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DEC proposes to reverse declining deer, turkey populations in North Country through hunting restrictions, seeks comments

Posted 5/30/15

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting public comments through June 29 on regulatory proposals for hunting deer and wild turkey in the North Country. With declining …

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DEC proposes to reverse declining deer, turkey populations in North Country through hunting restrictions, seeks comments

Posted

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting public comments through June 29 on regulatory proposals for hunting deer and wild turkey in the North Country.

With declining deer populations in the Wildlife Management Unit 6A along the St. Lawrence River – even with no Deer Management Permits issued there since 2011 – DEC is proposing to limit antlerless deer hunting in early muzzleloader season, when a high proportion of deer have been taken there. When populations rise, they would remove the restrictions, DEC said.

DEC is also proposing to adjust fall turkey seasons in all areas of the state by limiting the season to two weeks only with a bag limit of one bird of either sex for the season. They plan to stagger the dates by region. The proposed Northern Zone season is from Oct. 1 to 14.

As DEC and many hunters have noted, wild turkey populations have declined dramatically since their peak around 2001. Reasons for this decline include changes in habitat, higher predator populations, poor reproductive success in years with above average rainfall during the nesting season and harvest of hen turkeys during the fall season. Although conditions vary across the state, nearly all regions of New York have fewer turkeys today than in the past.

“This proposal is an important step in a multi-year study to understand and respond to long-term declines in turkey populations, while maintaining some harvest opportunities,” Commissioner Joe Martens said. “DEC staff and our partners have worked hard over the past several years to collect and analyze information on the influence of habitat and weather on turkeys in different regions of the state, to understand what hunters want, and to assess seasonal survival and harvest rates of hen turkeys. This proposal is based on the results of those research endeavors.”

Since 2012, DEC biologists and researchers at SUNY ESF and Cornell University have studied how weather and habitat features interact and influence the number of turkeys found in different parts of the state; surveyed turkey hunters to identify what they value in terms of turkey populations, quality hunting, and the trade-offs they are willing to make; and done field research where more than 450 hen turkeys are banded annually, some with satellite radios, so biologists can determine their survival and fall harvest rates.

DEC says it will continue to study the turkey population.

For more information or for instructions for submitting comments, go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/propregulations.html. Comments on the proposals must be received by Monday, June 29.