Big Game Briefs: Oct - Dec 2003
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 SEASON OVERVIEW
The 2003 archery season dates were October 1 - December 31. Early indications are pointing toward an increased deer harvest this year compared to the previous two archery seasons. The number of Bonus Deer Management Permits (Bonus DMP) issued at the Ridge Hunter Check Station has been a good indicator of hunter harvest over the last several years. If that trend holds true, the 2003-04 Suffolk County deer take could be close to, or greater than, the county's record take in 2001-02. During the 2003 archery season, 335 Bonus DMPs were issued to successful hunters that tagged an antlerless deer with a Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 1C Deer Management Permit (DMP). The number issued this year to date is greater than the number issued during each of the previous two seasons. Also, a greater number of Bonus DMPs were issued during the month of October than in previous years. The early success by archery hunters could have been a result of unseasonably cool temperatures during the early part of the season. Additionally, acorn production was limited at best throughout the region and may have resulted in deer being more active than in the previous two seasons when acorn production was excellent. Hunter participation on NYS DEC managed lands also appears to be on the rise for the January shotgun season. In December, regional wildlife staff completed the drawing for those interested in making a reservation to hunt on DEC lands during the shotgun season. Hunters made reservations to hunt a on a specific date, property and parking spot of their choice over a four day period of mid-December. Over 1750 hunters entered the drawing this year, which was well over 150 more than the previous year.
DMAP
Enrollment in the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) is at the same level as last year. Seven properties have received DMAP permits and two of those permit holders are new. The increased availability of WMU 1C Deer Management Permits and Bonus Deer Management Permits along with a three month archery season and Special January shotgun season have resulted in a limited demand for DMAP enrollment. The DECALS system has also made it easier for hunters in the Region to obtain WMU 1C DMPs throughout the deer season. All Nuisance Deer Permit holders and landowners expressing concerns about deer management will continue to be provided with DMAP information.
DEER CHECK STATION
Any deer taken on NYS DEC managed lands during the January shotgun deer season must be transported to a NYS DEC hunter check station. Harvested deer can be taken to the Ridge Hunter Check Station and at the Maintenance area of Hither Hills State Park in East Hampton. Hunters successful at taking a deer from property not owned/managed by the DEC are encouraged to bring the deer to a hunter check station to allow wildlife staff to collect valuable biological data. The Ridge, Quogue Wildlife Refuge and East Hampton Check Stations are open weekdays 9AM-4PM during the January Firearms Season to check deer and issue Bonus DMPs.
BONUS DMPS
Hunters wishing to obtain Bonus DMPs during the January deer season must comply with all of the following application requirements:
- The head or whole carcass of an antlerless deer taken on a WMU 1C DMP or Bonus DMP must be presented for checking at a NYSDEC check station.
- The head or whole carcass presented must be tagged with a completed carcass tag. Heads which have been frozen must be sufficiently thawed to allow the jaws to be opened. Hunters presenting frozen deer heads will not be issued Bonus DMPs.
- The hunter must complete a sworn statement (form provided at check station) stating where the deer was taken within WMU 1C.
REGION 4
2003 SEASON OVERVIEW
In Region 4 we expect the overall deer take to be to be somewhat lower than the 2002 harvest based reports from the deer processors and deer hunters. Most (but not all) of the processors reported cutting fewer deer during this year's special and regular seasons. As in past years, the outstanding cooperation we received from the processors enabled the Wildlife staff to obtain a good number of deer that were checked for biological information. Processor cooperation was also essential in assisting staff complete the Chronic Wasting Disease sampling for 2003. Many of the successful hunters that we encountered during the season at the meet lockers reported seeing fewer deer. These hunters often commented that they were also seeing far fewer hunters in the field during the regular season.
DEER DAMAGE
Overall the number of Nuisance Deer Permits (NDPs) in Region 4 during 2003 was up by 5% , from a total of 111 in 2002 to 116 this past year. While most counties had similar numbers of permits compared to 2002, three counties experienced significant changes in permit numbers. Albany County had a 37% decrease in damage permits (27 to 17) while the permits in Columbia County increased 60% (28 to 45) and the permits in Greene county increased by 75% (8 to 14).
REGION 5
2003 SEASON OVERVIEW
Based on deer checking efforts, informal contacts with hunters, and discussions with meat cutters, it appears that the 2003 deer take will be somewhat lower than in previous years. The decline was expected as a result of winter mortality from last year's harsh winter and a substantial reduction in the number of Deer Management Permits issued. Regional deer checking efforts resulted in a total of 457 deer checked, compared to almost 1000 the last two years. The decline in checked deer can be attributed to multiple factors, including less available staff time, lower deer take and fewer DMPs available.
