As hunters head to the woods
November 20th, 2005 by Administrator
As hunters head to the woods today in search of the elusive “white tail,” there is a big change.
To attract young hunters, the season opened on a Saturday this year as opposed to the normal Monday morning opening.
“This change specifically provides opening-day hunting opportunities for young hunters and others who are unable to take time off from work during the week,” Maureen Wren, a state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesperson, said.
In recent years, the number of hunting licenses sold have been on the decline. The Saturday opening day is hoped to attract the younger hunters, according to DEC’s Web site.
Another change that was made this year was the number of deer management permits, also known as doe permits, that were given out. Last year, the DEC dispersed 610,000 permits. This year, they only gave out 384,000 permits which were distributed through a lottery.
Rob Valente of Nassau, a nine-year veteran hunter, is not happy with either of the changes made this year. “I always enjoyed the crowd on opening day when it was on a Monday,” Valente said. “Only the experienced and dedicated hunters would be out. Now, the quantity of the people will be high and the attitude of the people will not be as serious as usual. And this year, I only received one doe permit from the lottery. A few years ago I had five doe permits.”
“New York’s deer management program strives to maintain deer herds at levels compatible with human interest, while minimizing negative impacts and providing high-quality hunting opportunities and other recreational benefits,” Wren said. “This year, the deer population is at an optimal level thus the number of doe permits is lower.”
But this population control comes at a high cost for the participating hunters.
“I have spent $700 on hunting equipment so far,” said Dave Broussard, who is taking part in his first hunting season on Saturday. “The license, rifle, camouflage, ammunition, and hunting stand add up. At least, I can reuse many of these things.”
Valente confessed to spending almost $1,000 a year on hunting gear. “It is a sport of upgrades,” he said. “I have made a lot of improvements to my rifle this year, which will make it quieter and more accurate.”
Yet, even with the high cost of licenses, gas and gear, there is a steady population of hunters in the region, Ron Neudecker, owner of Neudecker’s Gun and Ammo Store, said. “We were afraid that we would lose a lot of business since many of our customers are truck owners and have been hurt a lot by the gas prices,” he said. “But we have a devoted group of hunters in the area.”
Deer hunting season is an especially important season for the environment, according to DEC officials.
“Deer hunters provide a valuable public service by keeping deer populations in check,” Denise M. Sheehan, the DEC’s acting commissioner, said. “By harvesting female deer, hunters help limit the growth of the deer population and reduce the negative impacts of the deer herd. Regulated hunting is the most effective and efficient tool to maintain deer populations at levels that are compatible with the needs of our residents in the southern zone.”
The southern zone includes most of upstate New York up to the southern edge of the Adirondacks.
The DEC is anticipating that about 590,000 licensed hunters throughout the state will participate in the big game season, which lasts until Dec. 11 in the southern zone.
The DEC is recommending that hunters check their deer thoroughly this season since seven deer in Oneida County were found with Chronic Wasting Disease in April. This disease affects the brains of deer, elk and moose, causing the animals to become sickly, lose body functions and, eventually, die.
DEC, as always, is also reminding hunters to be safe and conscious of their surroundings. Broussard, who just went through training to get his license, said safety is a main component of getting a huntin
g license.
“The course went over a lot of common-sense stuff,” he said. “They made sure we realized a safety on a rifle is only a part on a machine and can malfunction like any other machine. They also made sure we all actually knew how to shoot by taking us outside the classroom to practice. All together, the course was about 14 hours and 80 percent of it was focused on safety.”
The class Broussard took is required for a license and is free. The big game license costs $19 for a state resident and $110 for a non-resident. This includes hunting deer and bear. Bear season begins in the Catskill Mountains on Monday and in the Allegany region on Nov. 26. Bear season ends on Dec. 11. also