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DEC proposes changes in deer management regulations

JIM COLLIGAN PHOTO A herd of deer from last winter's hunting season.
JIM COLLIGAN PHOTO
A herd of deer from last winter’s hunting season.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking comments on proposed changes to three regulations affecting harvesting of antlerless  deer and deer management permits, fall turkey hunting and fisher trapping and general trapping.The DEC describes itself as “challenged to manage deer populations across a diverse range of environmental conditions and desired population levels.”

Accordingly, some of the changes proposed would not be useful to hunters on Shelter Island.

A suggestion of limiting hunting of antlerless deer — usually females — being suggested for upstate areas where deer populations are low, is exactly opposite to problems here where hunters are being encouraged to take females before they give birth and increase an already burgeoning population.

But in Suffolk County, as in some other parts of the state, the DEC recognizes the problem and suggests a need to identify other methods of increasing the numbers of anterless deer culled. Hunters would be allowed to take anterless deer during the first 15 days of the early bow season and during all of the late bow and muzzle loader seasons in this area.

Among the changes being proposed that would affect this area are:

• Extending the duration of the deer management permits from one to three years, while retaining annual reporting.

• Clarifying the DEC’s flexibility to issue deer management permits in accordance with the need and objectives of the hunt, allowing hunters to use as many as four tags per permit.

• Require government agencies receiving deer management permits to ensure that they are distributed in a way that provides equal access to all licensed hunters.

There are several more proposals affecting deer hunting and all are listed at the dec.ny.gov/regulations/propregulations.html. The comment period extends until June 29.

As for turkey hunting, most changes apply upstate, but on Long Island there would be a modest increase in the season from November 2` to December 4 if the proposal is adopted.

The fish trapping regulation proposals apply to northern areas of the state.

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