Big Game Briefs: Jan - March 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

2003 DEER HARVEST

The 2003-04 deer seasons in Suffolk County produced the highest ever deer harvest on record. A grand total of 2,456 deer were taken during this past season, and exceeded the 2,278 deer harvested during the 2000-01 season. The harvest of 938 adult females was also greater than the record adult female take of 789 in the 2000-01 season. Deer checked by DEC staff at the various check stations throughout the Region appeared to be lighter in weight than those during the previous two years. This could be the result of last fall's relatively poor acorn crop throughout most of Suffolk county. Cooler than normal weather early in October provided more comfortable hunting opportunities. The total number of deer checked in at the Ridge Hunter Check Station during October (158) was more than twice the yearly totals during the previous two years. The lack of acorns this fall may have forced deer into being more active during legal shooting hours in search of other food sources. The increased availability of antlerless deer tags, including consigned DMPs and Bonus DMPs appear to be effective tools for reducing the female segment of the population in areas where hunters have property access.

2003-04 WINTER CONDITIONS

The combined effects of deer entering the winter season with lighter body weights than normal, and the heavy snow accumulations and freezing temperatures resulted in some winter related mortality. While the total monthly snow falls were not as great as last year, snow stayed on the ground for extended periods of time this year. As expected, most of the deer lost to winter kill were fawns.

DEER DAMAGE

A total of 129 Nuisance Deer Permits (NDPs) have been issued to date in the Region. In spite of the high deer take during the past hunting season, many of the private lands will not experience lower levels of deer damage in the future. A significant number of farms that utilize NDPs are surrounded by land that is not accessible to hunters. In other areas, landowner attitudes about hunting or firearm discharge ordinances limit effectiveness. Properties upon which hunters cannot gain access provide refuges for deer until the pressure of the hunting season is over.

REGION 4

2003 DEER HARVEST

The combined effects of the severe winter in 2002-2003 and the poor hunting weather conditions during most of the regular big game season, resulted in lower harvest levels in all but one Region 4 Wildlife Management Unit. WMUs in Albany, Columbia, Rensselaer, and Schoharie Counties and the eastern portion of Green County, showed an average decline in the buck take of about 16% from the 2002 harvest. WMUs 4A, 4F, and 4N, in Otsego, Montgomery and Schenectady Counties showed an average decline in buck take of about 24%. The impacts of the 2002-2003 winter appear to have had the most severe effects on deer take in the Greene and Delaware County WMUs in and around the Catskill Mountains. The buck take in WMUs 4O, 4P, 4R and 4W was an average of 37% lower than the previous year.

WMU 4J was the only unit that did not show a drop in harvest. Both the buck take and total takes have remained stable for the past two seasons. This unit encompasses the city and surrounding suburbs of Albany and is managed using bowhunter only harvest and Bonus Permits. The deer population in WMU 4J is higher than desired because of a lack of access for hunters and the continuing difficulties of managing deer in a suburban setting.

REGION 5

2003 DEER HARVEST

The Region 5 total deer take declined about 31% from the record take in 2002, and the buck take declined about 16% from the previous season. The declines can be attributed to several reasons. The harsh winter of 2002-03 caused some deer mortality, especially in the southern part of the region where snow depths were greater. In the four Northern Zone WMUs, hunters were limited to buck only harvest opportunities during the special muzzleloading season because of lower deer numbers as a result of the harsh winter. Fewer antlerless deer were taken in those units. Deer Management Permit numbers were reduced significantly in three of the four Southern Zone units in the region, because of DMP over-subscriptions in 2002 and the harsh winter, ultimately resulting in reduced antlerless takes in those units.

CITIZEN TASK FORCES

Citizen Task Force (CTF) meetings were held in WMUs 5N, 5K, 5R and 5P this winter and spring. This brings all of Region 5's CTFs up to date. The results of the CTF meetings are as follows:

In WMU 5N the CTF recommended a 10% increase in the current population resulting in an increase in the Buck Take Objective to 3.5 bucks per square mile.

