Hunting & Trapping Newsletter

2018 Atlantic Flyway and New York Breeding Waterfowl Survey Update

 
Figure 1 - Mallard breeding population estimates in the northeast United States, 1998-2018

Understanding local duck abundance and trends are very important to sustaining quality opportunity for hunters and bird watchers in New York. For example, did you know that nearly 67 percent of the mallards harvested in New York were hatched in New York? The same is true for many other common species of waterfowl like wood ducks, black ducks and Canada geese. Because local duck populations are so important to hunting opportunity, biologists from across the northeast United States (NEUS) take to the field every year in a comprehensive ground-based waterfowl survey to estimate annual waterfowl populations throughout the region. The data is used to set waterfowl hunting regulations.

Figure 2 - Wood duck breeding population estimates in the northeast United States, 1998-2018

Mallards in the northeast and specifically in New York have been on a slow but steady decline. This spring, population estimates for both the state and the NEUS are slight increases from 2017 (Figure 1). Overall, the trend is still on a downward trajectory since 1998, and this year’s estimate is 37 percent below the long-term average. Wood ducks experienced a slight decline both in New York and the entire NEUS during the 2018 survey (Figure 2). However, wood duck trends suggest a stable to slightly increasing population over the past 20 years, and the most recent estimate is three percent above the long-term average.  Lastly, the Canada goose population estimate for New York hit an all-time high at 325,337 birds, while the NEUS estimate increased from 933,321 birds in 2017 to 1,030,936. Both of these estimates are well above the population goals for each region.

Deer Management Assistance Program – Application Deadline is August 1

DEC’s Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) helps qualifying landowners and resource managers implement site-specific deer management on their lands to address crop damage, forest regeneration problems, protect areas of sensitive and rare plants, enhance municipal deer harvest, or to conduct custom deer management.

• DEC issues a special DMAP permit and a determined number of DMAP deer tags to a landowner or group of landowners whose property(s) is in need of site-specific deer management.
• DMAP is a hunting program.  Permits and tags are valid for use only during the open deer hunting seasons and can only be used by licensed hunters.
• Only antlerless deer may be taken under the authority of a DMAP permit.

To learn more about DMAP, determine if you are eligible, and to download the DMAP application, see the Deer Management Assistance Program. The DMAP application deadline is August 1, 2018.

Photo courtesy of Dick Thomas

Family Fishing Days at the State Fair

The Great New York State Fair is back and better than ever! August 22nd - September 3rd 2018.

This year, the Fair is hosting Family Fishing Days on Thursday, August 23 and Sunday, August 26. Admission is free for anyone presenting a valid New York State sporting license at the gate.

Family Fishing Days is presented in cooperation with DEC, who will operate free fishing clinics in the pond from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the New York Experience festival grounds. Everything you need is provided, including equipment and bait.

Visit The Great New York State Fair website for event schedules and more!