Voices Support for Modest Increases in Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Licenses to Assure Solvency of State Conservation Fund

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today thanked the members of the Conservation Fund Advisory Board (CFAB) for their recent recommendations on how to improve fish and wildlife programs. At its March meeting, CFAB endorsed a proposal to modestly increase hunting, trapping and fishing fees, a plan that is supported by Commissioner Grannis.

“Fish and wildlife programs play a vital role in New York’s environment and economy,” Commissioner Grannis said. “As we all know, New York is facing a record budget deficit and must make some very difficult choices. I applaud the members of the CFAB for stepping up to the challenge and making responsible recommendations for dealing with the growing deficit in the Conservation Fund. The Department of Environmental Conservation endorses a new fee structure based on the proposal and is confident that the additional revenues will help address the fish and wildlife issues facing the state.”

Commissioner Grannis also expressed appreciation to the New York State Conservation Council and other sportsmen and sportswomen groups that provided input to DEC over the past few months.  “As a community, hunters, anglers, and trappers are committed stewards of our valuable natural resources, and I am grateful for their dedication to the outdoors and their participation as we collectively tackled this problem,” the commissioner said.

Money from hunting and fishing licenses is dedicated to the Conservation Fund, which supports a number of programs including fish hatcheries, sporting license databases, wildlife health monitoring studies and stream and lake surveys. In January, Governor Paterson requested that DEC work with sportsmen’s groups to develop a fee structure that would ensure the continuation of these programs, as well as the state’s pheasant farm in Tompkins County.

"The last comprehensive license fee adjustments occurred in 2002."

The proposed fee schedule would take effect on Oct. 1, 2009. Notably, the proposal would not increase fees for the new Junior Big-Game Hunting license or junior trapping license signed into law by Governor Paterson last year, or the fishing license for those 70 and older. Also, the proposal calls for dropping the price of a one-day fishing license from $15 to $5.

Bill found two nice sets of sheds in a food plot about 20 yards from each other. Each set was found together. The bucks were thought to have been digging through a foot of hard packed snow to get to the turnips below:

It took Steve a good 15 hours of shed hunting to come up with three sheds:

Early one fall afternoon, Matt made his way to the stand to get set up well before the deer would be passing through. Around 3 o'clock a flock of turkeys began crossing a ridge and Matt prepared himself for the chance at a turkey. As he watched the turkeys, sounds came from the bottom of the hill and a doe was headed straight for Matt. The hunter bleated at the doe to stop her broadside at 15 yards. The Rage 2-blade did its job and blood spilled immediately.

"Just as the doe began to run off, another deer was running towards Matt - this time it was a buck!"

Just as the doe began to run off another deer began running towards Matt - this time it was a buck! Matt grunted at the buck with his Primos Buck Roar and the deer began making a scrape and the hair on the back of the buck's neck stood up as it closed the distance within 20 yards. Again Matt drew his bow, settled the pin and put the arrow in the buck, not more than two minutes after killing the doe.

Both deer died within 75 yards of Matt's stand. The doe was no more than 50 yards away and the buck was in sight of the doe. It was Matt's best deer season to date!

Congratulations are in order for Matt and his archery double. I too had my best season to date and it's one I will never forget. The memories created while out in the field last a lifetime.

While surfing the net this afternoon I came across this set of sheds found on February 21st in 9Y. They were about four feet from each other on the same trail and partially covered in snow. 

The trail cam pic is of the buck earlier in the season at an apple tree about 150 yards away from where the sheds were found. Although the hunter never saw this buck during the season, his sheds are proof he made it through the season. He should be a dandy come next fall.

The reason for the drop in deficit was due to 123 salaried DEC law enforcement employees being moved from the Conservation fund to the state's General Fund. This caused the Conservation Fund's deficit to drop from $18M to $4M in the past year. 

