Firearms season opens today
The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation is encouraging hunters to pass on young bucks as regular firearms hunting season for deer and bear hunting in the Southern Zone starts today.
The season begins at sunrise today and runs through Sunday Dec. 10.
Following the regular deer and bear seasons, the late bowhunting and muzzleloading seasons run from Dec. 11 through Dec. 19. Hunters taking part in these special seasons must possess a hunting license and either bowhunting or muzzleloading privilege(s).
Passing up on younger bucks can make a difference in future heards, the release said.
All successful hunters are required to report their harvest of
deer or bear via the agency’s online game harvest reporting system or by calling the toll-free automated reporting system at 1-866-GAMERPT (1-866-426-3778).
Failure to report is a violation of the Environmental Conservation Law and reduces the data the agency uses to manage deer and bear populations.
“New York has some of the best hunting opportunities in the nation, and our ongoing conservation efforts and hunter safety programs are providing ample opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy all New York has to offer,” Commissioner Basil Seggos, the agency’s commissioner, said in a press release. “Deer and bear hunting is also an important tool for New Yorkers to assist
our wildlife management efforts and critical for controlling populations, especially in areas and habitats where deer overabundance are causing ecological damage.
“The opening of the Southern Zone regular season is a cherished tradition for many families, drawing friends and relatives together for a weekend afield. I wish all hunters a safe and successful season.”
According to agency figures, the Southern Zone regular season is New York’s most-popular hunting season, with approximately 85 percent of New York’s 575,000 licensed hunters participating.
Seggos said while hunting in New York has grown safer, hunters are reminded to use common sense this season.
He offered the following safety tips in the release:
• 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.
• Hunters are encouraged to wear blaze orange or pink to prevent other hunters from mistaking them for an animal. Hunters who wear hunter orange are seven times less likely to be shot, according to the release.
• 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.
• Hunters should never climb in or out of a tree stand with a loaded rifle and never set a tree stand above 20 feet.
The agency also offered the following tips to avoid Chronic Wasting Disorder, which can spread rapidly in deer herds and is impossible to eliminate from wild
deer herds.
• If hunting outside of New York, debone or quarter the deer before returning to the state, and follow the law about importing carcasses or carcass parts from outside of New York.
• Use only lures or attractant scents that do not contain deer-based urine.
• Dispose of carcass waste in a landfill, not on the landscape.
• Report any deer that appears sick or is acting abnormally.
For specific descriptions of regulations and open areas, hunters should refer to the 2017-2018 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide available at (www. dec.ny.gov/outdoor/37136. html). Hunters are urged to review all regulations and safety tips in the guide. Hunters can also check out the agency’s “Hunting the Black Bear in New York” or unit-by-unit Deer Hunting Forecasts.