Changes coming for deer season this fall
By DENNIS APRILL, Outdoors Columnist
There are changes coming about in deer management this fall, and there may be even more in 2003. That was the news given by Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife biologist Ed Reed during last Monday’s Deer Information Forum held at Beekmantown High School.
Click here for License Fee Increases chart
About 75 people heard Reed explain some of the changes coming this summer. One is computer licensing. A drivers license swipe system, similar to a debit card payment at a supermarket, will be used by license venders. The hunter or angler will get a durable printout license with all tags listed. There will be no more sending in of kill report cards; instead, all this will be done via "800" phone numbers.
Reed clarified what some see as a confusing regulation change made by DEC Albany on bag limits. He explained that a hunter with a regular season license would, in the Northern Zone, be able to take an antlered deer. If that same hunter buys a special season tag like a muzzleloader permit, he or she will be able to take an additional deer of either sex. It sounds simple enough, but now comes the confusing part. A hunter with a second special permit, say an archery permit, can take yet another deer - antlerless only - with this second special season tag by using a bow, or that hunter can fill his tag using a muzzleloader. The bottom line is that if you have a Sportsman’s license plus the two special tags, you can take three deer: one with a rifle and two with either a bow or muzzleloader. I expect the archery hunter safety courses will see an increase in enrollment because of this.
Deer Management Permits (DMP’s) can be purchased with the initial license sale. The computer will stagger the odds, so even if you are first in line for a DMP for Wildlife Management Unit 6A (Malone west), you may not get one because, according to Reed, the computer selects randomly similar to the old system of supply and demand.
The license fee increase was approved during the state budget settlement. Here’s a brief look at some of the increases. The popular resident Sportsman’s License goes to $37 (from $31), Fishing $19 (from $14), Muzzleloader and Archery $16 each (from $11 each). The Turkey Permit jumps to $5. There is a new Super Sportsman License that costs $68, and it includes all licenses and tags except trapping.
Other areas touched on by Reed were possible and probable regulation changes for 2003 and beyond. In the "possible" category is allowing muzzleloaders to be equipped with scopes for, as Reed puts it, safety as well as increased accuracy. Modern muzzleloader rifles are no longer the smoke poles of the past, and with all the modern technology added, a scope seems to be the next step. Another "probable" change is combining WMU’s, mostly downstate, to create larger units.
Less certain will be the regulation that allows a hunter to transfer DMP’s to another hunter, with the recipient getting to keep not only his own tagged deer, but up to two other hunters’ DMP’s. This is an attempt, Reed said, to control the deer herd by using the most efficient and successful hunters.
Finally, Reed touched upon Quality Deer Management, a program that is in the experimental stage downstate. The goal is bigger bucks through the taking of does and, in some cases, getting buck to doe ratios in sync. Reed said DEC doesn’t have the manpower to consult for all hunting clubs and landowners, so he recommends those interested contact private wildlife biologists.
Future deer forums are scheduled for May 29 in Ballston Spa (Region 5) and June 5 in Canton (Region 6). For more information on these, contact DEC at 897-1291.