In WMU 5P the CTF recommended a 13% decrease in the population resulting in a revised Buck Take Objective of 3.4 bucks per square mile.

In WMU 5K this was the first time a CTF was convened for this unit, and a Buck Take Objective of 2.8 bucks was recommended.

In WMU 5R the CTF recommended a 10% increase in deer numbers, resulting in a revised Buck Take Objective of 1.3 bucks per square mile.

DEER DAMAGE

Early snow followed by rains produced crusty snow conditions in most of the Region, making food sources on the ground unavailable to deer. This resulted in increased deer damage levels in orchards, starting early in January. Several orchards that had not previously experienced any deer damage were issued Nuisance Deer Permits in response to heavy deer browsing.

REGION 6

2003 DEER HARVEST

As expected, the overall 2003 Region 6 deer take was lower than the 2002 harvest. In several WMUs, recent management efforts have been directed at reducing deer numbers to levels at which significant deer damage is reduced. The 2003 deer harvest is a reflection of success towards balancing deer numbers with agricultural, homeowner, motorist, and forest landowner concerns. In some WMUs, the winter of 2002-03 also played a substantial role in lowering overall deer numbers through winter mortality. In particular, the central Tug Hill (WMU 6N) and portions of the Mohawk Valley (WMU 6S) showed larger declines than expected in spite of management intended to allow for increases or stable herd conditions.

2003-04 WINTER CONDITIONS

The overall winter of 2003-04 proved to be closer to average throughout most of the Region in terms of temperature and snow fall. A relatively warm and snow free December was followed by very cold and snowy conditions in January. The remainder of the winter moderated to near normal conditions with a strong thaw near the end of March. Although snow depths did reach critical levels for deer by mid January, the duration of the deep snow receded by early April. Moderate deer losses are expected on the Tug Hill where the most significant snow and duration occurred.

DEER DAMAGE

Although still early in the year for most agricultural deer damage complaints, a trend similar to 2003 appears to be continuing. Several midwinter residential complaints aside, deer damage issues remain light in comparison to the late 1990s- 2002.

REGION 7

2003 DEER SEASON OVERVIEW

As expected the overall deer take was down in the Region. Only one unit, WMU 7H recorded an increase in buck take in 2003. In all other units, except for WMUs 7A and 7M, the 2003 buck takes remained above the respective unit objectives. With the possible exceptions of WMU 7H, where the buck take remains above objective and rose, and WMU 7M where the buck take is below the objective and declined, overall harvests indicate progress in managing towards the population goals established by Citizen Task Forces.

CITIZEN TASK FORCES

Two Citizen Task Forces (CTFs) to update deer population objectives were completed in Region 7 this winter. In Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 7R, the CTF recommended the population be reduced 35%. This results in the Buck Take Objective in the unit being reduced from 3.6 to 2.7 bucks per square mile.

In WMU 7S the task force recommended the population be reduced about 20%. Based upon the 2003 deer harvest, the deer population in the unit was above the existing objective. The proposed reduction results in the Buck Take Objective remaining at 3.0 bucks per square mile.

2003-04 WINTER CONDITIONS

The recent cold, snowy winter undoubtedly effected deer in portions of the Region. So far there have been surprisingly few calls from people who've come across possible winter killed deer. That may change in May when turkey hunters go afield. We hope to do some field work in the near future looking for winter losses.

KING FERRY QDM PROJECT

A post season meeting of King Ferry QDM participants revealed continuing support for the project, but also growing frustration among some participants. Landowners who are adjacent to lands not in the project are getting more disturbed about young bucks being taken on neighboring properties. A second survey, to be undertaken by Cornell' s HDRU, should be underway soon which should shed more light on the opinions of participants.

