monticello to offer technical assistance to summer camp and bungalow colony staff regarding nuisance bear problems. A seasonal Fish and Wildlife Technician was hired to work specifically on this outreach effort. Letters to over 200 camps offering assistance were sent and the technician has begun scheduling meetings and presentations. The emphasis is on problem prevention, and is focused primarily on reducing the garbage attractant.
Radio collars with VHF, GPS, and ARGOS satellite capabilities have been received and are being prepared for use in the field. These collars are to be used for a study of the behavior of relocated nuisance bears.
REGION 4
2004 SEASON PROSPECTS
Populations in the Wildlife Managements Units (WMUs) that lie east of the Hudson valley have been fairly stable and DMP availability this year for these units will be similar to 2003 levels. Also, WMU 4L in the center of Rensselaer County will have a small number DMPs (300) available for the first time.
Region 4 WMUs that lie west of the Hudson valley generally showed declines in harvest during the 2003, and deer populations are below desired levels in a number of areas. As a result, DMP targets for these units have been significantly lowered in 2004 to allow these populations to recover. The largest reductions in permit targets will occur in units 4O (45%) and 4W (60%). Last years harvests in these two units were heavily effected by winter mortality and had the most dramatic declines in deer take from 2002 to 2003.
BLACK BEARS
Black Bear sighting reports in Region 4 have increased substantially this year and more bears are showing up in populated areas. Wildlife Staff have received about 100 complaints originating from 7 out of the 9 Region 4 counties (including Albany). In late May, a young male, estimated to weigh about 200lbs, entered the outskirts of the city of Albany in search of an easy meal. Eventually, Albany police treed the bear in a residential area and asked the DEC for assistance to remove the bear. After a lengthy wait, Wildlife Staff, with the assistance of ECOs and Albany city police, were able to dart the bear and remove him from the city. The bear was released in the Catskills the following day with the hope that his unpleasant city experience would encourage him to stay clear of humans in the future. Wandering movements by young male bears are common this time of the year, and this bear was probably attracted to the residential area by the garbage that had been set out the prior evening for pickup in the morning. Wildlife staff also noted large quantities of bird see in the bears scat, suggesting that this bear may have lost some of his aversion to people because he had learned to associate easy meals with people. This event clearly highlights the need to make sure bears do not have access to food from humans.
Regional Wildlife Staff captured a DEC tagged bear in a culvert trap in Greene County. This sow was previously captured and tagged in 1995. The radio collar failed shortly after she was released and she has believed to have frequented her home range with the nonfunctional collar since the initial handling. Unfortunately, she was not the target of the specific trapping effort. The old radio collar was removed and the bear released.
REGION 5
REGIONAL DEER HERD CONDITION
The winter of 2003-04 started out with heavy snow cover in December, but warm weather and rain early in January packed the snow and created a supporting crust. Light snow and very cold temperatures through January and February allowed deer to roam away from the core areas of deer yards to access good browse. Deer were observed in open hardwoods near wintering areas throughout the winter. Browse species in wintering areas had been severely damaged during the previous winter and did not produce much new growth last summer, so if deer had been confined to wintering areas this winter they would not have fared well. Dead deer surveys conducted this spring showed average winter losses throughout the region. Accordingly, muzzleloading season regulations have been changed for the 2004 season to allow the harvest of deer of either sex in all units in Region 5.
2004 SEASON PROSPECTS
The Northern Zone units in the Region should have rebounded from the hard winter of 2002-03, and deer hunting should improve somewhat this fall. Buck takes in these units are expected to increase about 10 percent overall, with a higher percentage of yearling bucks than the previous year.
The Southern Zone units in the Region are all either at or below the newly established buck take objectives. This will mean lower numbers of Deer Management Permits (DMP's) for the next few years to allow the populations to grow toward the objectives. The 2004 DMP targets for the four units have been reduced significantly . In two WMUs (5N and 5P) only those applicants with two or more preference points will receive a DMP. In WMU 5K about 10% of the residents with a single preference point will also receive a DMP, and in WMU 5R all those with preference and about 40% of the applicants without preference will receive a DMP. The number of Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) tags will also decrease this year due to lower deer populations in these units. A relatively mild winter and good weather during this spring's fawning season should mean a good year for reproduction, and early reports from sportsmen and landowners indicate a healthy crop of fawns.
