Hunting and Trapping Newsletter

In This Issue:

• Photo and Essay Contest for Hunters, Trappers
• The Next Generation - Featured Photos
• Updated Deer Management Plan Available for Public Review
• Give the Gift of Wildlife Conservation

"Why I Hunt" and "Why I Trap" Photo & Essay Contest

DEC would like to hear from hunters and trappers about what motivates them to venture afield. Whether it’s a family tradition, a connection to nature, or to feed your family, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos asks outdoors people to share your stories and photographs and help encourage more New Yorkers to get outside and enjoy hunting and trapping.

Winners will appear in the 2021-2022 New York Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide, which is read by over half a million people each year.

Participants may submit photos and essays in one of the following categories: Youth (under 17, non-first year); First-year hunters (youth); First-year hunters (adult); and Adults (non first-year). Visit DEC's website for tips on taking photographs to best capture the reasons why you hunt or trap. The deadline for contest entries is Jan. 31, 2021.

Contest specifications:

• essays should be non-fiction, original material (not previously published), and told from a first-person perspective;
• essays should be between 50 and 500 words in length;
• limit of one entry per person with a maximum of two photos per entry; and
• photos must be taken in New York State

Enter the photo and essay contest now!

DEC is deeply committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness and encourages entries from people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and genders. All photo submissions become the property of DEC and may be used in future DEC publications, electronic, and print outreach materials. In addition, DEC reserves the right to edit essays for content, clarity, length, and style. DEC retains first rights to written submissions, and written submissions may also appear in a future issue of Conservationist magazine or other DEC publications, media, and social media.

For more information about the “Why I Hunt” and “Why I Trap” contest, call (518) 402-8963, e-mail hunter@dec.ny.gov, or write to Hunter Education Program, 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-4754.

The Next Generation - Featured Photos

DEC congratulates these young hunters and sends appreciation to their supportive families and hunting mentors. It's great to see up-and-coming outdoors people enjoying the sport.

Samantha Alleger (bottom left) from Steuben County saw patience pay off when two bucks stepped into her view at the same time. She went for the bigger one and says, "He's a little six-point, but not too bad for my first deer!"

Jeffrey Paes (top right) from Sullivan County is on his way to enjoying a lifetime of hunting after harvesting his first pheasant at the age of 13. According to his father, Jeffrey is "hooked forever!"

Did you know? This year, the Reynolds Game Farm distributed over 31,500 day-old pheasant chicks and released over 35,000 adult pheasants. Pheasant hunting is a great tool to get new hunters into the sport. DEC assists with recruiting and engaging hunters by providing up to 2000 pheasants a year to hunts designated solely for youth, women, beginners, disabled veterans, and hunters with disabilities.

If you would like your photos featured in DEC publications, send us an email at wildlife@dec.ny.gov and provide permission to use the photo, name, and county. Thanks!

Updated NY State Deer Management Plan Available for Public Review

DEC recently released a draft Deer Management Plan for public review and comment. The plan builds upon the progress made by DEC’s first deer management plan, released in 2011, and will guide DEC's deer management actions to balance natural resource protection, public safety, and recreational and economic interests for the next 10 years. The draft plan is available on DEC's website, and public comments will be accepted through Dec. 28, 2020.

The draft plan details a new method for setting deer population objectives that integrates an assessment of deer impacts on forests with public preferences for deer population changes. It emphasizes new and adaptive approaches for harvesting antlerless deer by recommending strategic hunting season and tag changes in rural landscapes where additional harvest is needed and developing new opportunities for community-based deer management in suburban and urban landscapes. A summary of the accomplishments from the first plan, many of which have become integrated into DEC’s deer management program, is also included. In addition, the plan provides greater transparency into the processes behind deer management including the methodology for setting Deer Management Permit (DMP, antlerless tag) quotas and the calculations for estimating annual deer harvest totals. Finally, this plan identifies a series of statutory recommendations that would improve deer management capacity throughout New York.

