2011 NY DEC hunting licenses, deer forecasts and other updates

[HuntingNY]

2011-2012 hunting, fishing and trapping licenses are now available at the 1,500 license sales outlets throughout the state.  Licenses may also be purchased online(www.dec.ny.gov/permits/28941.html), by mail or telephone (1-866-933-2257).  The 2011-2012 licenses are valid beginning Oct. 1, 2011 through Sept. 30, 2012.

Hunters may also apply for Deer Management Permits (DMPs, often called "doe tags") any time between now and October 1.  The 2011 allocation of DMPs and odds of being selected for DMPs in each unit have been posted at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30409.html.  Your chances of being selected for a DMP remain the same throughout the entire application period.

Our 2011 deer hunting season forecasts are now on our website at  www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/37304.html.  These include brief descriptions of the landscape and deer population trends within each Wildlife Management Unit.

Other important notes for the 2011 hunting seasons include:

    Crossbows may now be used for hunting big game (deer and bear) during the early bear season, regular firearms seasons, the special January firearms season in Suffolk County, and all late muzzleloading seasons.  See Crossbow Hunting (www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/68802.html) for more information and the Certificate of Qualification.

    Recent legislation lowered the minimum age for youth hunters to purchase a Junior Bowhunting license for big game hunting from 14 to 12 years of age. See the Junior Hunter Mentoring Program (www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/46245.html) for detailed information on youth hunting requirements.

    Bear hunting will be open in new areas in eastern New York and bear hunting season dates in central and western New York have been modified to create a uniform season across the Southern Zone. See Bear Hunting Seasons (www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28605.html#Black) for dates and locations.

    New legislation now allows use of rifles for big game hunting in Wyoming and Cortland counties and in the portion of Chautauqua County south of Route 20.  See www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/35010.html for a map of where rifles can be used for big game hunting.  Please note that the legislation for Cortland County does not allow the use of crossbows in that county during the regular big game season.

Finally, if you are a bowhunter, we invite you to participate in our Bowhunter Sighting Log (www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7193.html).  The Bowhunter Sighting Log basically involves keeping a diary of your bowhunting activity and the number of animals you see.  These data help us track deer and other wildlife populations.  To see an example of the data, just look at our deer season forecasts.  We have included Bowhunter Sighting Log data in the charts associated with each WMU forecast.  We could use more bowhunter participation in many northern, eastern, and southeastern counties and in Westchester and Suffolk counties.  To participate, please e-mail us ([email protected] - specify Bowhunter Sighting Log in the subject line) and provide your name, address, hunter ID (back tag number), a list of the counties where you hunt, and whether or not you have participated in New York's bowhunter log in any previous year.