BEAR
NUISANCE COMPLAINTS
After an early burst of complaints about bears getting bird seed and garbage before green-up, complaints dwindled to near zero for several weeks. The opening of campgrounds and summer camps in June has now lead to a rash of complaints, including at least one house break-in. Regional wildlife staff have assisted two private facilities with electric fence installations to prevent bears from accessing dumpsters. It is hoped that the combination of a high bear harvest last fall and better growing conditions this spring will reduce last year's record volume of bear complaints.
HIGH PEAKS BEAR STUDY
As a result of a record number of bear/camper conflicts in 2003, a two-year study of nuisance bears in the High Peaks Wilderness Area in Essex County began this May. The purpose of the study is to learn the daily and seasonal movements of bears using the area, assess the effectiveness of aversive conditioning techniques, and to develop recommendations for the prevention of nuisance problems. Bears will be caught in foot snares, immobilized, and fitted with GPS or VHF radio collars so their movements and locations can be recorded. Trapping began the week of July 5 and will continue through the summer if necessary.
REGION 6
DEER HERD CONDITION
In general, deer numbers in Region 6 are currently at or near desired levels following several years of increased harvests directed at either stabilizing or reducing herds. With the exception of the Jefferson County Lake Plains, where numbers remain high, Deer Management Permit numbers have been reduced accordingly to maintain current populations. In the higher elevation Wildlife Management Units of the Tug Hill and Adirondacks, where DMP's are not available, deer numbers remain somewhat lower than desirable as a result of winter losses in 2002-03. On the positive side, many reports from the field are indicating an excellent fawn crop in 2004, suggesting a rebound in depressed areas, and some good prospects for the future.
DEER DAMAGE
After a very quiet winter and spring, nuisance deer complaints to agriculture have picked up substantially in late June. The most active areas include the Jefferson County Lake Plains and the St. Lawrence River Valley. Both regions have high deer densities and significant active agriculture. Although it is early in the growing season, overall complaints in 2004 appear to be slightly higher than last year, but still well below levels of the late 1990's and earlier in this decade.
BLACK BEAR
Nuisance black bear activity has been minimal during the months of April-June 2004. During this time period regional offices and law enforcement received 19 complaints with Oneida County leading the counties with 7 of those complaints. Interestingly, the majority of complaints occurred in a 10 day time period in early June. Complaints were typical for early spring activity with bird feeder and apiaries damage being the top categories. The Region has had 3 non-hunting mortalities, including 2 vehicle collisions and one bear destroyed in a farm yard situation in Lewis county. One of the roadkills was a bear hit along the New York State Thruway in the Town of Verona, Oneida County.
Rainfall was abundant early in the spring and green-up occurred quickly in early May. Rains continued through the month of May and into early June. Abundant natural foods, coupled with cool wet weather that has slowed tourism in the north country, may be responsible for the lower numbers of bear complaints. With camping and vacationing down in the region, bears simply may not have as many opportunities to create nuisance situations.
Regional staff made a presentation on aversive conditioning techniques at the second annual Herkimer County Sportsmen Appreciation Dinner on the Ilion Fish and Game Club grounds. Attendees included U.S. Congressman Sherwood Boehlert and NYS Representative Mark Butler. The presentation covered current bear issues in the region and the state and demonstrations of negative conditioning tools and techniques.
REGION 7
REGIONAL DEER HERD CONDITION
The winter of 2003-04 was a tough one by most measures and certainly did effect deer to some degree. As always, conditions varied from WMU to WMU and trying to quantify the degree of impact is a challenge. While some scattered winter losses were reported and in some cases documented, overall the number of calls from landowners or turkey hunters to report observations of winter losses was surprisingly low. In Region 7, WMUs 7A and 7M, and to a lesser degree WMU 7J, are the units where it is expected that the effects of winter conditions, mortality losses and reduced productivity, may have a noticeable effect on deer numbers. DMP targets were set with this in mind.
2004 FAWNING SEASON
Based upon the number of calls received, it would appear the fawning season played out fairly normally in timing and numbers. Calls about fawns in and around peoples lawns and of "orphaned" fawns, while most often false alarms, came in at a normal clip.
