For Release: Friday, November 3, 2006

DEC Announces Southern Zone Deer Hunting Begins November 18

Catskill and Allegany Regular Bear Season Also Starting Soon

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced that the 2006 Southern Zone regular deer and the Catskill and Allegany regular bear seasons are soon approaching.

The 2006 regular deer hunting season opens at sunrise on Saturday, November 18, 2006, in New York State's Southern Zone. Regular bear hunting opens November 20, 2006, in the Catskill Mountains and on November 25, 2006, in the Allegany region in Western New York. These big game hunting seasons close at sunset on Sunday, December 10, 2006.

"After several years of declining deer harvests, hunters throughout much of the State should expect to see slight increases in deer takes this fall," Commissioner Sheehan said. "Our management actions over the past 2 years have been designed to allow for deer populations to grow slightly in many areas, and the mild weather this past winter aided that effort. Deer hunting is a long-standing tradition and an important part of New York's outdoor heritage. I wish all hunters a safe and successful season of big game hunting this year."

Immediately following the regular season, Late Archery and Muzzleloading seasons for deer and bear in the Southern Zone open December 11 and close at sunset on December 19, 2006. Hunters taking part in these special seasons must possess either bowhunting or muzzleloading privileges. During the late special seasons, hunters may use either of their bowhunting and muzzleloading tags, and they may also take a deer of either sex with an unused regular season deer tag. Unused Deer Management Permits (DMPs) may also be used in the late seasons for antlerless deer.

In the Northern Zone, the regular deer and bear hunting season opened October 21 and closes December 3, 2006. This zone generally includes the Adirondacks, the Tug Hill Plateau, the Eastern Lake Ontario Plain and the Champlain and St. Lawrence Valleys. A late muzzleloading season will be open in portions of the Northern Zone from December 4 to December 10, 2006.

New York's deer management program strives to maintain deer herds at levels compatible with human interest, while minimizing negative impacts and providing high-quality hunting opportunities and other recreational benefits. To aid in determining desired deer population sizes, local Citizen Task Forces are convened by DEC to represent a broad range of public interests and are charged with developing a desired deer population objective for the area in which they live. Citizen Task Forces consider many issues during the process, including habitat availability and the concerns of farmers, foresters, conservationists, the tourism industry, motorists, businesses and hunters.

DEC uses regulated deer hunting to achieve the desired deer population level in most Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) across the state. Deer Management Permits (DMPs) function as the cornerstone of DEC's management, as DMPs are valid for antlerless deer only and are issued for specific WMUs. Since mid-August, DEC has issued over 386,000 DMPs through the DEC Automated License System (DECALS). DMPs allow hunters to take one or more antlerless deer in addition to the deer allowed by the regular, bowhunting and muzzleloading licenses. DMPs may be used in all Southern Zone seasons, including the early and late special seasons. Bonus DMPs are also available in the archery-only units. For information about obtaining Bonus DMPs, visit the DEC.

"Deer hunters provide a valuable public service by keeping deer populations in check," Commissioner Sheehan said. "By harvesting female deer, hunters help control the deer population and reduce the negative impacts of overabundant deer. Regulated hunting is the most effective and efficient tool to maintain deer populations at levels that are compatible with the needs of our residents and consistent with natural resource conservation."

Hunters are reminded that several regulatory changes have occurred for the 2006 hunting seasons. The areas open to bear hunting in the Southern Zone have been expanded to include WMUs 4F, 4G, and 4H. Adding these units to the bear hunting area is expected to reduce bear nuisance activity and property damage while providing additional hunting opportunities.

Also, the pilot antler restriction program in the Southern Catskills has been expanded to include WMUs 3H and 3K located primarily in Sullivan County. The pilot program was initiated in WMUs 3C and 3J in 2005 and is intended to expand the age structure of the buck population. This harvest strategy requires that bucks taken in WMUs 3C and 3J and now also WMUs 3H and 3K have at least three antler points on a side to be legal. Hunters under 17 years of age are exempt from the three point requirement.

Chronic Wasting Disease regulations have been updated in response to the finding of the disease in a moose in Colorado and deer in West Virginia. Hunters bringing carcasses into New York from most of the western states and some Canadian provinces and territories, now in including West Virginia, must process them to remove tissues of concern prior to import, and moose have been added to the list of susceptible species that previously included deer and elk. More than 8,000 wild deer were tested for CWD in New York following the discovery of CWD in 2 wild and 5 captive deer in April 2005, and no additional animals have tested positive for the disease. Special restrictions are in place within the CWD Containment Area of Oneida and Madison counties governing how harvested deer and specific deer parts may be possessed, transported, and disposed. Mandatory testing of all deer taken in the Containment Area will be occurring again this fall, as well as random testing in other counties throughout New York State. New this fall, successful hunters in the Containment Area will have the option to bring the deer head only to the Oneida Deer Check Station, or they can present the field dressed carcass (see Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide 2006-2007 or DEC website for specific guidelines). Background information about CWD, DEC response, and pertinent regulations can be found on the DEC website at.

Commissioner Sheehan encourages hunters to follow a few basic firearm safety rules that can prevent hunting related shooting incidents:

Point your gun in a safe direction;
Treat every gun as if it were loaded;
Be sure of your target and beyond;
Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot; and
Remember to wear Hunter Orange.

Although safety-conscious hunters have significantly reduced the number of firearms-related injuries, studies show that individuals wearing hunter orange clothing are seven times less likely to be injured than hunters who do not wear the bright fluorescent color. During big game hunting season, people who wear hunter orange are 16 times less likely to be the victim of a visibility-related mishap, and 23 times less likely to be killed in such an incident. For more hunting tips, visit the DEC webpage "Hunting and Outdoor Safety".

For specific descriptions of regulations and open areas, hunters should refer to the 2006-07 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide. The guide is published annually and is available free from DEC regional wildlife offices, all license issuing agents and on the DEC website at www.dec.state.ny.us. Hunters are urged to review all regulations and safety tips contained in the guide.