Significant elements of the Draft Plan include:

Establishing desired deer population trajectories (more deer, fewer deer, stay the same) for 23 regions of the state, by including data on deer impacts on forest regeneration and public preferences for deer population change;

Monitoring deer populations for diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease and taking steps to reduce disease risk;

Recommending several hunting-related changes to provide additional hunter opportunities such as a Southern Zone holiday hunt, special seasons to meet local objectives, and increasing antlerless harvest where deer population reduction is warranted;

Maintaining a voluntary approach for letting young bucks go and re-evaluating the existing mandatory antler restriction program for consistency with hunter values and management objectives;

Encouraging voluntary use of non-lead ammunition (such as copper) by deer hunters to reduce human and wildlife exposure to lead by ingestion;

Improving the Deer Management Assistance Program and Deer Damage Permit program so landowners and municipalities can reduce deer damage and deer-human conflicts;

Providing technical assistance for community-based deer management including local hunting programs, suburban/urban hunter-training workshops, and other management tools;

Exploring the potential for a small grants program to assist communities in developing local deer management plans and implementing actions from those plans;

Promoting the Assessing Vegetation Impacts of Deer (AVID) protocol for citizen science monitoring of deer browse impacts on forests; and

Better understanding and addressing public values and interests regarding deer populations, impacts, and deer management decisions.

Comments on the draft plan should be sent to wildlife@dec.ny.gov (using “Deer Plan” in the subject line) or by mail to DEC Deer Management Plan, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754. The public comment period closes on Dec. 28, 2020. After reviewing public comments on this draft, DEC will amend the plan before adopting and publishing a final version. Some recommendations will require new or amended state regulations and these regulatory proposals will be subject to an additional public comment period during the formal rulemaking process.

Give the Gift of Wildlife Conservation with a Lifetime Sporting License or Subscription to DEC's Conservationist Magazine

Are you looking for gift ideas this holiday season? DEC's lifetime sporting licenses make a great gift for outdoors enthusiasts. In addition, for a limited time DEC is offering a one-year subscription to its award-winning Conservationist magazine at half price.

Lifetime Licenses are available to New York State residents who have resided in New York for at least one year prior to purchase (proof of residency required). Lifetime licenses may be purchased at any license-issuing agent, by phone (866-933-2257), or online with a current NYS DMV driver or non-driver ID containing a valid New York State address. Allow 14 days for delivery of Lifetime Licenses purchased online or by phone.

Lifetime Licenses may be purchased as gifts for residents under the age of 16 with the recipient's proof of age (birth certificate, passport) and proof of residency (parent/legal guardian proof of residency). Gift lifetime licenses must be purchased in person at any license issuing agent. Lifetime fishing, trapping, or hunting licenses and privileges allow the licensed hunter to enjoy all the privileges of equivalent annual license items, but are valid for a lifetime (with appropriate hunter/trapper education requirements) - even if the holder moves out of state.

• Lifetime License (includes hunting, freshwater fishing, and turkey hunting privileges)
• For a person age 0-4 years $380
• For a person age 5-11 years $535
• For a person age 12-69 years $765
• For a person age 70 years and older $65
• Lifetime Fishing License (freshwater fishing)
• For a person age 0-69 years $460
• For a person age 70 years and older $65
• Lifetime Hunting License $535
• Lifetime Bowhunting Privilege $235
• Lifetime Muzzleloading Privilege $235
• Lifetime Trapping License $395

Published six times a year, Conservationist is a New York State-focused magazine packed with informative and entertaining articles, first-rate photography, and stunning artwork. Articles cover a broad range of environmental and natural history related topics, including fishing, hiking, recreation, travel, hunting, and nature studies. From Nov. 23, 2020, to Jan. 4, 2021, a year-long subscription to the Conservationist is on sale for just $6, half the usual subscription price. As a bonus, subscribers receive an additional issue for a total of seven issues.

To order a Conservationist subscription online, visit DEC's website and click on the Conservationist icon or call .