This is one of the reasons that license fee increases are likely in the near future. Harold Palmer, president of the New York Conservation Council pointed out that administrative costs stood out. Other notable costs included:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York Bowhunters 2009 Annual Banquet

LaFayette, NY - 3/17/09 - New York Bowhunters, Inc. (NYB) President Gary Socola has announced that the organization will be holding their 14th annual Banquet on April 4th at the Holiday Inn, 441 Electronics Parkway in Syracuse, NY.

Tom Nelson, host of the "American Archer" television show is the 2009 Banquet headline speaker.  As a youngster, Tom grew up in Grand Ledge, Michigan and at the age of 16, took a part-time job at the famed Anderson Archery in Grand Ledge, which at the time was the "Worlds Largest Archery Center".  From that meager beginning, Tom worked his way up to store manager for Anderson Archery and continued to work there for the next 27 years.

As a Senior Member of the Pope & Young Club, and a gifted outdoor writer, Tom's personal experiences of bowhunting extensively across this country and 4 continents, with a camera over his shoulder, will be sure to entertain!

NYB banquet chairman Merritt Compton said, "We are excited that someone of Tom's caliber is making time to visit with us here in Syracuse. Banquet attendees will be in for a real treat. "

 "This is the organizations biggest fund raiser of the year and for the forth consecutive year, NYB members will be collecting gift boxes to forward to troops serving in Iraq and other countries  around the world", said Socola.   "To date, we collected over 400 boxes for the troops serving overseas.  That equates to over 2,000 lbs of supplies that NYB members and concerned New Yorkers have sent to our loyal troops."

The event seminars and access to the vendor area are free of charge to the general public.  Dinner tickets for Tom Nelson's program are available for $33/pp or $64/couple or $22.00 for children 12 and under.

New York Bowhunters, Inc. was formed in 1991 to promote bowhunting, educate hunters and non-hunters, and to fight anti-hunting legislation.  NYB's Banquet helps to raise money for the various programs NYB runs throughout the year such as their youth archery camps, youth hunts, physically challenged program and supports special projects such as the "Gift Boxes for Troops" and the establishment of an archery range for troops serving in Iraq.

Dinner tickets are available from Bruce Murray at (607)-539-6387. General information about the Banquet or vendor space is available by contacting Merritt Compton at (607) 387-5112.  Gift Boxes for the Troops donations can be directed to Ed Gorch at (518) 634-7139.  To learn more about NYB and its programs or to join over the Internet, please go to their website at http://wwwnewyorkbowhunters.com.

I recently recieved an email update on the license fee proposals in New York. Here's are some of the modifications since the last version that was released:

Attached are the current license fee proposal chart, the projected revenues and a draft of the bill to implement the proposal.  The Conservation Fund Advisory Board ("CFAB") and the President of the New York State Conservation Council have been briefed on this latest proposal and support it.

 

Changes to the most recent CFAB proposal include:

This proposal allows for the elimination of the trout/salmon stamp proposal and the transfer of revenues from the recreational marine license to the Marine Account of Conservation Fund.

The proposed fee schedule should keep the Conservation Fund out of deficit into fiscal year 2012-13, provided there is not additional off-loading of costs onto the Conservation Fund main account.

 

Douglas Stang

Assistant Director

Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources

New York State Dept. Environmental Conservation

I had to take a weekend off of walking through the woods due to some minor wrist surgery, but I've put in some long walks this season in "prime" shedding areas with nothing more than a few pictures of some nice rubs to show for it. It's hard to stay motivated when you're not finding antlers, but there's a lot more to shed hunting than finding an antler.

As soon as deer season comes to a close it's the "off-season" or "post-season" so many hunters relax and take care of a few chores around the house or pick up other hobbies. However, for those who enjoy consistent success in the field there is no such thing as post season - we only know pre-season. 

My pre-season scouting begins in January with some shed hunting, following deer tracks in the snow through bedding areas and looking for sign up until about the end of April. It's from this January to April period that I find what will be some of my most productive stands come October. 

