Bendog

As far as the DMP allocations, they can offer 88 million tags in some units, but if hunters are grabbing them up it means nothing....that's what the DEC is dealing with in some units, notably in Region 8.....they've all but air-dropped DMPS but they aren't "selling" them all.....so they are looking at other means of getting the kind of antlerless harvest they want.....along the way they are overlooking – or maybe just realizing they can't control – the issue of access.....they're basically trying to manage something they have no control over.....if hunter can't get to the deer they are powerless....

See if this map helps.... 15-30C.pdf

Keep in mind, those "Buck Zones" won't even be implemented until NEXT season (2016)....and the report has yet to be formally released......we obtained a copie(s) through sources...... There will be the normal regulatory process – including a public comment period – when the plan/regulations are proposed next year.....and DEC officials have indicated they will conduct a series of statewide meetings (not sure of how many and where) to allow folks to weigh in.....

Licenses reportedly going on sale Aug. 10 Here is the link to the story...it's not on the DEC website; New York Outdoor News is in no way, shape or form affiliated with the DEC or any other state agency.... http://www.outdoornews.com/July-2015/DEC-creates-buck-zones/

PR arm of the DEC? Come on.....NY Outdoor News has regularly criticized DEC on many levels.....license system, various deer management issues, staffing, etc. Had to check in on this one...now, back to work... S

and here we go........

Statewide, the majority oppose, yes.....and I would fall into that category of being opposed to MANDATORY ARs...but the bill deals with only those units where AR support exists......I do agree, however, that DEC needs to be the regulatory power on hunting and fishing regs.... For example: we now have a 12-year-old age minimum for young bowhunters, which is great...and it occurred through legislation...but do you think that, if DEC had been the regulatory power, that these young hunters would be allowed to sit in a treestand? I think so, but they are prohibited from doing so under the legislative action....

The opposition may not, and I stress MAY NOT, have been to its contents but the procedure itself, in which lawmakers can pass resolutions which essentially supercede DEC's management authority.....DEC prefers to, obviously, maintain its management authority and approve regulations changes following a process which includes a public comment period

The funny thing about the recent legislation is that aside from adding a portion of 3A, it doesn't do anything....the other units involved already have ARs

No, the pilot project was set by DEC.....and yes, this IS a case of game management by politicians.....just as was the case when lawmakers included an amendment in the Cortland County rifle bill which, as a result, bans the use of crossbows this fall EVEN DURING THE FIREARMS SEASON....

the real issue/problem is that it was a legislative change and occurred after DEC's regs guide was published, so it's not in the guide and could lead to enforcement headaches for ECOs......

Yeah...this is what happens when lawmakers get involved in reg-setting.....not to mention none of this is published in the regs guide......I'd be willing to bet the ECOs aren't really happy about having to deal with this, and won't be enforcing the compound issue for sure....

those referrals are to the respective environmental conservation committees of the Senate and Assembly, not to the department....

No.....I don't believe that to be the case....this was a legislative process, and a late amendment to a bill.....very different than a regulatory process in which DEC is involved......just as DEC didn't "write" any of the rifle bill legislation or the crossbow bill.......a lot of folks have the mistaken belief, for example, that DEC watered down the crossbow regs so that they are only allowed during firearms season...that wasn't the case at all...it was a legislative proposal.....

Yes, the subject......hard to believe it was inadvertent....it was an amendment offered up by a lawmaker and attached to the bill.......what possibly could they have been trying to say?....no crossbows in archery season (no kidding; it's right in the current DEC regs)?....this is what happens when lawmakers dabble in the regulatory process....DEC essentially loses some of its reg-setting authority....some may think that's fine, but I doubt the Cortland County hunter planning on using a crossbow this fall – and buying one after the Legislature approved just that – thinks so....

It appears crossbows will not be legal implements even during the regular firearms season this fall in Cortland County......still tracking some of this down, but it appears the Cortland County rifle bill recently signed by the governor included an amendment which essentially prohibits the use of crossbows.....

ain't good....or maybe it is, depending on which side you fall

Anybody on here from Cortland County AND planning to hunt with a crossbow this fall? Just curious.....I'll outline why I'm curious soon....

