Big Game Briefs: October-December 2002
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
BONUS PERMITS
The 2002 Archery season was quite successful despite the warmer than average temperatures in October. Based on the number of Bonus Deer Management Permits (Bonus DMPs) issued at the Ridge Hunter Check Station during the archery season, the harvest in Region 1 should be similar to last year's take which was the second highest harvest on record for Suffolk County. During 2002, 255 Bonus DMPs were issued which was slightly fewer than the 272 issued during the three month archery season in 2001. The slight decline in Bonus DMPs issued could have been a result of the new 3/2 tag system which provided hunters with options other than WMU 1C DMPs to tag their antlerless deer during the archery season.
DEER CHECKS
The Ridge Hunter Check Station was open 7 days per week for hunters to have deer checked, allowing DEC staff to collect biological data from harvested deer and issue Bonus Deer Management Permits to those eligible. From November through December, archery hunters were required to obtain daily access permits to hunt the Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area and Otis Pike Preserve and all deer harvested on those properties were checked by DEC staff. Although hunters who had harvested deer on private lands were not required to take their deer to the check station, several deer were brought in on a volunteer basis.
2003 JANUARY SHOTGUN SEASON
During the Special January Shotgun season, hunters must reserve a parking spot to hunt on DEC managed property. Although hunters are still making reservations during the season, the number of reservations is down from over 1700 in January 2002 to approximately 1500 in 2003. Unclaimed reservation spots are filled daily on a stand-by basis by hunters waiting to see which spots are available after all those with a reservation have checked out of the Ridge and East Hampton Co-op Hunter Check Stations. With the stand-by system, very few, if any, parking spots remain unfilled during the first half of the season.
DMAP
The Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) in Region 1 is down from thirteen properties in 2001-2 to eight in 2002-3. No new applications for DMAP were received despite offering applications for the program to Nuisance Deer Permit holders. Based on harvest reports from last year's new DMAP properties, renewals were not requested because of the limited-to-no use of the DMAP tags that were provided. Landowners expressing concerns about deer management will continue to be provided with DMAP information.
CWD REGULATIONS
Region 1 has not received much reaction from the public, including hunters, regarding the issue of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and/or the emergency regulations in place. The region was involved in a seizure of three elk carcasses brought in from Wyoming. The carcasses were seized by Law Enforcement and transferred to the Wildlife Pathology Lab in Delmar where they were prepared for CWD testing. Results of the CWD tests of those elk are not available at this time.
DECALS AND OTHER CHANGES
The Region 1 Wildlife Office received numerous phone calls regarding the new license system. Staff have continued to answer questions regarding which carcass tags were valid during the various deer seasons across the state. The language on the deer carcass tag does not accurately reflect which tag is valid during the Long Island deer season and that has caused a great deal of confusion. The other major issue of the tag is that the font is too small. The Region 1 office received only a few phone calls from hunters having problems with the phone reporting system.
REGION 3
DEER CHECKS 2002
Region 3 staff checked over 2,000 hunter harvested deer from the November 1st season opening in Westchester County to the December 31 season closing in that county. Based on deer checked at meat cutters and taxidermists in the Region, the deer take appears to be slightly higher than last year. However, some WMUs had lower than expected deer harvests, especially Westchester County, where the issuance of bonus permits is down significantly from last year.
DMAP
In 2002, Region 3 received 166 DMAP applications, of which 150 of which were approved. The number of DMAP participants is a 10 % increase over last year. A total of 2,055 tags were issued to DMAP participants for use during the 2002 deer season. With approximately 60% of the Deer Harvest Summary Reports received thus far, a total of 1,009 deer have been reported taken on DMAP permits. The average success rate of 76% is significantly higher then last year's success rate of 50%, and yields a projected total of over 1,500 deer taken on DMAP permits in the region during 2002.
BONUS PERMITS
Region 3 continued the Bonus Permit Program in Westchester County (WMU 3S) in 2002. Westchester County, which is an "archery only" unit has had a bonus permit system since 1993. A total of 294 WMU 3S Bonus Permits were issued this season, which is down significantly from last year's total of 507. The new 3/2 deer tag system and First Come-First Served DMPs may have had an impact on the Bonus Permit subscription in this unit.
CWD REGULATIONS
Reaction to the new Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) regulations has been mixed. Most of the opposition is to the restrictions on feeding deer. This is especially true in sections of Sullivan County where supplemental feeding during the winter months by sportsman's organizations and the general public is a long-standing tradition. A public meeting to discuss the CWD regulations is scheduled for Thursday, February 13, 2003 at 7:00 PM in Liberty, NY.