So when you're out shed hunting keep an eye out for sheds, but also try to unravel rub lines, look for entry and exit routes into bedding areas, take note of the winds in bedding and feeding areas and be observant of your surroundings. It might not seem like such a big deal right now, but once October comes you will start connecting the dots and the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place. 

CONS: Very heavy sight, sight must be sent back to factory if you want a pin removed from the housing, doesn't include rheostat light, not available in camo.

Sullivan, Schoharie, and Greene are a few counties in the Catskills that are in support of antler restrictions. The DEC sees no biological evidence that antler restrictions will help the overall deer herd and as such are requiring strong hunter interest for the restrictions to take effect. Youth hunters would continue to be exempt from such regulations.

Across the state the strongest support for antler restrictions remains in the Southeastern region. However, the area still falls slightly below the DEC's two-thirds requirement. Experimental antler restrictions could end up in a few more WMUs in this region.

Another issue that has been a hot topic recently is the amount of buck tags issued in New York. However, the majority of hunters across the state oppose a one buck limit. 

What are your thoughs on antler regulations and a one buck limit in New York State?

Bear harvest numbers in all three of New York State's bear hunting ranges increased in 2008 - with new records set in the Allegany and Catskill ranges -- Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today.

"Bear populations in the state's two southern ranges have been increasing in number and expanding in distribution over the past decade, and that is reflected in the record setting totals for 2008," Commissioner Grannis said.

Statewide, hunters took 1,295 black bears, a 16 percent increase from the 1,117 bears taken in 2007. In the Allegany bear hunting region of central and western New York, hunters took a record 193 bears, far surpassing the previous regional record, 120, set in 2007. Similarly, hunters took 520 bears in the Catskill bear hunting range in 2008, topping the 2005 regional record harvest of 494 bears.

Harvest increased in the Adirondacks as well, with a total of 582 bears taken in 2008 compared to 544 taken in 2007 and 318 taken in 2006. Hunters reported taking 18 bears in the 13 Wildlife Management Units that were opened for bear hunting this year in central and western New York.

About 20 percent of New York's 570,000 big-game hunters consider themselves bear hunters, but most successful bear hunters indicate that they incidentally took a bear while deer hunting. While overall population size plays the largest role in annual harvest, totals are also strongly influenced by environmental factors such as food availability and snow fall that influence bear movements and the timing of bear denning.

In 2008, hunters in the southern bear ranges benefited by good tracking snow on the hilltops and were able to target bears that continued to feed on standing corn throughout most of the regular season. In the Adirondacks, warm weather and widespread food supply made for difficult hunting conditions during the early bear season. But conditions improved and take increased during the regular bear season.

Hunters play a pivotal role in bear management through reporting their bear harvests. Hunters also are asked to submit a tooth sample from their bear for DEC to determine the age of all harvested bears. To encourage participation, DEC issues a NYS Black Bear Cooperator Patch to all hunters who reported their harvest and submitted a tooth. More than 680 patches will be distributed for the 2008 hunting season. Eligible hunters will receive their patch in late summer 2009 when all the age data has been processed.

In addition to harvest totals, DEC uses a variety of indices to measure bear populations. Taxidermists and DEC wildlife personnel collect age and sex information from harvested bears, as well as movement data from tagged bears. This information, along with data from bear-human conflicts, is used to help determine whether bear populations are increasing or decreasing, and if bears are expanding their range. The information helps DEC biologists manage bear populations and establish future hunting regulations to assure the management of black bears in New York State is at a level that is compatible with human interests.

The 2008 bear harvest by county and town with comparisons to previous years' bear harvests are available on the DEC website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html.

Hunters harvested approximately 223,000 deer in the 2008 season, a 2 percent increase over the previous season, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today.

The annual deer harvest report also showed that more than 15,000 14- and 15-year-olds signed up for the new “Junior Big-Game License” and that researchers detected no cases of Chronic Wasting Disease.

Harvest numbers increased slightly in every category: bucks, antlerless deer, muzzleloading and bowhunting. However, the increases were smaller than the 5-10 percent increase DEC projected, largely due to weather.

