Syracuse.com - New deer hunting antler restrictions downstate start of a trend?

[HuntingNY-News]

In Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster counties, hunters are now prohibited from killing spikehorn deer. They must have at least one antler with three points.

This summer, the state Legislature for the first time got involved in the issue of antler restriction, passing a law that essentially tells hunters in several downstate counties what bucks they can kill based on the size of the animal’s antlers.

In Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster counties, hunters are now prohibited from killing spikehorn deer. They must have at least one antler with three points.

In the past, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has called the shots on this controversial issue, trying the approach out in several areas of the state based on surveys of hunters in those areas and what the majority of them preferred.

Several years ago, the DEC tried out a pilot antler restriction zone in northern Tompkins and southern Cayuga counties. The result was a mixed reaction from hunters. The restrictions, which had a sunset clause, were not continued.

The bottom line of all this is a slippery slope, highlighting an issue much bigger than antler restrictions. Do we rely on politicians who often are generally clueless about hunting matters making laws concerning hunting, or should such matters be left to science and the DEC’s wildlife biologists?

I’d like to hear what readers think about this.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog