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Wild White-tailed Deer and Black Bear List | 13 Jun 2011 19:14
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Draft NYS Deer Management Plan available for Comment

NY Big Game,
 
We now have a draft deer management plan available for your review and comment.  The proposed 5-year plan is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7211.html and we will be accepting public comment on the draft through Thursday, July 28. 
 
The draft plan describes six primary goals that encompass the current priorities for deer management and the values and issues expressed by the public: 
  1. Manage deer populations at levels that are appropriate for human and ecological concerns;
  2. Promote and enhance deer hunting as an important recreational activity, tradition, and population management tool in New York;
  3. Reduce negative impacts caused by deer; 
  4. Foster public understanding and communication about deer ecology, deer management, economic aspects and recreational opportunities; 
  5. Manage deer to promote healthy and sustainable forests and enhance habitat conservation efforts to benefit deer and other species; and 
  6. Ensure that the necessary resources are available to support sound management of white-tailed deer in New York.
Comments may be submitted in writing through July 28 to DEC Deer Management Plan, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754 or by email to deerplan-alzg/AvbNgHjR302lo9Zcg@public.gmane.orgus using “Deer plan” in the subject line.   Please do reply to NY Big Game to submit your comments.
 
 
Jeremy Hurst
Big Game Biologist

Note: To change your email address with NY Big Game, get a password reminder, or unsubscribe please visit http://lists.dec.state.ny.us/mailman/listinfo/nybiggame

You may also catch the latest updates on New York's fish and wildlife by subscribing to Field Notes, another free online e-mail list provided by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources. To learn more and subscribe, see www.dec.ny.gov/about/63801.html 
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Wild White-tailed Deer and Black Bear List | 14 Jun 2011 19:11
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Evaluation of the Pilot Antler Restriction Program

NY Big Game,
 
DEC has completed summary evaluations of the pilot antler restriction program in the southern Catskills.  DEC assessed impacts of the antler restriction by monitoring changes evident in the deer harvest and by monitoring hunter attitudes through a series of surveys conducted with the Human Dimensions Research Unit at Cornell University.
 
Final reports are available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27663.html and include DEC's evaluation (A Summary of New York's Pilot Antler Restriction Program) and Cornell's report (Hunters’ Experiences with and Attitudes about Antler Restrictions in Wildlife Management Units 3C, 3J, 3H, and 3K during the 2010 Hunting Season).
 
Key Findings:
  • The pilot antler restriction (AR) program substantially reduced the proportion of yearling (1.5 year old) bucks in the harvest and shifted harvest composition to older bucks.
  • The number of 2.5+ year old bucks in the harvest increased since implementation of ARs.  However, the increase did not fully compensate for the reduction in yearling harvest, and total buck take has generally remained >20% below pre-AR levels.  WMU 3H was the only unit where buck take returned to the level immediately prior to AR.
  • A shift in sex ratios of deer observed in the pilot AR units was apparent, though a similar shift was observed in neighboring units without ARs.
  • ARs had no effect on hunter participation for the majority of hunters, but overall participation by non-local hunters appeared to decline because of AR.
  • The impact of ARs on hunter satisfaction was mixed.  Satisfaction with buck-hunting was generally higher in the pilot AR units than the surrounding region, but similar increases in buck-hunting satisfaction were observed in the surrounding region as occurred within the pilot area.  More hunters reported being satisfied than dissatisfied with the level of protection afforded to young bucks and with the level of safety they felt in the pilot area.  However, a majority of hunters reported being dissatisfied with (1) the number of antlered bucks compared to antlerless deer seen, (2) the number of older, larger-antlered bucks seen, (3) their opportunity to shoot larger-antlered bucks, and (4) the number of older bucks compared to the number of young bucks seen.
  • Hunter expectations for the pilot AR program were largely unmet.
  • A majority of hunters in the pilot AR units prefer that the program continue.  It appears that participants’ belief that the AR program will eventually result in their desired outcomes has stronger influence than unmet expectations and mixed satisfaction levels on their willingness to have the program continue.
  • Deer management population indices were compromised by ARs.  DEC must develop additional methods for monitoring deer populations to manage effectively with ARs.
For related surveys on hunter attitudes about antler restrictions in New York, see www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/74971.html
 
Additionally, DEC's draft deer management plan (www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7211.html#DeerPlan) addresses antler restrictions in Goal 2 and Appendix 3.   
 
Please do not reply to NY Big Game to submit your comments regarding the pilot antler restriction program or the draft deer plan.  Rather, send us your comments on the draft deer plan to DEC Deer Management Plan, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754 or by email to deerplan-alzg/AvbNgF3BzW81kjnxQ@public.gmane.orgte.ny.us using “Deer plan” in the subject line.  
 
 
Jeremy Hurst
Big Game Biologist

Note: To change your email address with NY Big Game, get a password reminder, or unsubscribe please visit http://lists.dec.state.ny.us/mailman/listinfo/nybiggame

You may also catch the latest updates on New York's fish and wildlife by subscribing to Field Notes, another free online e-mail list provided by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources. To learn more and subscribe, see www.dec.ny.gov/about/63801.html 
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