2004 SEASON PROSPECTS
While overall DMP numbers are down, first permits will still be readily available in all but two WMUs. In WMU 7A only about a third of applicants will get a permit and in WMU 7M only landowners and disabled vets will receive permits. In most of the region the Fall of 2004 should offer another good season for hunters.
DEER DAMAGE
Deer damage complaints have increased following a slow start. Currently complaint levels are below last years pace.
KING FERRY QDM PROJECT
Improved methods and/or more cooperative deer resulted in a record number of fawns being captured and tagged as part of the King Ferry QDM Project. Twenty fawns were tagged this season compared to a total of 17 in the previous 3 years. These tagged animals will serve a number of purposes, as marked animals during spot light and camera surveys, information on deer movement and survival, and ultimately providing known aged jaws when the deer are recovered.
SYRACUSE AREA DEER MEETINGS
Deer near Syracuse have prompted three recent meetings. Local Assemblyman Jeff Brown and Town of Manlius officials convened a meeting for residents concerned about deer in the Town of Manlius. A second meeting was convened for Manlius residents along with state parks officials to discuss the role Green Lakes State Parks may play in deer numbers and potential management. Plans are in the works for SUNY ESF to conduct wildlife surveys in Manlius, which will help the Town and State Parks develop management plans. Another meeting was organized by the Onondaga County Cooperative Extension office for officials of the Towns of Camillus and Manlius to meet with Dr. Paul Curtis from Cornell and DEC to discuss deer damage control and population management.
BLACK BEARS
The fact that bears are expanding their range into Region 7 becomes more obvious each year as calls about bear observations or nuisance problems continue to rise. As is true elsewhere, bird feeders are by far the largest precursor to sightings and/or complaints. Over 50 calls regarding bears have been received so far this year and there are reports of three road kills and limited information on possibly another one.
REGION 8
2004 DEER SEASON
Deer Management Permits in Region 8 will be reduced this fall, down to about 168,000 in the Region. This represents a 16% reduction from the 200,000 permits issued last year. Significant progress was made toward bringing deer numbers closer to Citizen Task Force objectives, and hunters will see substantially reduced permit quotas in several Southern Tier units as a result of efforts to stabilize these populations. Total harvest numbers this fall should be lower in most units as a result reduced permit availability, and the effects of another hard winter in 2003-04. First and second DMPs will be available to hunters in eight of the Region's 15 units; second permits in the rest of the units will be available to hunters with preference. Despite this reduced permit availability, deer populations in Region 8 are still strong, and hunting opportunities here remain first rate.
2003-04 FAWN MORTALITY SURVEY
Regional staff examined 109 deer carcasses this past winter in an effort to quantify the effects of a second hard winter in a row in most of the Region. Although most of these deer were killed on roads, an examination of the color and consistency of the marrow in the femur (upper thigh) bone provides information as to the state of nutrition at the time of death. Among the 109 deer found, 52 (48%) likely would have starved to death. Fawns were disproportionately affected, with 70% found in starvation condition (49 out of 70 fawns). Only 8% of adult deer found (3 out of 39) would likely have starved. Although the deer examined were not equally distributed over the Region, most of the deer found in poor condition were from the Appalachian Plateau (Finger Lakes and south) where land use and topography add up to less agriculture and tougher winter conditions. Efforts will be made to expand the number and distribution of deer examined next winter, perhaps by enlisting the services of dedicated volunteers outside the Department.
2004 FAWNING SEASON
Although reports of twin fawns in the Region this year are still common, sightings of single fawns or even barren does in many areas are widespread. These sightings seem more frequent in the southern half of the region. This is to be expected as a result of the severe winter, because the physical condition of does is pushed to the limit. In times of nutritional stress, nutritional resources shift to the doe and away from her unborn offspring. It is expected that the winters of 2002-03 and 2003-04 will continue to exert their influence on Regional deer numbers.
COMMUNITY DEER MANAGEMENTThe Town of Mendon is a rural/suburban township in southern Monroe County that has seen a burgeoning deer population in recent years. Increased car-deer accidents and damage to residential landscaping and farm crops has resulted in the Town's appointment of a Deer Management Task Force to make recommendations on how best to manage this growing herd. A mail survey will be sent by the group this summer to a random sample of Town residents in an attempt to identify areas of concern and preferred control options. The DEC Regional Deer Biologist will be serving as Technical Advisor to the group.