REGION 4
2002 DEER SEASONS
Results fo the 2002 big game seasons are difficult to predict. The weather on opening day and the first Saturday of the regular season was miserable with considerable snow and wind. The deer take on opening day was likely down a good bit. Many other days during the season were very cold and may have kept some hunters home, while limiting time in the field for others. In spite of the weather, it does appear that a fair number of deer were harvested. Many successful hunters were letting their deer hang and not bringing them to the butchers immediately because of the cooler weather. As a result, deer checking activities were more drawn out over the season this year. Some biologists and technicians checked a comparable number of deer when compared to past years, while others checked fewer deer.
The severe winter that is occurring in late December may also have a significant impact on deer populations, especially the fawns in some of the higher elevations in the Catskills, Taconics and Helderbergs. Winter mortality could possibly be quite high this year if severe conditions persist.
DMAP
DMAP continues to grow in popularity as a site specific management tool in Region 4. Applicants are provided with additional antlerless-only DMAP permits valid only on their properties during the fall hunting seasons. Hopefully with DMAP, the overabundant deer populations on individual farm are reduced in size and crop damage is minimized to a more tolerable level.
In 2002 there were 224 DMAP applications and all were approved, resulting in a grand total of 2,045 carcass tags issued. To date about 1040 deer have been reported, representing an approximate 51% success rate. This compares with 191 total permits and 1740 tags issued during the 2001 season. Approximately 25% of the 2002 permit holders have not yet submitted their annual report for this past season.
CWD REGULATIONS
The Region 4 office has received only a few calls, most of them related to the feeding ban which is part of the CWD regulations. The fact that we have already received 63 inches of snow at the Albany County airport weather station, as opposed to the long term average of 61 inches for the entire winter, doesn't bode well for the deer. People will have more interest in feeding deer than in the recent past when winters have been relatively mild. CWD Regulations public meetings have been scheduled for January 29 at the Quality Inn, Everett Road exit to I-90, and for February 5 at the Holiday Inn on Route23 east of Oneonta. Both meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m.
BONUS PERMITS
Bonus permits issued this year in WMU 4J was down from the number issued in previous years. In all likelihood, a major contributing factor is the new license structure. With opportunity to purchase multiple tags at once, both the either sex and the antlerless tags can both be used in the early archery season, and for some hunters this may lessen the need a Deer Management Permit or a Bonus Permit.
DECALS AND OTHER CHANGES
Common problems with the new hunting licenses included inability to read the printing on the tags and a general misunderstanding of how the system worked. Some hunters were frustrated with the telephone reporting system and wound up sending their reporting stubs into the Regional Office by regular mail.
REGION 5
2002 DEER SEASONS
Region 5 Wildlife staff checked a grand total of 983 deer in 2002, compared to 975 in 2001. The age distribution of bucks that were checked shows the results of last year's mild winter. In the Adirondacks, 50% of the bucks checked were yearlings, compared with only 26% in 2001 after a much harsher winter. In the northern WMUs, 61% were yearlings (60% in 2001), and in the southern zone units 72% were yearlings (62% in 2001). The antler dimensions for bucks taken in Region 5 also shows that the herd health improved also. The average yearling buck beam diameter increased from 17.45 mm in 2001 to 18.68 mm in 2002, and the average number of antler points (yearlings) increased from 3.32 to 3.73.
The largest buck checked in Region 5 was a 12 point with 40 mm beam diameter taken in Lake Luzerne, Warren County. The 4 ½ year old buck was taken during the regular season but still had velvet on it's antlers.
DMAP
DMAP permit holders had another productive year in Region 5. This year a grand total of 115 permits, including 911 tags were issued. To date, 70 harvest reports have been received and the total take on these permits was 340. This represents about 66% success rate, very similar to past years in the region. The success rate for Southern Zone permits was 69%, while for the Northern Zone permits it was 58%.
DECALS AND OTHER CHANGES
After the initial period of confusion, most hunters seemed very pleased with the new license/tag structure. The ability to use an unfilled regular season tag or special season tag in the late muzzleloading season was especially popular with hunters in the northern zone units open for late muzzleloading. The main complaints received about the new carcass tags were related the perforation for attaching the tag to the animal. Many hunters did not realize the perforation was there and made their own, and others cut into the perforation while cutting out the month of kill.
CWD REGULATIONS
There has been both positive and negative public reaction to the CWD regulations, especially the feeding restrictions, in Region 5. In areas of the Adirondacks where deer feeding has been established for many years, those who feed deer are opposed to the feeding restrictions. Many others, mainly hunters, have voiced agreement with the feeding restrictions. Some of the opponents understand why the restrictions were imposed, but are still having a hard time giving up something that they feel is helping the deer. Many of these people are mainly upset that the initial regulations were put into place without public input and were not publicized thoroughly.
The CWD public meetings for Region 5 are scheduled for February 13th at the Beekmantown Central School in Plattsburgh, Clinton County, and February 20th at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Warren County. Both meetings start at 7:00 p.m.
REGION 6
2002 DEER SEASONS
Overall, the Big Game seasons in Region 6 appear to have been excellent in terms of hunter harvest. In northern portions of the Region, the deer take is expected to show an increase, in part due to deer abundance, and in part because of more opportunity to take deer. In southern zone areas, the take appears to be similar to last year.
Region 6 deer agers checked about 1,500 deer in 2002 in a good geographic representation of Region. The number checked in 2002 was about 300 higher than last year in spite of a lower number of staff available for deer checking.
DMAP
The DMAP Program continues to be popular with landowners and sportsmen within Region 6. Overall 365 properties were in the program in 2002, up from 300 a year ago. A preliminary look at harvest suggests that a slightly lower percentage of tags were filled this year, perhaps a hint that deer populations are responding to increased harvest in the past few seasons.
DECALS AND OTHER CHANGES
To a large degree, big game hunters found the 2002 license changes to their liking. Staff handled many calls to clarify issues related to carcass tag use, but most callers seemed satisfied with the changes once they understood them. The deer kill reporting system caused a much higher level of frustration among hunters, but in most cases a little help in familiarizing them with the system alleviated problems. Having a single reporting system in the future should further improve satisfaction.
CWD REGULATIONS
The vast majority of Region 6 calls related to CWD regulations pertain to the restrictions on deer winter feeding. While many appear to understand the need for caution in preventing CWD, they also have concerns about the potential effects of the ban on local deer populations which have become dependent of supplemental feeding over many years. The north country winter started relatively early, and while severity is thus far, not extreme, elevated winter kill remains a possibility.
REGION 7
2002 DEER SEASONS
Snow, ice and wind on opening day and the first Saturday made for tough hunting on what should have been some peak harvest days. Thanksgiving falling in the second week also likely spread out effort and take. Cold temperatures allowed hunters to leave deer hanging a few or several days, and possibly cut their deer up at their leisure, rather than rushing them to a butcher. All the above factors make estimating the season results tougher than usual. When it was over most butchers indicated they did about the same or a few more deer than a year ago. Most accounts from hunters indicated they saw good numbers of deer and had successful seasons. It would appear here in Region 7 the take ought to be up some, but possibly not as high as hoped or expected in some units.
DEER CHECKS 2002
The Region had two opening day roadside deer station stations. The Route 81 site in Tully checked 46 deer versus 62 in 2001. The Rogers Center staff operated a station in Sherburne and checked 14 versus 29 in 2001. These stations are important media contact sites, with 5 media outlets (2 TV, 2 newspapers, 1 radio) stopping by in Tully and 1 TV station visiting Sherburne.
Wildlife staff made the rounds through the deer processors and checked about 3300 deer versus about 3000 in 2001.
DECALS AND OTHER CHANGES
Overall it would appear hunters managed to get licenses and permits and many were able to report their deer. The more common complaints of those who experienced problems were; difficulties applying for DMPs, problems writing on the carcass tags, concern about the size of tags and the cut outs for dates, questions about how to attach tags to deer, problems with the call in reporting - unable to successfully complete calls. Most comments about new opportunities such as DMP consignment and scopes on muzzleloaders were positive.
DMAP
The fourth year of the DMAP program saw continued growth, though numbers did not double as they had in years 2 and 3. Region 7 issued 259 DMAP permits with 2713 carcass tags, up from 206 permits and 2186 carcass tags in 2001. With about two thirds of the reports received, success on permits was about 59% compared to about 53% in 2001.
CWD REGULATIONS
To date CWD seems not to be an issue or concern for most people, including hunters. It becomes an issue if they run afoul of the new regulations. An example which received considerable media coverage was the case with several trophy bucks taken out of state that were eventually confiscated by DEC for violations of the importation restrictions. The attention helped get word out to more people. The deer feeding prohibition has generated a few calls, but no concerted opposition here in the region. The public meetings planned for this winter to allow input on final CWD Regulations will be an important undertaking to further public understanding of CWD. Meetings are scheduled for January 29th at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Binghamton, Broome County and February 5th at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, Onondaga Country. Both meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.
KING FERRY QDM PROJECT
The 2002 deer season was the second year under QDM harvest guidelines and we are still in the process of trying to piece together success and reactions. While most people we regularly hear from continue to be positive about the program, there is some rumor mill or "word from the street" that hints of some participants losing interest. A post season meeting is scheduled for January 16 and may be a pivotal event for the future of the program.
REGION 8
2002 DEER SEASON
As was the case in most of western New York, poor hunting conditions on opening day and the first weekend of the regular season likely had an impact on deer harvest.
DMAP
During the 2002 season, 723 DMAP permits were issued in the Region 8. Because of this high volume, Harvest Summary Reports from participants still continue to trickle in. The number of permits issued was 32% increase over 2001 levels. It is hoped that the final DMAP harvest will reflect this.
EARLY WINTER
Prolonged deep snow with a hard crust at ground level is already beginning to impact deer. Fortunately deer appeared to be in above average physical condition this fall with substantial fat reserves noted, even on young of the year. They may need it if the winter continues as it has in December.
DEER DAMAGE
Deer damage complaints are starting to come in as deer begin to concentrate in areas where they haven't been a problem for several years. These are primarily Christmas tree farms, nurseries, blueberries, orchards and ensilage piles.
DECALS AND OTHER CHANGES
Many hunters experienced problems this past fall as a result of their inability to report their kill via the phone reporting system. A number of hunters indicated they tried multiple times to report their deer, and after failing to do so many of them simply gave up. Very few seemed averse to using the phone to report, they were just frustrated that it would not work.
VENISON DONATION
The venison donation program appears to have been very successful this year with 90 processors in 40 counties participating. The figures have not been complied yet but over 50,000 pounds has been accounted for in the western portion of the state already.
CWD REGULATIONS
Very little reaction to the CWD regulations to date.
REGION 9
2002 DEER SEASONS
Poor weather conditions on the first day of the deer season were wide spread across most of the region. Freezing rain followed by heavy wet snow and high winds created less than ideal hunting conditions. Th two deer check stations located in southern Erie County were down 30 percent from 2001. Results from the first Saturday were also lower than normal. The majority of our deer processors were at or below lasts years totals for the season. Many hunters had excellent seasons, especially people that took advantage of extra deer management permits. Numerous individuals were able to harvest four or five deer if they were persistent and kept hunting throughout the gun and late muzzleloader seasons. Although uncertain, it would appear that total harvest in the region will be about the same as last year. Pre-hunting estimates of the 2002 take were initially projected to be about 20 percent higher than last year.
DMAP
A total of 345 DMAP permits were issued in 2002. To date, reports from 226 permittees have been received, and 1489 deer were taken with the permits. This represents a success rate of about 45 percent, which is the similar to the 2001 DMAP success rate in Region 9. A review of results for individual permits shows that success varies tremendously, with landowners that have good hunters and are serious about reducing the deer population having much higher success rates.
DECALS AND OTHER CHANGES
Although there were many problems and complaints with the DECALS system, overall comments from hunters were still positive. Although it appears that the reported harvest figures will fall below 2001, it is believed that there were more hunters trying to report their deer than last year. One aspect of DECALS that appeared to work very well was the issuance of First Come-First Served DMPs starting on November 6th. In Region 9, over 40,00 additional DMPs were issued in the first five days that they were available, with no complaints that people couldn't get the extra permits.
CWD REGULATIONS
Overall reaction to the temporary CWD regulations has been almost nonexistent until recently. A resident was ticketed in an urban town park in Cheektowaga, Erie County for feeding deer. It has now turned into a media event with major newspaper and television coverage. The end result being that far more people now know about the feeding ban than two weeks ago. The biggest concerns have been raised by individuals who have been feeding the deer in this park for the last several years. This incident may have created a new audience for the CWD meeting that will be held in Erie County on February 6th in Hamburg. The other regional CWD public meeting will be held on February 5th in Randolph, Cattaraugus County.
