DEC Proposes Rule Changes for Deer and Bear Hunting
NEW YORK — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos released the State’s final Deer Management Plan at the beginning of June. The plan is the product of public input, expert review, and sound science that will improve the management of white-tailed deer across New York State. In addition, to enact several management recommendations included in the plan, DEC issued proposed regulations that are available for public comment until Aug. 8, 2021.
Major elements of the plan include: establishing desired deer population trajectories for 23 ecologically unique regions of the state using an assessment of deer impact on forest regeneration and public preferences for deer population changes; monitoring deer populations for disease and taking steps to reduce disease risk; providing additional hunter opportunity and increasing antlerless harvest strategically where needed; promoting hunter choice for buck harvest by encouraging hunters who want to take older, larger-antlered bucks to voluntarily pass up young, small-antlered bucks; encouraging deer hunters to use non-lead ammunition to reduce lead exposure of non-target wildlife; assisting communities to prevent and respond to local deer overabundance through development of community-based deer management programs; working with landowners and land managers to monitor deer browse impacts on forests with the Assessing Vegetation Impacts of Deer (AVID) protocol; and understanding and addressing public values and interests regarding deer and deer management decisions.
To begin the implementation or portions of the management plan, DEC is proposing rule changes that will improve deer management, simplify big game hunting, expand hunting opportunity, and increase hunter safety.
The DEC is proposing to: extend legal hunting hours for deer and bear to begin 30 minutes before sunrise and end 30 minutes before sunset; increase hunter safety by requiring all hunters pursuing deer or bear with a firearm to wear a solid or patterned fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink hat or vest or jacket; increase antlerless deer harvest by establishing a 9-day firearms season in September for antlerless deer in certain WMUs (Wildlife Management Units); allow hunters to harvest deer of either sex during the early muzzleloader season in three northern New York WMUs; and, simplify bear hunting in the Adirondack portion of the Northern Zone by extending the regular firearm season to cover the entire hunting period.
Details about the proposals are available at DEC’s website www.dec.ny.gov. DEC is accepting public comments on the proposed regulation changes through Aug. 8 2021, by emailing: WildlifeRegs@dec.ny.gov (use “Big Game Hunting Rules” in the subject line).