NY DEC Adopts Deer Management Plan

[HuntingNY]

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that it has adopted a five-year deer management plan. The final plan, which has been revised based on public comment on a previously released draft version, is now available at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7211.html.

“White-tailed deer are an important and valued natural resource for New Yorkers,” Commissioner Joe Martens said. “DEC’s new deer management plan provides strategic direction for our staff over the next five years and will help us focus our efforts where they can best meet the biological and social demands associated with deer. This plan emphasizes the importance of hunting for deer management, and we are particularly excited to create new opportunities for young deer hunters,” Martens said. “We are also cognizant of the significant ecological impacts associated with deer, and we are eager to more fully bring our knowledge of these impacts into the population management process.”

The plan describes six primary goals that encompass the current priorities for deer management and the values and issues expressed by the public:

• Manage deer populations at levels that are appropriate for human and ecological concerns;

• Promote and enhance deer hunting as an important recreational activity, tradition, and population management tool in New York;

• Reduce negative impacts caused by deer;

• Foster public understanding and communication about deer ecology, deer management, economic aspects and recreational opportunities;

• Manage deer to promote healthy and sustainable forests and enhance habitat conservation efforts to benefit deer and other species; and

• Ensure that the necessary resources are available to support sound management of white-tailed deer in New York.

Public comment on the draft deer management plan was carefully reviewed by the Department, and several notable changes were made in the adopted plan, including:

• Changing to a 5-year cycle for evaluating deer population objectives;

• DEC removed the proposal to completely discontinue either-sex and antlerless-only tags;

• DEC is committing to implementing a youth deer hunting opportunity. Details related to timing and structure of a youth hunt have been removed from the plan so as to allow continued discussion to identify the most appropriate option; and

• DEC clarified that a special antlerless-only season for muzzleloader hunters will only occur as the 3rd phase of a multi-phase process, and only in WMUs where additional doe harvest is needed.

DEC intends to begin implementing strategies of the deer plan immediately. While many strategies will take several years to develop, DEC expects to begin rulemaking to implement a number of hunting-related aspects of this plan prior to the 2012-13 hunting seasons, including:

• Establishing a youth deer hunt;

• Starting the Southern Zone bow season October 1st;

• Allowing DMPs to be used during the bow and early muzzleloader season in the Northern Zone; and

• Expanding mandatory antler restrictions into 7 WMUs in southeastern New York.

DEC strives to provide a deer management program that balances diverse public interests and values with the biological needs and ecological relationships of deer, for the benefit of New York’s white-tailed deer herd and the people of New York.

The PDF of the complete management plan has been attached to this post.

This post has been promoted to an article

deerplan2012.pdf

[wdswtr]

So if I got this right they are allowing Xbows to be used in all seasons, N.tier bow extends one week and they still left ML's in on the last week of bow. N.Tier gun season remains the same lenght and pushes it to a week later to compensate for the extra week of bow. 7 AR wmu to come. Tag structure remains the same with both an either sex tag and an antlerless tag for bow and ML's. Oct 1 bow opener for S. Tier. Hope I got this right. If not im sure I will hear aout it. Thanks for keeping us updated.

[pawle76]

Yeah basically all of the catskill mnts will be antler restricted area. I smell PETA

[Dave]

Yeah basically all of the catskill mnts will be antler restricted area. I smell PETA

the Catskills will become a lonely place no deer to hunt, no hunters to hunt them.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Dont forget the special youth season, and something about contraception. Other than that, you summed it up. I still have to read what the deal is with contraception.

[wdswtr]

I didnt put the youth season in there because they judt have it listed as to be determined. I can take an easy guess at what that deal is about. I heard and read many complaints mainly by NYB members and their emails crying there heads off about the youth hunt is going to ruin bowhunting as we know it. Remember reading that I posted it here? What I presume they are doing is not putting the dates out there until all the dates and changes have been finalized to stop all the complaints about the youth hunt date. Then once it all has gone through you will see those dates appear right where they originally proposed. I personally think the youth hunt is a great thing. Yeah I skipped over the contraception deal as I was scared to even read that part and will wait till deer season ends so I dont get all worked up and pissed off lol.

[sits in trees]

i cant wait to hunt on my own property right here in NY with a Crossbow!!!

[covert]

Dont forget the special youth season, and something about contraception. Other than that, you summed it up. I still have to read what the deal is with contraception.

That was something about bunny-huggers wanting them to sterilize the deer but the DEC knows that it won't do anything positive.

[Larry]

you wont see cross-bows till at lease 2013 - 14 season. then your going to see the nyb go nuts.

[Larry]

As for 7 more wmu’s in the Catskills going to AR’s. It smells more like, locals and land owners not wanting those other people hunting their deer. If you make it harder to get a deer they may go somewhere else.

[burmjohn]

As for 7 more wmu’s in the Catskills going to AR’s. It smells more like, locals and land owners not wanting those other people hunting their deer. If you make it harder to get a deer they may go somewhere else.

If they are the ones that own the land and paying the taxes, why shouldn't they have that say in AR's. It has nothing to do with those "other" people hunting "their" deer. Those deer are still there next year, its not like the yearlings are running off into never never land.

[MountainHunter]

If less bucks are being shot because of AR's doesn't that mean that the buck population in those areas will be expanding? Why would the hunting become worse? 3A which encompasses a lot of the high peaks regions of the catskills has no DMAP's because deer densities are very low. Any thing that protects numbers and age structure is a good thing!

[wdswtr]

Some people just dont understand that concept. To them it has to be about now and not the future. It makes perfect sense to me.

[TheHunter]

Yup

[ejp419]

Love it. It's a step in the right direction...The AR that is. Oct 1 bow opener in SZ; love it too...

[Dad 6424]

The Oct 1 openner is good news the AR is a good thing as most land owners in my area have already started there own the Buck to doe ratio needs to change around here

[steve863]

Yeah basically all of the catskill mnts will be antler restricted area. I smell PETA

No, it ain't PETA, it's your fellow hunters who want this. Plenty here you can thank.