Author Topic: NEW YORK DEER SEASON (Read 1682 times)

RWK · « **on:** December 22, 2009, 03:09:25 PM »

As a whole what do you folks think of our season that ended today. Again i will say, it was not very good not even close. Do you think our DEC has to wake up on how they manage our deer and the deer season. MERRY CRISTMAS TO ALL. Rich

efremtags · « **Reply #1 on:** December 22, 2009, 04:07:59 PM »

what unit do you hunt. This was my best season in # of shootable deer in 20 years, but most of the people I hunt with had bad years. Weird, we had an early cold snap, a few mid season snows, and lots of acorns. I saw more rubs/scrapes than I can remember.

No monsters though, than again I have only seen s few in my life and never shot one yet, so that is not my basis for comparison.

spikehorn · « **Reply #2 on:** December 22, 2009, 04:21:35 PM »

It was an average season for me. my son took his first deer/ buck and we put 3 other deer in the freezer. saw qiute a few just weren't able to get to them, and one coyote was dumb enough to stand there and look at me while I shouldered my slug gun and shot him.

youthpastorjon · « **Reply #3 on:** December 22, 2009, 04:23:57 PM »

I had a good year. I shot a 7 point buck with my bow and shot a doe with my muzzleloader during shotgun season. I saw a good amount of deer. I probably could have killed at least 6. All in all a pretty good season.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #4 on:** December 22, 2009, 04:34:56 PM »

Pretty slow season for me in the places where I hunt - Otsego and Dutchess Counties. Had some pretty good action in bow season, but gun season saw pitifully few deer. However, they slayed them at my gun club - 18 deer taken off ~330 acres. 1/2 of them bucks and some pretty nice ones too.

As for DEC, I think DEC is badly underestimating the deer take and here's why. I took a doe and put it on my father's tag. Although I tried very hard to report it over the phone via the wonderful new system, the system wouldn't allow me to report it as my take on his tag. Same thing happened last year. Something is screwed up with the new system and I finally gave up. I wondered how many other guys ran into the same thing and gave up - result: less reported deer take. Now I know that DEC estimates take based on a certain estimated reporting percentage, but I think their percentage is messed up because of the reporting difficulty with the new system. The result of this is that they really don't have a handle on the deer population or the deer take. So how can they appropriately manage?

Mikey · « **Reply #5 on:** December 23, 2009, 02:16:38 AM »

My party and I had a good season, got a few, saw and heard more and missed a couple. My hunting buddy took 4 coyotes this season.

youthpastorjon · « **Reply #6 on:** December 23, 2009, 03:29:12 AM »

Rich,
While I agree that not a whole lot of movement was happening I think it had less to do with the dec and more to do with the weather. It was warm most of the season. Deer don't move all that much when they have their winter fur and it is above 40 degrees. I think when the weather screws you up, you need to go get the deer rather than spending the season in the stand. I kicked up alot of deer that were just laying this year. Almost all the deer I saw were spooked out of their bed. They weren't doing their normal travel patterns and I am convinced it was weather related.
Jon

spikehorn · « **Reply #7 on:** December 23, 2009, 05:07:36 AM »

We saw alot of deer but in the first part of the season it was very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon. Which makes me agree with the others that it was too warm. Although I don't disagree that DEC really doesn't have a good idea of the take.

efremtags · « **Reply #8 on:** December 25, 2009, 05:02:18 AM »

Just saw a small 8ptr chasing 3 does up my property. 3rd rut anyone.

Lower40 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 25, 2009, 05:24:09 AM »

I'm in 5A (very north & east NY).

Here is a story from our local paper, the Press Republican- Outdoor Sections.

What happened to Northern bucks?
By DENNIS APRILL
Outdoors Columnist

December 20, 2009 03:22 am

— The 2009 Northern Zone deer season came to a close last Sunday, the final day of the late muzzleloader season in Wildlife Management Units 5A and 5G.

From the feedback I've received and from personal experience, it was a slow hunting season, with hunters e-mailing me from such spread-out areas as Ticonderoga, Tupper Lake and Schuyler Falls asking, "What happened to the deer?" or "There were no deer this year."

I can't argue with them. One deer processor (cutter) was down by 100 deer, and the Ward Lumber Big Buck Contest, always a big draw, had only 20 entries. There are similar reports from other Big Buck sponsors.

One reason given is the mild weather and lack of snow. Another is the delayed rut that came late. The rut dates predicted in early November by the lunar theory advocates did not materialize. I still believe, as I was once told by a veteran wildlife biologist, that Nov. 15 is the day to be in the woods whether you are hunting the 44th parallel north latitude in northern New York or Michigan — it's the length of day that triggers the rut.

Ed Reed, Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife biologist in Ray Brook, told me last Monday that the last count he had was that the statewide take, up to that point, was at 98 percent of last year, or down slightly. That included early results from the Southern Zone. He said, after checking with deer cutters, he expected the count to be down in northeastern New York.

"New York Outdoor News," one of the state's premier hunting publications, cites DEC as saying the Northern Zone deer harvest was down 13 percent. Reed was pretty sure that it wasn't last year's winter kill in the northern areas that was the cause. "In the southern Adirondacks," he said, "there were definitely some losses."

One thing some hunters and the general public need to be reminded of is that the regular firearms season that runs from the next-to-last Saturday in October through the first Sunday in December is set by the state legislature and can only be changed by legislative action. Knowing how dysfunctional both the Assembly and Senate are and the preponderance of downstate, big city and suburb-elected politicians, I think it is safe to say those dates will be forever set in concrete.

Mike103 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:17:54 PM »

Very bad season for my crew of 7 hunters in 4P. Only one buck, a 4 pt and two does, one rifle and one muzzle loader.

Killed one coyote and wounded another.

Too many doe permits the past two years. I wish they would close doe permits like they did in 05 and 06 I think it was.

RWK · « **Reply #11 on:** December 27, 2009, 05:02:18 PM »

youthpastorjon. NO i disagree, the DEC. has a lot to do with limited deer mumbers.Twice i went to dec. meetings for 9r and 9m, we told the folks leading the meetings, that the party permits, and the extra permits given to land owners and farmers for deer damage is hurting the deer herds. For the last 5 or 6 yrs the numbers of permits given out in 9r is less and less every year, theythe dec did there damage. Oh! yes i haven't shot a doe in maybe 17 or 18 yrs. I base my comments on hunting for 50yrs of hunting in these areas and i'm 66yrs young. Rich

youthpastorjon · « **Reply #12 on:** December 27, 2009, 05:33:29 PM »

Rich, while you and I are not on the same page I find it interesting in that I talked a gentleman on Christmas Eve at my church who holds the same viewpoint as you. He was thoroughly frustrated with the DEC. While I don't discount misnagement completely, I still believe the weather played a huge role in this years deer take.

Mikey · « **Reply #13 on:** December 28, 2009, 01:05:56 AM »

The weather stayed warm for too long after the start of the season. When whitetail put on their winter coats it takes a lot more energy to get up and move around during the warmer days than during the cooler nights and with the abundance of food in the woods this year - lots of acorns and browse, Bambi and company did not have to come out until well after dark and then it was too late.

I was out huntin' coyotes with a scope and rifle up until southern zone started and being out at night with a full moon was very telling - about what was out at night and about how many of them were out and lemme tellya there were lots and lots of whitetail out there. We watched big bucks create or 'work over' rubs, watched them trash trees and watched them fight. We heard antlers 'rackin' back and forth and saw bucks runnin' back and forth. We saw does become immediately submissive to being mounted immediately after two bucks fought, and we saw a lot of them. Most of our activity was between 6:30-7:00 pm through about 4:30-5:00am. We saw different groups come and go, stop for a snack or to leave scent, then disappear. When the light came up we saw little but tracks and lots of sign, and the occasional dumb buck who forgot that he shouldn't be out after curfew........

One EnCon LEO I spoke with said he saw about the same when they were setting up for jacklighters - he said that when he used his spotlight in fields at night all he could see were eyeballs reflecting back at him - daylight comes and they are gone.

And lets not forget that although our sen skuumer wants to give us a tax break for some part of hunting, economic times are tough enough so that many folk who have enjoyed the luxury of having their harvest professionally butchered in the past are doing it themselves to save the money.

I mentioned earlier that one of my hunting buddies took 4 coyotes this year. The last one was leading a pack of four and he and I both saw another one later that day - that's five coyotes in one day. My neighbor, a farmer, counted 19 in one field after haying - three distinct packs he said and I believe him because of the variance in coloration we saw on those different animals. I think coyotes have a greater impact on fawn loss and predation than land holder and doe permits. jmtcw.