REGION 8

2003 DEER SEASON OVERVIEW

Overall deer take was down 17% in the region in 2003. Buck harvest declined about 15% and antlerless take was down 18%. While declines were expected, the magnitude of the drop was slightly more than anticipated due most likely due to greater-than-usual winter mortality in 2002-03. Significant progress was made towards bringing unit populations down toward CTF objective levels, as evidenced by the fact that one-third of Region 8 units are now essentially at or below objectives. Every WMU but one saw the buck takes drop in 2003, with the Southern Tier units showing the most change. In the WMUs currently at or near objectives, attention now shifts towards how best to stabilize deer numbers within the unit.

2003-04 WINTER CONDITIONS

For the second consecutive year, Region 8 wildlife staff have made an effort to examine road killed deer during late winter/early spring for evidence of malnutrition. The condition of the deer's femur marrow gives us a snapshot of the health of the herd during this time. Over 50 deer have been examined so far this winter, although the data has not yet been analyzed. Preliminary results indicate that a significant amount of starvation may have occurred among the fawn population in certain locations. Due to a small sample size last year, direct comparison to data from 2002-03 is difficult. However, adult deer seem generally to be in pretty good shape this spring.

Staff and volunteers also surveyed Mendon Ponds Park for evidence of winter-killed deer this spring. Mendon Ponds is the largest county park in Monroe county, and is home to a plentiful, but essentially un-managed deer herd. Twenty-one carcasses were found, including 15 fawns, and 6 adult deer. Among the 15 fawns, 11 showed evidence of probable starvation. None of the 6 adult deer had starved. These findings are consistent with our road-kill examination in that fawns seem to have been commonly effected by malnutrition this past winter, whereas adults were not. One interesting and noteworthy find of our Mendon Ponds Park trip was the severe degree of understory browsing on what little amount of preferred browse existed, and the dominance of honeysuckle in the understory.

It is expected the recent winter will act in concert with that of 2002-03 to further limit population growth in the region. At freezer lockers, expect the coming season to show a continuance of the trend towards older deer in the harvest due to seasonal fawn mortality the past two winters.

DEER WINTERING AREA STUDY

Ten additional deer were trapped and radio-collared in central Steuben County to bring the total number of study deer on the study area up to a level of twenty. The study, initiated in 1991 by long-time Region 8 Deer Biologist Jim Fodge (retired), is designed to improve our understanding deer and their use of winter range in Southwestern NY. The study's objectives include a determination of when deer move to winter range, what conditions cause them to move, what are the distances of movement and the duration of time utilizing the wintering area. The physical characteristics of the winter range will also be examined. Preliminary findings include the fact that deer in the Southern Tier appear to only move to winter range in the most severe of winters. Significant movement has been documented in only three of the past 13 seasons.

DEER DAMAGE

About 100 automatic -renewal Nuisance Deer Permits (NDPs) were sent out in the January issuance period. This January auto-renew period is primarily aimed at more efficiently meeting the needs of orchardists and nursery operations who traditionally experience damage earlier in the year than row and field crop farmers.

Internally, a review of our regional Nuisance Deer Protocol was initiated with the goal of fine-tuning implementation and administration of our nuisance program, while still meeting the needs of the permit holders and staying within statewide protocol guidelines.

REGION 9

2003 DEER SEASON OVERVIEW

The buck take decreased in 12 of the 15 Wildlife Management Units (WMU'S) located in Region 9 during the 2003 season. The preseason forecast for the 2003 deer harvest predicted decreasing harvests in our regional WMU's. Two years of high removal rates of adult female deer in these units had set the stage for reduced deer numbers. In some of the WMUs, the decrease in the deer harvest was greater than anticipated. The 2002-03 winter certainly played a roll in this sharp decline in the harvest, primarily in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties. A review of harvest data confirms that there was a significant decrease in the percent of yearling bucks and yearling does in the 2003 deer harvest. This would indicate that the impact of the previous winter was greater than anticipated, because of a substantial loss of fawns to starvation in the prior winter. Other units did not display the same decrease in the yearling harvest levels, but in some cases this could be a result of small samples of deer checked during the hunting season. Lack of snow during much of the gun season certainly contributed to lower harvest rates for some hunters.