DMAP
Preliminary results from DMAP permit holders also showed a slight decline in the success rate for this year. Final results have not yet been tabulated. Several large QDM cooperatives reported substantial declines in the number of antlerless deer harvested, but also had good takes of adult bucks, so their programs seem to be having the desired effect on the deer population.
CITIZEN TASK FORCES
Citizen Task Force meetings have been scheduled in WMU's 5N, 5K, and 5P in January, and WMU 5R will convene in February. All four of these CTF's should be completed by early spring in time to use any changes in deer population objectives to formulate DMP policies for the 2004 deer season.
REGION 6
2003 DEER SEASON OVERVIEW
In spite of a slightly reduced staffing levels, Region 6 Wildlife staff checked a similar number of deer (1100) to other years. Deer generally appeared to be in good physical condition this year, with an apparent increase in older bucks. Some areas, most notably the Tug Hill and Central Adirondacks did not seem to produce as many deer during the 2003 season, suggesting that winter mortality impacted deer numbers as predicted.
DMAP
Within Region 6, 399 DMAP applications were approved for the 2003 hunting season. Preliminary results from the end of season summary reports suggest that about 70% of the 4,000 DMAP tags issued were filled. This would represent a slight decrease in DMAP success from previous years, but still represents an excellent success rate in comparison to regular big game licenses or Deer Management Permits. The DMAP Program has remained very popular with farmers, forest land owners, and others as a means to reduce deer damage to crops and forest regeneration.
REGION 7
2003 DEER SEASON OVERVIEW
The 2003 deer take is expected to be down in the Region. Several factors may have played a role including; the impact of the long 2002-03 winter, success in previous management efforts to reduce deer populations in some units, and poor hunting conditions on key days, specifically a rainy foggy opening day during the regular season. We continue to hear many comments about a lack of hunters and hunting pressure which would also impact deer take. Overall we seem to be fielding about equal number of comments from hunters discouraged about the past season as those who were happy or at least content. We anxiously await the final take figures.
DEER CHECKING
Regional 7 staff checked over 2600 during the 2003 deer season. Deer generally seemed to be in good shape with no striking changes in condition or age structure evident. In keeping with harvest expectations, most deer cutters reported business similar to or slightly down from a year ago.
DMAP
After four years of continued growth, the fifth year of DMAP saw overall numbers decline with 206 applications received and 200 permits with 2656 tags issued in 2003. During the 2002 season, 266 permits with 2724 tags were issued. Reports have been received for for 80% of the permits and reminder letters have been sent to the others. The success rate is about 52%, down slightly from a level of 55% in 2002.
KING FERRY QDM PROJECT:
The third hunting season of the King Ferry Quality Deer Management Project appears to have gone well. Several older bucks were taken and participants generally seemed encouraged. A post season meeting is planned for late January as is a second mail survey, these will provide a much clearer picture of participants motivations and attitudes for QDM .
REGION 8
2003 DEER SEASON OVERVIEW
Reports from hunters and staff indicated that hunting pressure was generally down in the Region. Heavy fog on opening day of the southern zone shotgun season and rain mid-week contributed to lower than normal hunter turnout during this important portion of the season. Temperatures stayed mild much of the time, and a tracking snow late in the season may have been too little, too late, to significantly influence the take. The Region's only check station, at the Avon office, saw the lowest opening week turnout since it's inception in 1991. A reduction in days of operation of the station this past season makes direct comparisons with previous seasons impossible, but numbers of deer checked during the first two weeks were down substantially from the ten-year average. Freezer locker owners generally reported moderately lower numbers of deer brought in throughout the season.
DEER CHECKING
In many ways, 2003 was a year of transition, and the manner in which regional staff were trained in deer aging technique was no exception. Regional staff took on the task of training their our own deer agers and checkers. Staff attended class in late October, with the welcome assistance of newly retired biologist John Hauber, who trained the new recruits, and was on hand to lend his many years of aging experience to those present. A "Well Done" is extended to John for his invaluable help.
Staff checked approximately 2,500 deer during the 2003 season. This was about one half to one third the usual total for the region. This reduction was due in large part to a more efficient checking scheme established for the region in which statistical quotas are set up for the various units. Deer checking discontinued when unit quotas are attained. In addition, staff for the first time uniformly bypassed deer at lockers that lacked age, sex, and antler information, saving additional time and effort. Checking territories were realigned among staff to offset the effects of the staffing changes. Because of these changes to the regional checking program, direct comparisons to other year's efforts and predictions concerning the harvest proved challenging at best. One valuable by-product of the region's new checking scheme was an ability to produce a breakdown of our deer checked prior to when the statewide figures normally become available. We determined that the percentage of yearling deer in many of our units was significantly down from previous years. This would lead us to believe than the winter of 2002-03 may have been rougher on deer than we had first thought. Fawns will be among the first to succumb to harsh winters, thereby reducing the availability of yearlings the following fall. What's puzzling is that the Region did not receive widespread reports of deer found dead during late winter last year. The shift in age distribution at freezer lockers lead to a banner year for older-age deer though, with nice bucks and older does more common.