WD242 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 28, 2009, 11:22:00 AM »

Here in the lower "DACKS" it was bad. No bucks in our group. I let a short horn spike walk by on two different times. South was same. I think there was a larger winter kill then DEC wants to admit. Also lots of coyotes running at night and lots of tracks in the snow now.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #15 on:** December 28, 2009, 03:43:31 PM »

I should clarify my earlier post. I am certainly not among those who think there are too few deer around these days. A few short years ago there were way too many deer, especially here in Dutchess County. Many hunters got spoiled because there was a deer behind every tree throughout the 90's. Now it seems to be back to 70's or 80's levels, and for the long term health of our forests, I think that is a good thing. We just have to work a little harder to put venison on the table or a rack on the wall. Again, not a bad thing, just different than it was a decade or so ago.

As for the weather, while it may have played a role in the deer seen and taken during deer season, I base my conclusion of fewer deer around more on my general observations day in and day out around here. I am definitely seeing less deer around my house and while on the way to work and back or to the store to get milk, etc. However, I will also say that it has alot to do with the phenomenal acorn crop this year. There just is not much reason for them to come out of the woods in plain sight like most previous years.

And I don't put much fault on DEC. They can't manage everything. In the boom years I would not credit DEC either. There are too many factors beyond anyone's control.

penrod72 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 10, 2010, 03:21:53 AM »

We had an average season in Cayuga County 7J. 7 deer from our ~200 acres. Lots seen during muzzleloader season. Tough to see them in early season with no snow and no sun. Also a lack of hunting pressure on state land to our North - little traffic, few cars, and few shots compared to "normal" years. We still saw lots of deer - I saw 19 opening day but I was sitting on edge of field. No coyotes seen, 2 sets of tracks all season, and non of our gut piles distrubed by them. Friend in DEC told me take me take was 98 percent of previous record setting (last?) year - I see that jibes with someone else's version above.

The Hermit · « **Reply #17 on:** January 15, 2010, 09:59:02 AM »

Average season here. A buck and a doe area 6g with 45-70. Weather related or not, deer changed trails (in my area) and stayed on the lee side of the ridges this year, making our stand useless. So, I still hunted. Turkey numbers down, coyotes up. For the first time in many years had to lock the cabin in the woods.
3 does in the garden this morning. All fat.

The Hermit

shotgunner · « **Reply #18 on:** January 16, 2010, 10:31:24 AM »

I have a lifetime NY sportsman's license and hunt both PA and NY. What I hear now is the NY hunters complaining that NY DEC does it wrong and the PA hunters saying the same thing. I am sure it was the mild weather. I saw 2 flocks of greenwinged teal in a pond 2 days after Thanksgiving. It was also the mast crop. There were so many acorns on the ground in places that I could not get my ATV tires on the dirt, it was literally carpeted. Give it another year, change the weather and the DEC will look much smarter. Shotgunner

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #19 on:** January 17, 2010, 07:23:02 AM »

Acorns a big part of it for sure. So many acorns by us in Otsego County the old timer that walks our woods trails every day told me he took a broom and swept the acorns off the trails so he wouldn't slip!!

DANNY-L · « **Reply #20 on:** January 18, 2010, 12:39:35 PM »

In 6c there has been alot of talk of it being a bad year,i agree. The DEC needs to cut way back on DMPs,they also need to listen to the hunters because they know. The state also needs to allow people to feed the deer in the winter to help them put the nutrition back into thier bodies so they will deliver multiple fawns. people dont buy thier cwd theory, because its not here within the wild deer.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #21 on:** January 18, 2010, 04:13:27 PM »

I disagree with that Danny. Feeding deer is not good. The deer population doesn't need to go on life support. If the habitat is not there to support them at a given population level, they shouldn't be there in any higher numbers. In biological terms, feeding deer only serves to artificially increase the carrying capacity. What happens when you stop feeding?

shotgunner · « **Reply #22 on:** January 18, 2010, 11:54:11 PM »

I think the DEC is smart enough to know that it was the weather and the mast crop that effected the deer season. They make decisions based on the whole state, not just the piece of land one person hunts on. Feeding deer isn't smart, never was. The land will support what it can. Many hunters today think the whole state owes them something, and many are very short sighted. It is the same way in PA. Wake up and look around. Pa has better deer now that there are antler restrictions and less does, just like Gary Alt said we would. These big bucks are not stupid, the weather is mild and more and more people spend the entire season sitting in a tree stand, waiting for someone else to move the deer. There are less hunters and they are closer to the roads. I hear many people who seem to want the woods to be full of does, that no one is allowed to shoot. Seems to me they need to take some time, and get out and really hunt. Shotgunner

DANNY-L · « **Reply #23 on:** January 30, 2010, 06:30:04 AM »

we feed the welfare don't we. What makes deer any different,atleast the deer get my respect.