2003-04 WINTER CONDITIONS

It is anticipated that the recent winter had much less of an overall impact on the deer herd. Winter didn't "start" until January, and there was less total snowfall for the entire region than last year (with the exception of northern Niagara County). Spring browse and mortality surveys are now underway, with expectations that fewer starved deer will be found than last year.

DEER DAMAGE

Deer damage complaints were at a low level during most of the winter. It appears that many deer remained in winter concentration areas for the duration of the winter period. The number of complaints increased when most of the snow had melted and deer started looking for new food sources. The majority of our complaints were for damage to commercial nursery trees and shrubs, strawberries and urban residential vegetation.

CITIZEN TASK FORCES

Task force meetings were held in four WMUs in Region 9 during this winter. The results of these meetings were as follows:

WMU 9A - This unit consists of the major portion of Niagara County and the Town of Grand Island in Erie County. The WMU 9A CTF recommended that the management objective for the unit be maintained with a Buck Take Objective of 1.1 bucks per square mile. This will result in an effort to reduce the present deer population by approximately 35% over the next few years.

WMU 9J - This WMU includes the western two thirds of Chautauqua County. The final recommendation of CTF was to maintain the existing objective of 3.5 bucks per square mile. This is close to the 2003 buck take of 3.7 bucks per square mile.

WMU 9K - This WMU is located in western Cattaraugus County and eastern Chautauqua County. The CTF's new management objective prescribes a populations with a Buck Take Objective of 4.0 bucks per square mile. This change is an 8% increase from the previous buck take objective of 3.7 bucks per square mile.

WMU 9T - This WMU unit is located in southern Cattaraugus County. This CTF recommended keeping the current management objective of 4.4 bucks per square mile. The revised Buck Take Objective will result in efforts to increase the present deer population by 15%.

CENTRAL OFFICE REPORTS

DEER

2003 DEER HARVEST

During the 2003 hunting seasons, over 600,000 deer hunters afield deer hunting and harvested over 253,000 deer. This total deer take was about an 18% reduction from the record deer harvest of 308,000 in 2002. Included in the take were almost 108,000 bucks and over 145,000 antlerless deer. Deer takes were down in all of the major hunting zones, except for Long Island, where a record high deer take was achieved.

The reduction in hunter harvest was anticipated, as a direct result of winter mortality as previously noted, and the fact that management efforts in a number of areas, intended to reduce deer populations, have been effective. In 2003, Deer Management Permits (DMPs), valid only for the taking of antlerless deer, were reduced by 90,000 in recognition of reduced deer populations in some areas.

STATUS OF DEER MANAGEMENT EFFORTS

Based upon the 2003 deer harvest figures, about one-quarter of the current WMUs have deer populations that are within 10% of desired levels. About one-third of the units have deer populations above desired levels, and the remainder of the units, about 40%, have lower than desired deer populations. Staff will focus 2004 management actions to attempt to bring additional units closer to desired population levels.

DEER HUNTER NUMBERS

The number of deer hunters has been steadily declining since the mid 1980's, and staff have been concerned about hunter recruitment and retention. In 2000 an outreach effort was completed to solicit input from deer hunters regarding changes that might be made to increase hunter participation and satisfaction, and increase antlerless deer harvest. Since 2001 numerous changes to license issuance, structure, and use in the field have been implemented and have met with considerable favor. The long term decline in license sales continues to be a concern and staff are optimistic that further changes can slow or reverse that trend.

DEER NUISANCE AND DAMAGE ISSUES

Locally overabundant deer populations continue to result in conflicts among stakeholders affected by deer damage, especially in residential and agricultural settings.

A Joint Study of Deer Damage to Agriculture in New York has recently been completed and the report is now available. This combined effort of NY Farm Bureau, NYSDEC, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, NYS Dept of Agriculture and Markets and the National Agricultural Statistical Service will provide a current estimate of the extent and economic impacts of deer damage to crops, farmer's tolerance of deer damage and an estimate of the effectiveness of existing programs dealing with deer damage.