DEER DAMAGE
Scattered complaints following the 2003 deer season have been received from hunters who feel that excessive takes on nuisance permits are responsible for fewer deer sightings and much lower hunter success. While we receive calls and letters of this nature every year at this time, wildlife staff are still concerned that rumors and misinformation apparently continue to circulate in regards to the effects of the nuisance program on overall deer populations. When responding to these complaints, regional staff are quick to point out that the number of deer reported taken on nuisance tags make up less than 2% of the total regional deer harvest. Although it is possible that some farms that are particularly efficient at filling nuisance tags could reduce deer numbers surrounding their lands, larger changes in deer populations are more likely due to other factors, such as varying hunting pressures, winter effects, or the result of successive years of planned high antlerless harvest.
DMAP
The volume of DMAP applications continues to grow, with an annual increase of about 30%, and over 900 total for the region in 2003. Region wide, 86% of DMAP applications were for agricultural problems. The success rate of DMAP tags continues to far surpass that for nuisance tags, further supporting the observation that when given the chance, people would rather take deer during the traditional time in the fall rather than in summer. Refinements to the Digi-Deer computer program are being contemplated to make it more user-friendly, and will hopefully be implemented in the coming months, making issuance of DMAP and nuisance permits more efficient.
REGION 9
2003 DEER SEASON OVERVIEW
There is little doubt that the 2003 regional deer harvest will be somewhat lower than last year. The 2003 Regional deer hunting forecast projected that the harvest could be approximately 10 percent lower than 2002. Weather during the first week of the regular gun season was less than ideal for productive deer hunting. Warm temperatures, rain, fog and a lack of snow certainly helped to reduce the harvest. Many hunters also commented on the reduced number of hunters afield in our southern tier counties. Many of the deer processors where we check deer at reported handling similar numbers of deer, while others noted declines in volume by as much as 30 percent. Our final harvest figures may point out that our winter mortality last winter was greater than we anticipated.
DEER CHECKING
Wildlife personnel actually wound up putting more effort into checking deer in 2003. One of the primary reasons for the extra effort centered on the collection of deer heads for samples for statewide CWD surveillance. The number of deer checked at the two deer check stations in Erie County (Holland and Springville) was the same for 2003 as it was in 2002, with the same amount of effort. The total number of deer checked within the Region was slightly over 3000, about the same as last year.
DMAP
Harvest data from our DMAP permit holders is still being returned at this time. A total of 330 DMAP permits were issued in 2003, which was about the same level as 2002. A quick review of received reports would indicate that the success rate on these permits will probably be lower in 2003. Final results should be compiled by the end of January.
REGIONAL ISSUES
Nuisance deer damage permits have been issued in two urban Erie County towns to reduce deer damage and help in public safety by reducing deer/car accidents. All permits were issued in the non hunting portions of the Towns of Amherst and Clarence. A total of nine permits have been issued in Amherst and 31 permits have been issued in Clarence. The meat from all deer taken on the permits will be donated to the Food Bank of Western New York.
CITIZEN TASK FORCES
At this time five Citizen Task Forces (CTFs) are planned for this winter in western New York. The CTFs will be convened to update deer management objectives for Wildlife Management Units (WMU's) 9A, 9G, 9J, 9K and 9T. It is anticipated that the CTF recommendations will be completed by the end of March, 2004.
CENTRAL OFFICE REPORTS
DEER
2003 DECALS AND LICENSE SALES
The second year of license issuance and Deer Management Permit Issuance with DECALS went considerably smoother than the initial implementation in 2002. The levels of frustration experienced by the public this year were minimal, and in most all cases the system lived up to it's expectations.
DEER MANAGEMENT PERMITS
As was noted in some of the regional reports, the number of DMPS available for the 2003 season declined slightly from the previous year's total. The desired numbers of DMPs for the 2003 hunting season was approximately 640,000, and this was a overall reduction of about 100,000 DMPS from 2002 levels. The primary reasons for this reduction was the combined effects of harvest levels in 2002 and winter mortality in some specific WMUs.
About 511,000 DMPs were issued during the Initial Application (Instant Lottery) period which ended on October 1st. However for reasons yet to be determined , the number of DMP applicants this year was less than expected in many of units and as a result, the probabilities of selection were too low. After the Initial Application period, about 40,000 DMPs were left over in units where some applicants had been denied permits. Fortunately in these situations, DECALS has the capability to conduct a supplementary selection for those who were turned down. The supplemental drawings resulted in the 40,000 DMPS mailed to many individuals who received an unexpected surprise in the mail.