Agreed....if we start molding laws in response to these types of accidents, we'll end up with a 2-mile setback requirement and a lot of other regs that will do nothing to stop incidents that are the direct result of stupidity, recklessness and negligence of the degree that no one could ever have imagined.....

From all indications, and from DEC, there have been no accidents that can be attributed directly to rifle use in the areas approved for rifles in recent seasons.......I would, however, say the accident in SE NY in which a child was struck and killed by a round from a 300 mag might qualify, however....that occurred a couple years ago

From NY Outdoor News back in February.....info provided by DEC Here’s a case-by-case summary of the hunting-related shooting incidents investigated by DEC officers in 2010: Small game and non-game Jan. 1 — Montgomery County: The shooter was hunting rabbits on his own property when he shot his nephew. The victim, a minor, received serious injuries to both eyes as well as one lung. Jan. 3 — Jefferson County: The victim, part of a group of three hunting rabbits, was walking through heavy brush when his shotgun discharged. He was struck in the arm and right shoulder. Feb. 7 — Montgomery County: Two individuals were hunting rabbits when the victim slipped and his shotgun discharged, striking him in the right foot. Feb. 21 — Dutchess County: Two individuals were hunting coyotes and one was unloading his rifle when he discharged a round into a truck. The bullet passed through the floor of the truck and struck the victim in the left shin. June 11 — Sullivan County: The shooter fired three shots into the air in an effort to frighten a hawk away from chickens. Pellets struck a neighboring home and hit its caretaker in the arm. The pellets didn’t penetrate the skin. Sept. 23 — Rensselaer County: An individual was attempting to load a shotgun to shoot a nuisance coyote, and discharged a round into her foot. Oct. 2 — Jefferson County: Two brothers were walking as they hunted waterfowl. The shooter discharged a round at close range, striking his brother in the leg. Oct. 16 — Putnam County: The victim was reportedly picking mushrooms on a wildlife management area when struck by approximately 50 pellets in the left arm and leg. Oct. 17 — Orange County: The victim was pheasant hunting when he reportedly accidentally discharged his shotgun, striking him in the lower calf. Nov. 8 — Ulster County: The victim was attempting to remove a loaded shotgun from his ATV to go goose hunting when he discharged a round into his arm and shoulder. Dec. 30 — Columbia County: While attempting to unload a rifle in a motor vehicle, the shooter discharged a round that struck a passenger in the foot. Spring turkey hunting May 1 — Chautauqua County: The victim was walking while turkey hunting when the shooter discharged a single round at what he thought were two turkeys. The victim was struck by about 100 shotgun pellets from the knee to the head. May 2 — Oneida County: The victim was turkey hunting and was found deceased. An initial investigation revealed a self-inflicted, accidental shotgun wound to the head. May 2 — Delaware County: The victim was hunting spring gobblers when the shooter discharged a round at what he thought was a turkey. The victim was struck in the head by several pellets. May 3 — Genesee County: The victim was turkey hunting with his father when his father discharged a single round, striking the victim in the face and chest with about 40 pellets. May 11 — Steuben County: The victim was turkey hunting when the shooter discharged one round, striking the other hunter in the body with about 40 shotgun pellets. May 16 — Delaware County: The victim was walking with a companion while hunting spring gobblers. The shooter discharged one round, striking the victim with about 70 pellets in the arm, leg and torso. May 29 — Livingston County: The victim was turkey hunting with his father and was sitting against a tree. When he shifted his position, his father saw the movement and fired a single round, striking the victim in the arm, chest and face. The victim was seriously injured and transported to a hospital. Fall turkey hunting Oct. 2 — Broome County: The victim’s father fired a single round at a turkey and 17 pellets struck his son in his left side. Oct. 27 — Herkimer County: Two friends were turkey hunting when the shooter fired one round, which struck the victim in the face. Deer hunting Oct. 18 — Washington County: The victim was hunting deer when he reportedly accidentally discharged his muzzleloader. The shot struck him in the right foot, resulting in the loss of several toes. Oct. 18 — Jefferson County: A group of four hunters were hunting deer along railroad tracks during the Northern Zone muzzleloader season when one fired a shot that struck the victim in the upper leg. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooter was using a shotgun, even though the incident occurred during the Northern Zone’s muzzleloader deer season. Nov. 13 — Jefferson County: The victim was in his home when a rifle bullet entered through an exterior wall. He was struck in the shoulder. During questioning, a person of interest confessed to being the shooter. Nov. 20 — Greene County: The victim was bending over a bear he had killed just minutes earlier when he was struck by a single shot in the right thigh. Nov. 20 — Greene County: The victim was tracking a wounded bear when two shots were fired in his direction. One of the shots struck his backpack. He confronted the shooter, who said he was shooting at a fisher. Nov. 20 — Cortland County: The victim was shot in the chest by his nephew while deer hunting. The shooter was attempting to shoot a deer; the victim died of his injuries. Nov. 21 — Onondaga County: The hunter was attempting to place a carabiner around the trigger of his shotgun to pull the firearm up into a treestand when the gun discharged, striking him in the left foot. Nov. 25 — Madison County: The victim was struck in the right thigh with one round fired at a distance of 75 feet. Nov. 26 — Steuben County: The victim was part of a six-member hunting party. The shooter fired one round that struck a deer in the neck, and the round passed through the deer, struck a tree then his the right hand of the victim, breaking several bones. Nov. 27 — Chautauqua County: The victim was found dead next to his vehicle with a self-inflicted wound to the chest. Nov. 27 — Genesee County: The victim was working in his driveway when he was struck in the leg by a shotgun slug. A hunter had fired a shot at a deer from his treestand 1,060 feet away. The slug broke the victim’s skin but did not penetrate further. Nov. 28 — Rensselaer County: The victim was dragging a deer with his son, and when they exchanged places the victim discharged a round into his left foot. DEC officials said the victim shot himself in the same foot two years ago. Dec. 4 — Ontario County: The 16-year-old hunter reported that he tripped while hunting squirrels and discharged a round into his left foot. Dec. 4 — Allegany County: The victim was part of a 10-member hunting group. The shooter fired one round which struck the victim in the lower left abdomen. He suffered a fractured pelvis and other injuries. Dec. 4 — Monroe County: The victim was descending a treestand when he accidentally discharged his shotgun. He was struck in the left thigh and suffered a broken leg and other injuries. Dec. 4 — Livingston County: The victim was hunting with 11 others and was involved in a deer drive when the shooter fired a round that struck him between the shoulder blades. He received serious internal injuries. Dec. 5 — St. Lawrence County: The victim was hunting deer with six others when one member of the group fired a shot that struck him in the left rib cage. An investigation revealed the round may have ricocheted off a small tree; it didn’t penetrate the victim. Dec. 8 — Steuben County: An 18-year-old shooter was hunting with two other teens, ages 17 and 14, Upon returning to their vehicle, the shooter discharged a round from his rifle while attempting to unload it. The bullet struck the 14-year-old in the right knee. Dec. 11 — Cayuga County: The victim was hoisting his shotgun into a treestand and passed a carabiner through the trigger guard, discharging one round into his left foot. Dec. 11 — Orange County: A 9-year-old boy was assisting in a deer drive when he was struck in the abdomen by a round fired by a member of the hunting party.

I originally thought the $10 DMP application fee was a bad idea, since DEC needs us to be the management tool and could be pricing us out of the woods.....I've since had a change of heart (I prefer to use that phrase than to say I was wrong).....the $10 application fee means those who are getting DMPs are serious about using them.... make sense?

I'm a bowhunter, but I could understand a gun hunter's sentiment if they replied: Your bow license entitles you to a lengthy season, first crack at whitetails that are largely unpressured, under weather conditions that are typically more comfortable that those experienced by gun hunters..... Trying to see both sides here, and as I bowhunter I think we have it pretty good.....the Oct. 1 opener would be a long-awaited improvement.....

To which some gun hunters may respond: why should bowhunters not be subject to the same DMP rules as the rest of the deer hunting fraternity? Just sayin......

NY hunter shares my sentiments.......crossbows simply aren't for me.....in fact, my wife had to remind me that I've actually shot one, about 15-20 years ago during a gathering in Pa.......I'll never say never, but right now my guess is that when I can't draw a bow any longer, I'll do more pheasant hunting with my Labs....