REGIONAL ISSUES
DEC staff have received some complaints from hunters about there not being many deer left in parts of Region 9. No matter how many deer are left, the ones that are still alive have decided that they are hungry and like Christmas trees, fruit trees and strawberry plants. Several deer damage permits have been issued in the last two weeks, and it is likely that many more people will be heard from before spring arrives.
CENTRAL OFFICE REPORTS
DEER
2002 DEER SEASONS
With a wide range of changes that impacted deer hunters occurring this year, there was considerable apprehension going into the 2002 deer regarding hunter acceptance, compliance, and levels of satisfaction with the myriad of new issues before them. There were indeed questions and concerns, and some confusion, but in the final analysis, New York deer hunters have once again demonstrated that they are indeed up to meeting the challenges that will occur with deer management in the new millennium.
No new system of the size and magnitude of DECALS could reasonably be expected to perform flawlessly during initial implementation, and such was the case this fall.
DECALS
THE GOOD NEWS...
Deer Management Permit Issuance through DECALS was a venture with many unknowns, however the estimated subscriptions for the 73 WMUs with quotas was pretty close to the mark, reflective of the good understanding that regional deer biologists have for the units in their regions. Subscriptions were higher than expected in a few areas, lower than expected in a few, and right on the money in the majority of the WMUs. As a result, expected DMP subscriptions and probability determinations will be much easier to do in subsequent years. When the initial DMP application period ended on October 31st, about 650,000 DMPs had been issued, well above the previous high of 565,000 in 2001. About 100,000 additional DMPs, mostly in western NY were issued during the First Come-First Served application period, giving a final total of about 750,000 DMPS issued statewide.
Early problems with DECALS centered on both hardware and software problems, however, the end result was that about there were almost 6,000 DMP issuance errors that needed to be individually hand corrected by Central Office Staff. "Well Done" to Mary, Bonnie, and all those who help to prevent a bad situation from getting much worse.
The telephone reporting system for deer, bear, turkey and furbearers was not functioning correctly in time for first seasons in October, so a variety of different methods for receiving reports from successful hunters were used. Initially, live operators in Central Office were able to handle the small volume, but by the opening of the Southern Zone archery season, greater capabilities were needed, and existing facilities within the Capitol District were used. Eventually, the planned DECALS system was functional, and phased into the pool to receive reports.
The number of reported deer is normally a fairly accurate barometer of the harvest, however with new methodology and procedures this year, it is difficult to draw comparisons to previous reported takes. The number of deer take reports received through the first of the year was about 145,000 compared to 173,000 during 2001. Without knowing the reporting rate it is not possible to make any firm predictions.
THE BAD NEWS....
It is expected that final deer take numbers will not be available until late February, at the earliest.
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE ISSUES
6NYCRR Part 189 Chronic Wasting Disease regulations were adopted on October 11 with minor changes to the previous regulation that included new provisions regarding bringing deer and elk parts into NYS from CWD endemic areas.
Final regulations will likely be adopted in 2003, and the public will have the opportunity to provide input to those regulations through a series of public informational meetings that will be held as announced elsewhere in this issue.
Preparations have been ongoing for the meetings, including development of a comprehensive presentation on CWD and other related issues such as deer winter feeding. A Deer Feeding Question and Answer sheet was developed by Ed Reed, R5 and has been a popular request from those interested in the feeding restrictions. Interest in browse cutting, which is permitted under Part 189 , has increased. A revision to some of the browse cutting informational handouts from the 1970's was completed and also posted on the DEC website.
Results are still coming in from the CWD surveillance conducted last fall. To date a grand total of 937 samples have been submitted to the National Veterinary Service Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Of these submissions, 732 have been processed and are classified as "Not Detected"; the remaining samples still have results pending.
BEAR
2002 BEAR TAKE
The total statewide known bear harvest for the 2002 hunting season is currently 647. The Adirondack harvest is 289 bears, however, this number will continue to increase as more reports are received from cooperating taxidermists.
In the Southern Zone the tentative harvest for the Catskill region is 273 with the highest takes in Sullivan County with 87 bears and Ulster County with 85 bears.
In the Allegany area hunters harvested 85 bears, and this represents a new record take for this portion of the state.
Mast quality and availability varied significantly throughout the state this past hunting season. Bears in the Southern Zone had been reported as active well into December. This late activity combined with early snow fall may have increased the numbers of Southern Zone hunters who were successful in harvesting a bear.
