Syracuse.com - New DEC deer hunting regulations still unclear when it comes to youth firearms hunt and crossbows

[HuntingNY-News]

DEC spokeswoman Lori Severino told me Friday: "We do not know whether the youth hunt will occur or not."

This 10 point buck was taken with a rifle by Al Figueroa last fall on his property near Fulton.

Changes to the rules concerning deer and bear hunting in this state were released this past week by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The changes, which take effect this fall, implement certain aspects of the state’s Five-Year Deer Management Plan.

The announcement includes plans for a youth firearms hunt (ages 14-15) for deer during the three-day Columbus Day weekend. The hunters would have to be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter. However, pending legislation may kill the hunt.

Among the other changes announced:

- Adding a couple of weeks on the front of the regular bowhunting season in the Southern Zone, with opening day this fall falling on Oct. 1. Last fall, it opened Oct. 15 and lasted until Nov. 18.

- Expanding mandatory antler restrictions, which would essentially make it legal only to shoot bucks with a minimum of three points on one side of their antlers. Shooting younger bucks would not be allowed. This would take effect in DEC wildlife management units (WMUs) 3A, 4G, 4O, 4P, 4R, 4S and 4W. These areas are all downstate in the Catskills (Sullivan and Ulster counties).

- Allowing Deer Management Permits (doe tags) to be used during all deer hunting seasons in the Northern Zone.

- Establishing a “Deer Management Focus Area” in central Tompkins County to intensify use of hunting to assist communities in the Ithaca area with the burden of large deer populations.

- The focus area program is established to reduce total deer populations within the focus area by providing more time and more tags to hunters who can gain access to huntable land. DEC plans to evaluate this new approach over the next several years and, depending on the results, will consider designation of other locations as deer management focus areas,” the release said.

- Adjusting the state’s bear hunting seasons so they occur at the same time as the deer hunting seasons.

Crossbows and youth hunts

As I mentioned, the youth firearms hunt during the Columbus Day weekend, set in both the Northern and Southern zones, is part of the DEC’s plan. This would put youngsters in the woods with firearms during the bow-hunting season. It may never see the light of day.

An unsigned bill that’s on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk would extend the current crossbow hunting regulations for two more years. The existing regulations, which allow the use of crossbows only in the regular firearms and late muzzleloading seasons (and not the regular archery season) are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31.

Contained within the pending bill is a provision that essentially does away with the DEC’s youth firearms hunt.

The provision reads: “The only junior hunter days for big game hunting the Department of Environmental Conservation may authorize during archery seasons are junior archery days.”

DEC spokeswoman Lori Severino told me Friday: “We do not know whether the youth hunt will occur or not. We’ve adopted this regulation. However, it can be superseded by state law.”

Stay tuned on this one.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog