Hunting and Trapping News: Aging Deer, Big and Small Game Season Dates, Youth Hunting Dates for Waterfowl and Pheasant |
How Old is that Deer?As deer season approaches, hunters are scouting the deer they will be hunting this fall. Estimating their age is important for making informed harvest decisions. For antlerless deer, the primary question is whether you are observing a fawn or adult. While yearling (1.5-year-old) bucks are relatively easy to identify, estimating the age of older bucks can be more difficult. To learn how, see DEC’s Guide to Aging White-tailed Deer in New York. Allowing yearling bucks to survive an extra year may enhance your deer hunting experience, especially if your hunting partners and neighbors are also passing on yearling bucks. With more older bucks around, hunters tend to observe more scrapes, rubs, sparring, and chasing, and they have a greater chance to bring home deer with more meat and larger antlers. Big Game Dates to Remember
See DEC’s website for all 2017-2018 big game, turkey, and furbearer hunting seasons. Pheasant HuntingApproximately 30,000 adult pheasants will be released on lands open to public hunting for the upcoming fall pheasant hunting season. The pheasant hunting season begins:
Youth-only pheasant weekends:
See DEC’s website for all pheasant season dates and restrictions Wild Turkey HuntingWith good production in summer 2015 followed by two mild winters, there are more birds on the landscape than in previous years. However, this increase may be offset by poor reproduction due to above-average rainfall in this past spring. Remember, in areas with good hard and soft mast production, turkeys do not have to roam far for food, so you may have to work harder to locate a flock. Turkey season dates for fall 2017:
The statewide season bag limit: one bird of either sex. Waterfowl Hunting and Youth Waterfowl DaysWaterfowl hunting seasons for ducks, geese, and brant begin in early October in many parts of the state. There are special opportunities for junior hunters 12 to 15 years old prior to the regular season. Junior hunters must be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter, and both the junior hunter and adult must be registered with the Harvest Information Program (HIP). Adult hunters must also have a federal migratory bird stamp. Youth waterfowl days this fall are:
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