I'll be pissed if this goes through!


http://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/in...would_limit_ny_deer_hunting_options.html

By David Figura | dfiguranewyorkupstate.com
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on March 16, 2017 at 1:24 PM, updated March 16, 2017 at 2:14 PM
A new proposed law championed by an Upstate New York state senator would radically change deer hunting regulations for bucks in many parts of the state.

The bill, S4739A, was introduced by Republican Sen. Thomas O'Mara, whose 5th Senate district covers five counties across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions. O'Mara is chairman of the Senate's Environmental Conservation Committee and his bill would impact the bowhunting, firearms and muzzleloading seasons.

The legislation proposes a ban on the taking of "immature bucks," limiting hunters to "antlered deer with a least one antler with at least three points in wildlife management units 3F, 3M, 3N, 3R, 4B, 4C, 4F, 4H, 4J, 4K, 4L, 4U, 4Z, 5R, 5T, 7M, 7P, 6A, 6G, 6H, 6C, 6K and,

"taking of antlered deer with at least one antler with at least four points in wildlife management units 7R, 7S, 8N, 8P, 8R, 8T, 8W, 8X, 8Y, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9M, 9N, 9P, 9R, 9T, 9W, 9X, 9Y, 7A, 7F, 7J, 6P, 6S, 6R and 4A. (See a map of all the state's Wildlife Management Areas on the DEC website).

Each point must be "at least one inch long measured from the main antler beam," the bill states.

An exemption noted in the bill would be hunters "under the age of 17," who may take "any deer with (an) antler or antlers measuring three inches or more in length.":

The rationale?

The purpose of this bill is "to expand the Yearling Buck Protection Program, currently underway in parts of Sullivan, Ulster and Orange counties, to additional Wildlife Management Units across the state."

The bill also states: "New York has the highest yearling buck harvest rate in the nation (even when averaged with the existing Yearling Buck Protection areas) and as a result the second lowest 3.5 year old harvest in the nation. This results in a majority of hunters being dissatisfied with their buck hunting experience. The DEC 2006 survey found that 40.3 to 56 percent of hunters were dissatisfied with their buck hunting experience and a decade later only 41 percent of hunters were moderately or very satisfied with opportunities to take an adult buck."

Such regulations are normally under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Bills like those, though, amount to an end run around the DEC. The Yearling Buck Protection Program in the Catskills was put into effect due to a special bill proposed by state lawmakers from that area, not the DEC.

Antler restrictions are controversial on the state's deer hunting scene. This past fall the DEC in its 2016-2017 asked hunters to voluntarily pass on taking young bucks. The hunting guide cover featured a picture of a deer with the question: "Want Older Bucks in NY? It's Your Choice."

"For NY bucks to grow bigger bodies and larger antlers, they simply need to age," DEC said. "New York hunters can increase the likelihood of harvesting a 2.5-year-old or older bucks simply by choosing to pass up shots at young bucks."

The rationale is that older buck are more challenging to hunt, yield more meat and bigger racks - and "create more rubs and scrapes and vocalize more - all things that enhance the deer hunting experience," according to the DEC.

The issue of antler restrictions is a long-standing and extremely ontroversial issue among the state's hunters. Many hunters value and are outspoken on having the freedom to shoot whatever size buck they choose - particularly hunters who only get out once or just a couple of times during the season.

Meanwhile, the DEC worked with Cornell University to evaluate "regional variation in hunter values and the impacts on harvest, population management and hunter satisfaction."

"The study indicated that regulatory changes are not appropriate or most compatible with hunter values at this time," DEC said in a news release. As a result, the DEC decided to go with leaving the choice up to hunters in the rest of the state.

John Rybinski, president of the CNY Chapter of the New York State Quality Deer Management Association, said, "I highly support this bill as does the majority of deer hunters as proven by eight Cornell surveys. The last, April 2015, showed 69 percent support yearling buck protection and 73 percent are willing to accept some limitations on buck hunting in order to protect more yearling bucks. The current DEC voluntary program is proven not to work. This needs to be law."

Chuck Parker, president of the New York State Conservation Council, said the council since 2009 has considered a total of 26 different resolutions advocating antler restrictions - and that each one was defeated by a two-thirds majority of the group's state-wide membership.

"Hunters want the right to choose. Any mandatory restriction such as this should be done by DEC regulation, not legislation. They (the DEC) have the expert wildlife biologists."

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