DEER DAMAGE
A grand total of 366 nuisance deer permits (NDPs) were issued by the Digi-Deer computer program during the May auto-renewal period. These are permits for long-standing nuisance sites that are automatically sent to permittees every year, in an effort to provide better service to the public and to save staff time. There are two auto-renewal periods: January, primarily for orchards and nurseries, and May, for row and truck crops.
REGION 9
2004 SEASON PROSPECTS
The Regional deer harvest of antlerless deer during the last two years has been high enough that in most WMUs the deer populations have been reduced close to desired levels. As a result of the reductions, there will be a noticeable decrease in the number of DMPs in most units this fall. The reduction will result in approximately 50,000 permits less than last years total. In most WMUs resident hunters will notice that second DMP's will be less available, During the Initial application period, DECALS random drawings will select hunters to receive second permits. The exception to this will be WMU 9A and WMU 9F, where every hunter will receive two permits, and the possibility exists of having some DMP's available during the First Come/First Serve application period. Although deer densities will be lower in many units, hunters should still expect to have some very good deer hunting this fall. They should just remember that there will not be record deer populations in regional WMU's this year.
DEER DAMAGE
Regional deer damage complaints were fairly slow until the last couple of weeks in June. In some cases it may be the because of the cold/wet spring that delayed the planting of many crops by a couple of weeks or more. Many farmers with poorly drained soils were still planting corn in late June in many parts of the Region.
WINTER MORTALITY
Although many parts of the southern portion of the region had significant snow accumulations, the longevity of our winter was much shorter than the previous year. Dead deer surveys this spring documented some winter starvation, with losses occurring in wintering areas that had been severely over browsed in previous winters. For most of the region winter mortality was negligible this past winter.
2004 FAWNING SEASON
Wildlife staff have had limited observations of fawns with does until late June. Once again our cold/wet spring has delayed much of the haying activity on our hill top farms. Many hay fields had still not been cut by the end of June. At this time it would be premature to predict overall fawn production.
REGIONAL CONCERNS
There seems to be increasing interest regarding deer management in our urban areas of western New York. Technical advice was given to the City of North Tonawanda and the City of Dunkirk this spring. The deer damage permits issued in the Towns of Amherst and Clarence this past winter resulted in the harvest of almost 500 deer and produced approximately 17,000 pounds of venison for the Food Bank of Western New York.
BLACK BEARS
Bear complaints and sightings continue on the rise in areas considered as non-traditional bear range. Meetings were held with Police departments in East Aurora, Orchard Park and Jamestown to discuss standard protocol for dealing with bears in urban areas. A 375 pound male black bear in a tree in downtown Olean was immobilized and relocated to a more suitable location, this bear had been ear tagged by the PA Game Commission. Biological information was collected from seven bears killed by vehicles in a two month period. Five nuisance black bears were live trapped in Allegany State Park and marked with colored ear tags to determine the effectiveness of negative conditioning of bears visiting dumpsters.
CENTRAL OFFICE REPORTS
DEER
DECALS
As the DEC Automated License System enters its third season of operation, several new improvements for 2004 will be in place. The awkward convention of utilizing the last two digits of the license year (IE. 04 for 2003-04) on the tags and panels has been changed. This will result in hunters utilizing carcass tags this fall with identification numbers that start with "04" instead of "05". Hopefully this will avoid some confusion by hunters in the field.
Licenses will go on sale at all outlets beginning on August 16; the Instant Lottery will commence on that date also, and will run through the close of business on October 1.
An ongoing concern is the apparent reduction in big game hunter license sales and subsequent DMP applications last year. Since the number of expected applicants in each WMU is a crucial component of the process for establishing selection probabilities, Wildlife Services is planning a survey during the summer to better understand why hunters may have dropped out last year, and if they may return to the applicant pool for 2004.
2004-05 HUNTING AND TRAPPING GUIDE
The drafts of the Hunting and Trapping Guides for 2004-05 were completed in late May and proof copies arrived shortly thereafter. Further changes to the guide for this year include more information about DECALS, game reporting and license use. The DMP information page was expanded to include clearer and more definitive descriptions of first and second DMP odds for all WMUs in the Instant Lottery. Hunters should find this year's guide to be more user friendly and informative.
