Hunting and Trapping Newsletter

DEC Accepting Applications for Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program

Applications are now available for DEC’s cooperative Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program. The program provides pheasant hunting opportunities through a partnership among DEC, hunters, 4-H youth, and interested landowners. The program is funded through the State Conservation Fund from license fees paid by hunters, trappers, and anglers. In 2019, DEC distributed more than 31,500 day-old pheasant chicks to qualified applicants!

Day-old chicks are available at no cost to participants who can provide a brooding facility, a covered outdoor rearing pen, and an adequate release site. Applicants must provide daily care to the rapidly growing chicks, monitor the birds’ health, and ensure they have adequate feed and water. The pheasants may be released beginning when they are eight weeks old and must be released no later than Dec. 1.

All release sites must be approved in advance by DEC and must be open for public pheasant hunting opportunities. Approved applicants will receive the day-old chicks in April, May, or June.

Individuals interested in these programs should contact their nearest DEC regional office for applications and additional information. A “Pheasant Rearing Guide” and applications are  available on the DEC website. Applications must be filed with a DEC regional wildlife manager by March 25, 2020.

DEC Seeks Assistance to Locate Black Bear Dens

This winter, DEC wildlife biologists are seeking the public's help to learn about new black bear dens throughout New York. As part of DEC's ongoing monitoring of black bears in New York, wildlife biologists periodically check on black bears during the winter den season. The bears may be fitted with a radio collar to help biologists track the bears' activities throughout the rest of the year and to relocate dens in subsequent years for monitoring cub production, condition and survival.

Bears may den in a rock crevice, tree cavity, or under heavy brush or fallen trees. Since female bears generally give birth in January or early February, a high-pitched squeal from the cubs may be audible if near a den. New York hikers and hunters typically cover countless miles of wooded terrain each year. DEC urges anyone who finds a bear den to not approach or disturb it. Simply note the location and move away from the den site.

DEC requests that anyone locating a bear den contact their local DEC Wildlife office with specifics about the den location, including GPS coordinates if possible. A list of regional wildlife offices is available on DEC's website.

More information about black bears in New York is available at DEC's Black Bear web page.

DEC Releases New York State Hunting Safety Statistics for 2019 -
Incident Rate Lowest Annual Total in History, Past Seven Years are Safest on Record

The 2019 hunting seasons in New York were the safest on record. DEC documented seven tree stand incidents and one fatality in 2019.

Of the 12 Hunting Related Shooting Incidents (HRSIs) that occurred last year, seven were two-party firearm incidents, five were self-inflicted, and one resulted in a fatality. All of these incidents could have been prevented if hunting safety rules had been followed. The one fatal incident was caused by a failure to positively identify the target.

Further examination of the seven two-party firearm incidents reveals that four of the victims involved were not wearing hunter orange, reinforcing the importance of identifying the target and beyond, and wearing hunter orange or pink when afield, two of the major principles of DEC's hunter safety courses. For more information on hunter safety basics, visit DEC's website.

New York State has recorded HRSI rates since the 1960s. In 1966, 166 incidents were recorded, 13 of which were fatal. In 2019, 12 incidents were recorded, one of which was fatal. While the number of hunters is declining overall, the hunting incident rate (incidents per 100,000 hunters) is falling even faster. Since the 1960s, the number of hunters in New York has declined about 20 percent, while the incident rate has declined almost 80 percent. The current five-year average is 1.8 incidents per 100,000 hunters, compared to 19 per 100,000 hunters in the 1960s.

Winter Wildlife Recreation at Canadaway Creek WMA

Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located six miles southeast of the village of Fredonia in Chautauqua County. The WMA is 2,190 acres in size, with a landscape of steep slopes covered primarily with deciduous forest interspersed with conifer plantations. Canadaway Creek runs through the property. The primary management objective for the Canadaway Creek WMA is to maintain high quality habitat for ruffed grouse through a forest and habitat management program.

The WMA also supports a variety of recreational opportunities. The most popular are hunting, trapping, and fishing. Common game species include white-tailed deer, black bear, gray squirrel, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, wood duck, mallard, and blue- and green-winged teal. Birdwatchers may find an assortment of sparrows, warblers, and hawks. Read more about Canadaway Creek WMA in the December issue of the Conservationist (PDF).