Antler restriction bill a bad idea

Currently there is a bill in the New York State Senate which would amend the conservation law and make it a law that hunters in most of the state could not shoot a deer unless it had one antler with at least three points. In many areas the requirement would be an antler with at least four points. This is a very bad bill on two major points. One it takes away control of game management from professionals like the DEC and gives it to politicians. That thought alone should make you lose your appetite. Secondly it starts New York State down the slippery slope towards exclusively trophy hunting and an eventual end to deer hunting.

There are people who honestly believe that deer should be managed to produce trophy bucks for hunting. Letting small deer grow up to be larger ones may be a good idea. But hunters should not delude themselves into thinking that this will result in them killing lots more mature bucks. Sure there will be more mature bucks around, but that doesn’t mean that hunters will see them, much less kill them.

Currently there are antler restrictions in Region 3 and much of Region 4 in southeastern New York and the southern Catskill area. These were imposed by the NYS legislature as a result of some political dealing and misleading information that incorrectly claimed that the majority of the hunters there wanted them. Hunting there has not improved either in the size of deer harvested or the number of deer killed.

The NYSCC is against mandatory antler restrictions, especially those imposed by the NYS Legislature. They believe that any decision should be made by DEC professionals, not some ill-informed legislator with a political agenda. There is also considerable concern over what effect such a move would have.

Quality Deer Management (QDM) does not have an agenda for legal antler restrictions. They believe that it should be voluntary and they realize QDM will not work in all areas. QDM also believes that what harvesting does to keep the population in balance with habitat and habitat improvement are equally important. Members of QDM practice voluntary harvesting of only mature bucks but they are realistic in knowing that they will probably take less of them.

Common sense says that if you let small deer go and grow up, there will be more mature, larger bucks around. But as previously mentioned, that does not mean hunters will get them in their sights. Various studies, trail cams and hunter experience show that there already a lot more big bucks around than most people realize.

Large mature bucks are very secretive and usually nocturnal. It’s not hunting pressure that makes them nocturnal; they are that way by nature.

But the bigger question is – do we want to pass up smaller bucks and likely go without for many years in the chance of getting a big one sometime? Perhaps. If so, that is a personal choice and that is fine. Just realize that this is a choice and what the likely outcome will be.

Many people are voluntarily doing that now. Statistics of the annual deer harvest shows a higher percentage of bigger bucks taken. A visit to most of the deer processing plants will also show a higher percentage of the deer killed and brought in will be larger. Notice that I said higher percentage, not higher number.

Some people continually say that we should manage deer like some Midwestern states do to produce large antlered bucks. But do the majority of hunters really want that? Consider the reasons the Midwest produces big bucks and the implications?

A major factor is better habitat (i.e. food supply) in the farm country of the Midwest and the milder winters there. Another big factor is restricted hunting. Typically gun hunters only get a one-week season in some Midwestern states. A lot of people, myself included, would not even bother buying a license if you only had one week to hunt. This lack of hunters is harming game management now by cutting into license fees. Imagine what will happen to the NYS Conservation Fund if a majority of hunters stop buying a license to hunt.

The emphasis on trophy deer hunting in some states has another effect of nearly eliminating local hunters. For example Illinois guides or outfitters know that they can get big fees from out-of-state hunters so they lease most of the farmland. The average hunter in Illinois has practically no place left to hunt and cannot afford the leases or the fees that the outfitters charge.

Is this what we want? Some of the groups in central New York or the Finger Lakes are pushing for antler restrictions and telling farmers that they can get big prices for leasing their land if this happens. This is one of the talking points of a group called New York State Whitetail Management Coalition. The Europeanization of hunting where only a wealthy few have access to hunting would destroy deer hunting here in New York and elsewhere. Fewer hunters would mean drastically lower license fee revenue and money that can be spent on deer management.

Hunters are already a minority in New York State. Surveys show that a majority of the non-hunting population generally approves of hunting for food and as a management tool. Most of them have a dim view of trophy hunting. Ultimately the fate of hunting will rest in the hands of the voting public who are non-hunters.

New York State Whitetail Management Coalition is a group that has been critical of DEC deer management for not imposing antler restrictions on deer hunters. They claim to represent thousands of hunters and claim to have delivered 6,000 letters to the governor last year in support of their agenda. But so far no one has seen any proof of such membership or support. At the outdoor shows they typically stand in the aisles, stop people passing by, and show them a picture of a big buck and a spike- horn. Then they ask the question – “which would rather shoot?” Duh! They stick a petition in your face, ask you to sign and imply that this will result in bigger bucks for all hunters.

As mentioned previously there is a trade off in protecting younger bucks for a chance at larger deer later. You may get a chance to kill larger deer, although you will probably have less opportunity to take a buck. Many hunters complain now about not having the chance to shoot a deer. With a plan like this you will even less.

Just realize that this is not a simple solution. The DEC program of education (“let ‘em go, let ‘em grow”) is producing results. Quality Deer Management programs on voluntary cooperatives also work. Think of the different ramifications and remember that wishing for something is not always what it seems.

In the meantime, contact your state legislators and ask them to oppose this very bad bill. Don’t let the Whitetail Coalition shove their narrow idea down your throat!

SHORT CASTS

Hunting Accident Report: Statistics recently released by the DEC show that there were only 13 hunting related accidents in the 2016 season. Unfortunately four of those resulted in fatalities. Two of the fatalities involved two parties or individuals. The other two were self-inflicted. Of the 13 total accidents, seven were self-inflicted.

Investigations of the multi-party incidents showed that eight people were not wearing orange. It is not mandatory to wear orange but it certainly is a good idea. The number of accidents has declined 80 percent since the 1960s when Hunter Safety Education first became mandatory. Despite the image these tragedies may present, hunting remains a safe sport with an average of 3.5 accidents per 100,000 hunters.

Steelhead Report: Last week’s heavy rains and melting snowpack made streams virtually unfishable with the heavy runoff. Anglers and guides like Todd and Robin Sheltra were anticipating good fishing in the near future. Although there has not been as many steelhead as some years, the fish have been big and full of fight.

No Deer Report Yet: As of the day this column went to press there was still no sign of the annual DEC Deer Harvest Report. As soon as we get the totals of deer killed and breakdown of statistics we will feature it in this column.