Even after the supplemental selection was completed, about 30 WMUs were still under subscribed. On November 1 these units were re-opened for additional permit selections on a First Come-First Served basis. As expected, many of these units filled very quickly, and the First Come-First Served Issuance opportunity ended on November 10 for all areas except the Archery only units and Long Island (where unlimited DMPs were available). A total of about 130,000 DMPs were issued during the First Come-First Served application period, with a grand total of about 685,000 DMPs issued overall.
DEER SEASON OVERALL
As noted in the Regional reports, the 2003 hunting season did not meet expectations in many areas. Overall, field observations reflect a perceived increase in hunter participation only in the North Zone, while participation throughout the Southern Zone appeared to be less. Weather plays a key role in the level of hunter interest and ultimately overall hunter success rates. Poor hunting conditions including warmer than normal temperatures and rainy, foggy weather in the Southern Zone undoubtedly affected both hunter behavior and deer behavior.
Deer numbers appeared to be lower in some areas, and part of that may be the result of winter losses that were greater than expected. In some WMUs where deer populations have been higher than desired, the impacts of hunting as a management tool may have successfully lowered overall deer populations to the desired levels.
Final numbers for the 2003 season will not likely be available until mid February, however based upon preliminary indications and reports from the field, the overall take will probably be down somewhat from the record levels experienced in 2002. Weather and hunting conditions invariably play a key role in overall hunter success.
That's why it is called "hunting".
DEER SEASON RESTRUCTURING
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.
As expected, a considerable volume of letters and e-mails were received. After a review by staff during early 2004, decisions will be made regarding the suitability and value of the recommendations with an attempt to craft a comprehensive change to season structures in a single season, rather than piecemeal over several years.
The comments received do not indicate that a consensus exists regarding the Southern Zone Saturday opener, with the inputs not strongly favoring one option over the other. For 2004 the same formula will be used , and opening day in the Southern Zone regular season will continue to be on the first Monday after the 15th of November. Accordingly it will open on November 22. Additional changes could be proposed for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE ISSUES
A second year of CWD surveillance efforts continued during the 2003 season. Sampling for this year was done before and during the hunting seasons to allow biologists to more readily obtain the required statewide random sample. Over 1,200 samples were collected and approximately half of the results have been returned from the testing facility at Cornell University, with the remainder of the results anticipated shortly. Since the start of the surveillance program in April of 2002, approximately 2,500 tissue samples have been collected from wild white-tailed deer throughout New York State to test for the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease. To date, CWD has not been detected in any of these samples. Work continues on CWD surveillance and the development of a contingency plan if CWD is detected in New York or along its' borders.
One additional note, the Department of Agriculture Animals and Plant Health Inspection Services published the proposed rule for Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program and Interstate Movement of Captive Deer and Elk in the federal register (Vol 68 No 247) on December 24. The comment period is open until February 23, 2004.
BEAR
BLACK BEAR STAKEHOLDER GROUP MEETINGS
The new Black Bear Management Plan provides for an ongoing process for making decisions regarding 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 enhance positive impacts or mitigate negative impacts from the presence of bears. Three areas have been identified for the first round of this input process and initial meetings of 10 to 12 stakeholders were held beginning in late October. Groups are identifying impacts, objectives and actions for the Upper Catskill bear range, the Lower Catskill bear range and the Western New York bear range. Each group is asked to identify and prioritize bear impacts for the area that they are considering. Ultimately, the will be asked to identify several key actions that DEC might pursue to modify those selected impacts. The groups will hopefully finish their deliberations by late January 2004.
2003 BEAR SEASON
This year New York State has seen an unprecedented black bear harvest. All of the ranges experienced record high harvests across the seasons, some almost double of the previous high harvests.
General scarcity of natural foods in the Adirondack range resulted in bears being more active in their search to find natural food. As a result many bears stayed in the lower elevations longer than usual allowing the hunters more opportunities for harvest. Southern Adirondack counties including Warren, Saratoga, Oneida and Fulton experienced harvests higher than those seen in the last 10 years. The northern counties with the highest take are currently Herkimer and Essex. Final harvest numbers for all ranges will be completed in March. Adequate natural food existed in the Southern Zone which caused bears to remain active throughout most of the hunting seasons. Additionally, the weather stayed relatively mild, allowing hunters more harvest opportunities. The Catskill harvest will likely be a new record, with the highest takes in the counties of Sullivan and Ulster . The Allegany harvest will also be a new record with the highest takes occurring in Allegany and Steuben counties.