A Deer Management Information Booklet was prepared describing the 2004 DMP application process in detail. Similar to the old DMP application booklet from the days of the mail in lottery, much of the information in this publication is contained in the annual Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide. It was re-instituted for the 2004 season to help hunters transition from the old mail-in DMP application to the new procedures that occurred with the introduction of DECALS, however, it will be eliminated after this season.
DMP NUMBERS FOR 2004
Final target numbers of Deer Management Permits (DMPs) were calculated and the target number of DMPs were completed in late May in order to meet the inclusion deadlines for the 2004-05 Guide. As noted in most of the Regional reports, the winter of 2003-04 saw a return to more normal winter conditions and levels of winter mortality were significantly less than during the winter of 2002-03. Small numbers of deer were lost in limited areas, and overall increases in deer numbers are expected in most of those units that experienced winter loss in the past. About one quarter of the WMUs now have deer populations that are within 10% of desired levels, one third have deer populations above desired levels and the rest have lower than desired deer numbers. As a result, DMP availability will decrease slightly for the 2004 season.
Final desired DMP numbers for the upcoming season will be about 550,000 statewide. This is a reduction from the 2003 total and is a combined result of an increasing number of units having deer populations more closely aligned with desired levels and other areas still recovering from the lingering effects of 2002-03 winter.
MUZZLELOADER SEASONS
Pending the final adoption of regulations, Northern Zone muzzleloader season opportunities will be expanded as a result of the return to more normal winter conditions this past winter. Seasons in WMU 5F, 5H, 5G, and 5J will return to either sex hunting areas. Either sex hunting will also return to WMU 6C, replacing the antlerless only option that was used to bring deer population closer to desired levels. The Southern Zone muzzleloader season remains unchanged.
STATEWIDE DEER TEAM MEETING
The June meeting of the Deer Biologist Team was hosted by Region 4 and held in Cooperstown on June 8-10. A full agenda included season restructuring, youth opportunities, current legislation, CWD response and deer damage issues provided for lively and fruitful discussions. The September meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 28 thru 30 and will be hosted by Region 3.
LEGISLATION
A number of bills were considered by the Legislature during the current legislative session. It was a very busy year for deer issues. Several bills have passed by both the Senate and the Assembly, and will be sent to the Governor. Included among those that passed was S6878 which requires the wearing of blaze orange by persons hunting big game with a rifle, shotgun, pistol or revolver. The wording of the bill stipulates " a minimum of 400 square inches of solid or patterned fluorescent orange material above the waist or a hat or cap. Such material shall be worn so it is visible at all times in a 360 degree arc". If signed into law, this would take effect on January 1, 2005.
Legislation authorizing a voluntary venison donation with the sale of licenses (A10818) and (S7620) providing for equal penalties for illegally taking both bucks and "does" also passed both Houses.
Other legislation authorizing Junior Big Game Hunting (firearms), Junior Archery hunting for 12 and 13 year old youths, expanded use of rifles in the Southern Zone, elimination of deer damage permits and creating additional special seasons remained in various committees.
CWD RELATED ISSUES
Work is ongoing in the development of a comprehensive Chronic wasting Disease (CWD) contingency plan. Surveillance efforts will continue through the upcoming seasons.
To date there CWD has not been detected in New York.
BEAR
BEAR MANAGEMENT PLANNING
The Final Report on Stakeholder Input Groups for Black Bear Management in the Lower Catskills, Upper Catskills and Western New York was received and will be distributed to the participants in the near future.
As a result of one of recommendations from the groups, the regulatory changes have begun to expand the area open to bear hunting in the Upper Catskills to include two additional WMUs.
BEAR TEAM
The Black Bear Management Plan team has evolved in a working group similar to the Deer Team. The "new" Bear Team met in June to define the scope of areas to be considered for their joint efforts. Consolidation and standardization of bear nuisance complaint data, continuation of the Stakeholder Input Group process and future bear management needs were considered. The Team will meet again in September.
BLACK BEAR MODEL BUILDING
Members of the Black Bear Team along with staff from the Human Dimensions Research Unit of Cornell University and SUNY Albany have been working on a management model building project to provide a better understanding of relationships that exist between current and potential bear management actions and the ultimate effects that changes in statute and policy might produce.