“Rough weather during the first week of the Southern Zone regular season seems to have kept overall take below expectations,” Commissioner Grannis said, explaining that steady growth of the deer population in the Southern Zone fueled predictions of a larger harvest.

The important milestone of 2008 was the success of the new “Junior Big-Game” hunting license authorized by Governor David A. Paterson which allows 14- and 15-year-olds to hunt big game for the first time. Records indicate that 15,651 junior hunters participated, harvesting about 3,900 deer.

“The first year of the junior big-game hunting license has been a success – one of the biggest developments on the state hunting scene in recent memory,” Commissioner Grannis said. 

Deer-harvest data are gathered from two main sources: harvest reports by hunters and DEC staff’s examination of harvested deer at check stations and meat processors. Statewide harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these sources and are statistically accurate to within plus or minus 2 percent.

The 2008 deer take included 105,747 bucks and 117,232 antlerless deer (adult females and fawns). 

Buck takes grew by 1 percent over 2007 (104,451) and 10 percent over 2006 (96,569). Antlerlessdeer takes grew by 2 percent over 2007 (114,690) and 26 percent over 2006 (92,539). Totals for all categories are listed in the chart at the bottom of the release.

The majority of New York’s deer harvest typically occurs during the first week of the Southern Zone regular season. Because of wet, windy and snowy conditions, opening week harvest was down about 30 percent from 2007. Conditions improved through the season, allowing hunters to surpass the 2007 totals though they fell short of projections.

Since 1990, DEC has used local Citizen Task Forces to establish deer population objectives for most Wildlife Management Units. These panels represent a broad range of public interests and consider concerns of landowners, farmers, foresters, conservationists, hunters and others. The population objectives reflect the approximate buck take per square mile that would be taken when the deer population is close to the desired level.  Deer populations vary widely across the state, and 2008 harvest data indicate that about 50 percent of the WMUs had deer populations below objective levels while 29 percent had populations above objective levels. 

Western New York continues to lead the state in total deer-harvest densities. The top five counties for 2008 were Yates (12.7 total deer per square mile), Steuben (9.5), Genesee (9.4), Livingston (9.1), and Allegany (9.0). Importantly, total harvest is strongly impacted by the number of Deer Management Permits (DMPs) available in an area, which directly affects the harvest of antlerless deer. A more accurate picture of relative deer population densities is revealed by the density of buck harvest. By this figure, the top counties for buck harvest density were: Yates County (4.6 bucks per square mile), Allegany (4.2), Orange (3.8), Wyoming (3.7), and Steuben (3.7).

Efforts continued with CWD surveillance through sampling of hunter killed deer statewide and mandatory deer checks in the Oneida-Madison County CWD Containment Area. Despite testing approximately 2,940 deer (including more than 1,100 deer from the CWD Containment Area), no cases were detected. CWD is a rare neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk and moose, causing the animals to become emaciated, lose body functions and eventually die. CWD surveillance began in New York in 2002, with increased efforts since 2005 after the disease was detected in five captive and two wild deer in Oneida County. Since 2002, about 29,300 samples have been collected throughout the state, including about 6,500 samples from the Oneida-Madison County CWD Containment Area, and no additional cases have been detected.

Note: More detailed data is available at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html.

Dennis sent me this picture of a buck he shot on November 19th during the gun season in Greene County. The 117" nine pointer weighed in at 172 pounds. Dennis was scheduled to go to work on the 19th, but his truck's clutch wasn't wanting to work so he called into work and went hunting instead. Dennis' uncle came and picked him up so they could head to an area where they had been seeing big bucks during the summer. Around 7:00am Dennis caught movement on the ridge and saw the buck's antlers. With one shot the buck dropped in its tracks.

Congrats on a nice looking buck Dennis! This just gets me pumped up for next season. I've been out a few times looking for sheds and although I haven't found any sheds, I have found some big deer sign. Things are looking very promising for next season!