Hunting and Trapping Newsletter

Bow Season, DMP Deadline, and Youth Big Game Hunt

Bowhunting seasons for deer and bear will begin in the Northern Zone on September 27 and the Southern Zone on October 1. When you are afield, consider passing up yearling bucks. Let young bucks go and watch them grow!

The Deer Management Permit (DMP) deadline is fast approaching. Hunters that have secured a hunting license are eligible to apply for up to two DMPs that may be used to harvest antlerless deer from a specified Wildlife Management Unit. Sporting licenses and permits for the 2018-19 license year have been available since Aug. 1, and can be obtained at any one of DEC’s 1,300 license issuing outlets, by phone at 866-933-2257, or online through the DEC website.  DEC’s computerized licensing system allows hunters to know immediately whether or not they were selected to receive their DMPs. Hunters must apply for DMPs by Oct. 1, and should review their chances of selection before applying. The application fee for DMPs is $10.

New York’s annual Youth Big Game Hunt on Columbus Day weekend has expanded to include bear as well as deer.  On October 6-8, licensed 14- and 15-year-olds may use a firearm to hunt big game while accompanied by an experienced, licensed adult hunter. All eligible junior hunters may take one deer (either sex) and one bear.  During the youth hunt, antlerless deer taken with a firearm may be tagged with a regular season tag, Deer Management Permit, or Deer Management Assistance Program tags. Antlered deer may only be tagged with the regular season tag. Though junior hunters may have multiple deer tags, they may only take one deer with a firearm during the Youth Big Game Hunt. This special hunting opportunity takes place throughout the state, except in Suffolk County and bowhunting-only areas. Additional rules that apply to junior hunters and their adult mentors can be found in the Hunting & Trapping Guide or on the DEC website.

It is a requirement to report your harvest of deer, bear and turkey within seven days of taking the animal. Harvest reporting is the law and is critical to wildlife management. We encourage hunters to use the online and mobile systems to report their harvest.  Remember to take it, tag it, report it!

DEC Seeking Assistance from Ruffed Grouse Hunters!

DEC requests your assistance in a study of ruffed grouse. Productivity (number of young per adult female) is an important indication of the well-being of the grouse population. To assess the age and sex composition of the grouse population, we are seeking rump, wing and tail feathers from all grouse you harvest in New York during the 2018-19 season. As part of a multi-state effort to study West Nile Virus in grouse populations, we are also collecting blood samples from hunter-killed birds.

If you would like to participate, visit the DEC website, e-mail us at wildlife@dec.ny.gov (using “Grouse Parts Collection” in the subject line), or call 518-402-8929.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Photo courtesy J. Major

Pheasant Hunting Opportunities

Approximately 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 October 1 in northern and eastern portions of New York, October 20 in central and western portions of the state, and November 1 on Long Island. For more information, visit the pheasant hunting season page.

Since 2007, DEC has offered a special youth-only season to provide junior hunters the opportunity to hunt pheasants during the weekend prior to the regular pheasant hunting season. In western New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is October 13-14. In northern and eastern New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is September 29-30, and on Long Island it is October 27-28. Both the junior hunter and their adult mentor must have a hunting license; only the junior hunter is allowed to carry a firearm and harvest birds on these dates.

All release sites for pheasants provided by state-funded programs are open to public hunting. Pheasants will be released on state-owned lands prior to and during the fall hunting season, and at a number of sites on New York City Watershed lands thanks to a partnership with New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Pheasant hunting opportunities have also been augmented by private landowners who have opened their land to public hunting. DEC is grateful for their help in providing high quality hunting experiences for New York’s hunters. A list of statewide pheasant release sites and sites receiving birds for the youth-only pheasant hunt weekends can be found on DEC’s website.

DEC Encourages Hunter Safety

While statistics show that hunting in New York State is safer than ever, mistakes are made every year. DEC believes every hunting-related shooting incident is preventable, and DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos is encouraging hunters to use common sense this season and to remember what they were taught in their DEC Hunters Education Course.

Firearms Safety:

• Point your gun in a safe direction.
• Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
• Be sure of your target and beyond.
• Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

DEC also encourages hunters to wear blaze orange or pink. Wearing orange or pink prevents other hunters from mistaking a person for an animal, or shooting in a hunter’s direction. Hunters who wear hunter orange are seven times less likely to be shot.

Legal hunting hours for big game across the state run from official sunrise to sunset. Not only is it unsafe but it is illegal to hunt deer and bear in the dark.

When hunting in tree stands, use a safety harness and a climbing belt, as most tree stand accidents occur when hunters are climbing in and out of the stand. Also, hunters should never climb in or out of a tree stand with a loaded rifle, and never set a tree stand above 20 feet.

For more information on these and other important hunting safety tips, please visit DEC’s website, and watch a video about hunter safety and tree stand safety for more tips on how to prevent accidents.