Currently DEC receives about 1500 deer damage complaints annually, resulting in the issuance of out-of-season permits that result in the taking of about 4,000 deer to alleviate damage. The number of complaints has remained stable since 2001. Staff are currently evaluating revisions to nuisance permit procedures to streamline the process.

DMAP

The Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) was introduced in 1999 to specifically address site specific deer damage concerns with the additional in-season harvest of problem deer on individual properties. Following three years of growth, the program may have begun to stabilize at a level of about 2300 annual permits, which results in the harvest of about 12,000 deer specifically from problem areas. About 90% of the DMAP permits are issued in response to agricultural damage concerns.

YOUTH HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES

DEC, sportsmen and Human Dimension researchers have long recognized that the recruitment of new hunters must be addressed if hunter harvest is to remain the primary tool for managing deer numbers across the state. New York is that only state in the country that does not allow youths under the age of 16 to hunt deer with firearms under adult supervision. It is believed that the recruitment of young hunters can be enhanced by the mentoring of new, early teen participants into hunting families. Currently there are two proposed legislative bills that would create opportunities for 14 and 15 year olds to participate in deer hunting and would afford NY families with the same opportunity that exists in every other state in the nation.

DEER SEASON RESTRUCTURING

Efforts to consider a realignment of existing deer seasons, especially for the Southern Zone continue. An announcement in the 2003-04 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide solicited input from hunters, landowners and other stakeholders regarding changes that might be made to existing deer seasons to enhance hunter satisfaction and increase hunter participation. Comments were also solicited through the web site. One of the key issues to be considered was the proposal to change the opening day of the southern zone regular season from a Monday to a Saturday.

While there was no clearly preferred alternative among those sharing their opinions regarding a Saturday opener, efforts to enhance youth hunting opportunities have met with limited success to date. One of the clear advantages that could result from a Southern Zone Saturday opening day is the expanded opportunities for youths to participate in deer hunting that would result.

BEAR

2003 BEAR SEASON

A record statewide total harvest of 1,864 bears were taken by NY hunters during the 2003 seasons. This take supercedes the previous record harvest of 1,070 that occurred during the 2000 season, and is more than double the previous 10 year average statewide harvest of 734 bears.

Record takes occurred in each of the three individual bear ranges in the state. Northern Zone hunters accounted for 1,370 bears in the Adirondack range, well above the 10 year average harvest of 499. Catskill hunters took 399 bears, including 172 during the archery season alone. The 10 year average harvest for the Catskill range is 188 bears. In western NY, a total of 95 bears were taken and this number is also well above the 10 year Allegany range average of 44 bears.

In the Northern Zone there was limited natural food available in the traditional mountain habitats, and the higher bear take was attributed to greater amounts of bear activity as a result seeking other fall foods in lower elevations. In the Southern Zone ranges, warmer temperatures and mild weather conditions caused bears to delay their denning activities until later than normal.

BLACK BEAR STAKEHOLDER GROUP MEETINGS CONCLUDE

The first round of Black Bear Stakeholder Input Group meetings concluded in early February. The new Black Bear Management Plan provides for an ongoing process to help make decisions regarding future black bear management actions in New York. Similar to Citizen's Task Forces for Deer Management, key stakeholders are asked to participate in a process to recommend changes which could address current bear issues.

The three areas selected for the initial effort were the Upper Catskill bear range, the Lower Catskill bear range and the Western New York bear range. Each stakeholder group included hunters, farmers, hikers, homeowners, businesses and other, and were asked to identify and prioritize bear impacts. Based upon priorities, they were also asked to recommend actions which might enhance positive impacts and lessen negative impacts. Recommendations of the SIGs included increased bear hunting in the form of expanded hunting areas and/or season structure changes, and an increased public outreach efforts by DEC and others to promote better understanding and awareness of bears and their habits.