Deer Harvests Set For a Rise (O1)

Hunters of New York will be happy when all the numbers are tallied they will find out that they have killed more whitetails during the 2013-14 than in the previous season. But depending on where those harvests occurred, it may still not have been enough. Statewide, DMP allocations were boosted by 18 percent in terms of availability. But only about 7 percent more had been purchased. It is still too early to tell how high the total harvests are but in some places of New York the antlerless harvests will need to be higher. Heading into the 2013-14 season, DEC deer managers were pushing for an increased antlerless harvest in the Lake Plains area. The DEC has increased the DMP permits by 25 percent in that region. Still, the overall increase in DMP numbers poises the state to see a higher overall deer harvest this season.  The DEC is still expecting the total antlerless deer harvest to be higher even though they rose in big numbers in the 2013-2014 season. Last year’s overall kill of 242,957 included a take of 209,458 in the Southern Zone. The Southern Zone tally included 98,571 bucks. Typically, the opening weekend of the Southern Zone firearms deer season accounts for 25-30 percent of the total statewide kill. That did not happen in 2013. In years when the opening weekend kills lags, the harvest usually catches up as the season goes on. That, too, didn’t happen as quickly as in past years. DEC comes up with a final deer harvest figure by calculating harvest reports in combination with a reporting rate by hunters, which in the past has hovered around 45 percent even though hunters are required to report their kill. The only deer hunting opportunities left for the 2013-14 are in Suffolk County, where there’s a special weekdays-only firearms season through Jan. 31. In my opinion the deer tags that are being sold should be decreased in the amount of tags each hunter gets. I personally do not think that there is that high of a deer population that the DEC officials think that there is.

Rising Duck Stamp Prices (Q2)

There are new rising details on the rumor of the federal duck stamp rising in its’ prices. Despite the fact that leading conservation groups continually have called for it and that it wouldn’t be an added burden to U.S. taxpayers, attempts in the past to increase the price of the federal duck stamp have been derailed. Now, a group of Democratic senators has renewed the push again. The group of senators want to put on an extra $10 to the stamp that already costs hunters $15 to buy. The current price was set more than 20 years ago. Sense then the federal duck stamp program has protected more than 6 million acres of wetlands through the spending of more than $750 million. That includes more than 2.5 million acres in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Midwest. The “Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act” was introduced by four senators. This bill would increase the price of the stamp to $25, and suggest the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission consider another $5 increase in five years.  This price change will be the first time that the stamps have changed prices in 15 years. The price hike from $15 to $25 or $30 dollars is huge. In my opinion the price of the stamp was perfectly fine. My reason is because ducks unlimited was still getting enough money to help with the bird populations and watching their habitats. For them to raise the prices was unreasonable because they don’t have one real reason to need to raise the prices of the duck stamp. I am personally upset because they are just asking for more money than they already were. This price change has no reason at all. Some people may not be able to buy the stamp anymore because of this new price.  

The Crossbow Law(Q1)

Everyone has heard about the new law allowing crossbows to be used during the New York state deer hunting season. The first time it was passed you were only allowed to use them during the regular season when everyone else was using their guns. The year after that the new laws fell through all together and no one could even use them. After all of that confusion the state is still trying to set up laws for the crossbows to be legalized. Governor Cuomo will place language in the 2014 fiscal budget that would give the DEC the authority to develop regulations allowing for crossbow use in New York. The DEC is going to try to get the law passed so then crossbows will be legal to use in the regular archery deer season because as of right now they are currently illegal in New York. This new law doesn’t affect me at all because even if the law is passed, I still do not think that I would use a crossbow during the season. However I would push for the law to be passed because I think this law would benefit the hunters that have disabilities. I have an uncle that is disabled and he still tries to go out every day and kill himself a deer. It is very hard for him to go out there and drive a four wheeler and pull back and shoot a bow all at the same time. This law would make it a lot easier for him to be able to kill deer because he would not have to go through the motions of pulling the bow back. Therefor if the law does not completely pass then I think that it should at least be passed for the disabled hunters out there to make it easier and more enjoyable for them.

Preditor Hunting (P2)

Predator hunting is becoming one of the more popular hunting seasons in New York State. This is because of the technological advances that have made predator hunting a lot easier. It has also become so popular because of the rising prices for the pelts that people have the chance to harvest. The coyotes in most areas in New York have become over populated and bother people. Therefore more people have been killing them.  The New York State coyote season starts October 1 and ends March 10. On opening day you can only shoot them after sunrise. However for the rest of the season you can shoot them during the day or at night at any hour of the day.  During the season there is no bag limits so you are allowed to shoot as many coyotes you want. The other popular predator seasons are raccoon, red fox, and gray fox. This season starts on October 25 and closes on February 15. Opening day you will have to wait until after sunrise to start shooting them but the rest of the season you are allowed to shoot them at any hour day or night. Predator hunting is somewhat difficult when you are first starting out and once you get the hang of it then it will become easier and you will start shooting more predators. The amount of predators depends on how you hunt them. You can either hunt them at night or during the day.  If you are hunting them at night you will need either a white light or a red light so that way you can see the predators. Always make sure that you always have the wind in your favor while hunting predators. The most common weapons to be used are shot guns if you are hunting them up close and then center fire rifles if you are hunting them at a distance. The way you call to them will also depend on the amount of predators you kill. You have the option to either use mouth calls or the radio calls and you also can call aggressively or in a lighter manner. The way you hunt is up to you. Good luck!

Poaching (P1)

There are many of us hunters that are willing to spend countless hours in the tree stand to kill the deer that we choose to kill. However that doesn’t mean that every hunter out there is the exact same and is willing to follow the rules that most of the other hunters follow. The hunters that can’t always follow the ruler are called poachers. These hunters will shoot deer from cars on the roads, trespass on land they don’t have permission on, kill deer on land where hunting is illegal, and also kill deer at night when the hunting day has been well over with. Many poachers will find giant bucks grazing in the fields on the sides of thruways where hunting is not allowed. When they see these big deer they will make a plan to come back when it is dark. They will usually work with someone else. This is so then they have someone to drop them off and then come back and help them with the deer after they have killed it. There are thousands of deer killed illegally every year. Some poachers will even kill deer after the actual season has already ended. These poachers are lazy and don’t care about following the rules and the sacrifices that the deer are making for us. Poaching should be stopped as much as it possibly can. The reason poachers poach is to either sell the fur, meat, and antlers to make a profit because they don’t buy the proper licenses or because they aren’t having any other luck at their actually legal hunting spots. The penalties for poaching a very severe. If you get caught for poaching you will be finned, the animal will be taken away from you, and you will lose your privileges of hunting. If you find any poachers, call your local DEC agency and put an end to this horrible act.