Deer take numbers were down in 2023

One year we decided to put an antler minimum on bucks at our hunting camp.

It was six points or better.

It seemed like a good idea, and I was all for it. Let the young bucks go, and down the line maybe we’d get some monsters.

How long did that last? Maybe a couple of hours, until the first thing with horns of any kind showed up in front of somebody on opening day.

I think that was the year I passed on a big, good looking, chocolate brown six-point. That buck came on a lazy amble toward me and a buddy as we sat against a tree. It veered off a bit, and passed downhill to my right, no more than 10 yards away. He kept going at a steady pace – no change, no panic, never even looked our way – up the ravine and out of sight.

Why didn’t I shoot him? I don’t know.

Maybe I was fascinated by his behavior, or that he was a very handsome deer, or that I thought maybe he’d be impressive the next year, or that it was a thrill to have a buck like that just about shake hands with me. Or it could have been that I just wasn’t in the mood.

I’d killed my share of deer before and since, although the last few seasons have been tough.

It appears the state’s hunters have been doing similar things in recent years, allowing younger bucks to go on their way. The Department of Environmental Conservations 2023 deer report is out, and one of the key items in it is that 67.9 percent of the bucks taken were 2½ years old or older. That is up considerably from just 10 years ago, and way up from the 1990s.

The DEC likes that. What it doesn’t like is that hunters are taking fewer does.

The estimated overall harvest was 209,781, far below the average of 229,839 of the previous five years. There were 112,224 antlered bucks taken, down 3.6 percent from last season, and 97,557 antlerless deer, down 15.6 percent. The removal of antlerless deer is how populations are managed to limit negative impacts – crop damage, vehicle collisions, gender imbalance in the herd – while promoting the overall health of the herd.

About 10,000 more Deer Management Permits, which allow the taking of antlerless deer, were issued in 2023 than in 2022, but the success rate on them dropped by more than two percent.

There obviously are places where there are more deer than is healthy, and others where more deer would be a good thing. In Wildlife Management Unit 8R, up the road about 20 miles from our camp in Steuben County, had the highest number of deer taken per square mile, 15.8, including 9.2 antlerless. That’s a lot of deer. WMU 5F, in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks, had the lowest, .06, hardly surprising given the terrain.

The bowhunting and muzzleloader numbers were down significantly, but the crossbow take was up.

Locally, 4,768 deer were taken in Oneida County, 2,263 in Herkimer County, 3,541 in Lewis County, 4,989 in Otsego County, and 3,783 in Madison County. Those numbers are all down from 2022, some of them dramatically.

Steuben County again led the state with 14,295 deer taken, up about 700. I sometimes wonder if there are more deer than people in the county, but the human population is a bit over 90,000 so it is unlikely – but maybe not that far off!

Some other statistics of note:

49.9 percent of hunters reported their harvest, which is required by law.

13,638 deer were inspected by DEC personnel

2,713 deer were tested for Chronic Wasting Disease, with no positive tests.

The DEC’s press release, with links to the detailed report, is available at https://dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2024/5/dec-announces-2023-24-deer-harvest-estimates.

NOTEBOOK

DEC proposes bass tourney permits

The Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing a bass tournament permit system and is accepting comments on it through June 10.

The DEC said the system would identify bass tournaments, help the DEC respond to issues, provide information to help improve management of the species, and assist in scheduling and publicizing e tournaments.

There would be no cost for permits, and the program applies only to smallmouth and largemouth bass tournaments. Organizers would be obliged to fulfill several regulations, including filing reports on results.

The proposed regulations and instructions on how to comment are available at https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/regulations/proposed-emergency-recently-adopted-regulations/fish-wildlife-revisions#bassfishing.

In a related issue, the Oneida Lake Association has asked the DEC to ban pre-season bass fishing, catch-and-release or otherwise, on the lake, and to not allow bass tournaments of any type before June 15. The OLA also asked for further research into the impact of tournaments on bass populations.

The OLA cited research showing smallmouth bass populations on the lake have decreased since 2014, when round gobies, an invasive species believed to negatively impact bass populations, became established in the lake.

DEC youth camps accepting applications

Online registration for the 2024 summer camp program at recently renovated Camp Colby in Saranac Lake will open 10 a.m. Wednesday (May 22), through the summer camp web site at https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/summer-camps.

The other summer camps for youngsters are Camp DeBruce in Livingston Manor (closed this season); Camp Rushford in Caneadea, and Pack Forest in Warrensburg. There are limited spots available at Rushford and Pack Forest, with registrations being accepted now.

The summer camp program, in its 77th year, includes hands on programs designed to inspire a life-long love of the outdoors for children 11 through 17. Activities include fishing, bird watching, archery, canoeing, hiking, camping, orienteering, and hunter safety education. Campers also learn ecological principles about fields, forests, streams, and ponds through engaging activities and outdoor exploration. DEC counselors teach youth conservation techniques used by natural resource professionals, such as measuring trees and estimating wildlife populations, and mitigating human impacts on the environment.

DEC also offers Hunter education (Hunter Safety, Bow Hunter Education, or Trapper Education) for several weeks each summer. Weeks and available sessions can be viewed at the Hunter Education at Camp webpage.

Information is available at www.dec.ny.gov, email EducationCamps@dec.ny.gov, by calling 518-402-8014, visit “NYS DEC Summer Camps” on Facebook, or write to DEC Camps, 3rd Floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-4501.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Deer take numbers declined last year