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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced a new opportunity for young hunters. The State Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget signed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo includes legislation that now allows youths ages 12 and 13 to hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow under the supervision of an experienced adult hunter in upstate counties that opt-in to participate.

“Deer hunting is a valued tradition for many families that provides millions of pounds of quality food to New Yorkers while reducing the negative impacts of abundant deer populations on agriculture, forests, and communities,” Commissioner Seggos said. “This new opportunity allows experienced, adult hunters to introduce the value of hunting to the next generation. Teaching these young people safe, responsible, and ethical hunting practices will ensure a rewarding experience every time they are afield. I encourage all upstate counties to consider ‘opting-in’ to support New York’s young hunters and their potential contributions to deer management.”

For nearly two decades, youth aged 12 and 13 in New York have been safely hunting deer and bear with archery equipment and small game with firearms. Until now, New York was the only state that didn’t allow 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt big game with a firearm. Environmental Conservation Law 11-0935 is a temporary measure that will pilot lowering the age through 2023, including the following provisions:

• Allows 12- and 13-year-old licensed hunters to hunt deer with a rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloading firearm in areas these firearms may be used during hunting season;
• Allows 12- and 13-year-old licensed hunters to hunt deer with a crossbow during the times when other hunters may use crossbows;
• Requires that these youth hunters be supervised by experienced and licensed adult hunters at all times; and
• Requires the youth hunter and adult mentor to wear fluorescent orange or pink clothing and to remain at ground level while hunting deer with a crossbow, rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader.

The legislation requires each county to “opt-in” to the program by adopting a local law allowing for 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt deer in accordance with ECL 11-0935. The legislation specifically excludes Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester counties from participation in the new program.

DEC is developing a new webpage listing counties that opt-in to participate at https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/46245.html

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today urged hikers to postpone hikes on trails above 2,500 feet until high elevation trails have dried and hardened. As snow and ice continue to melt at high elevations, steep trails can pose a danger to hikers due to thick ice and deep, rotten snow. Thin soils are susceptible to erosion and sensitive alpine vegetation can be easily damaged.

Despite recent warm weather, high elevation trails are still covered in slowly melting ice and snow. These steep trails feature thin soils that become a mix of ice and mud as winter conditions melt and frost leaves the ground. The remaining compacted ice and snow on trails is rotten, slippery, and will not reliably support weight. These conditions, known as “monorails,” are difficult to hike and the adjacent rotten snow is particularly prone to postholing.

Hikers are advised to take extreme caution on low elevation trails. Hikers will encounter variable conditions such as thick mud, flooded areas, and deep slushy snow. Backcountry streams are particularly susceptible to high waters and flooding due to consistently melting snow from high elevations mixing with spring rainfall. Hikers should not attempt stream crossings during periods of high, fast moving water. The stream water is very cold and hikers who fall in can become immediately hypothermic.

Avoiding high elevation trails during the Muddy Trail Advisory helps to alleviate impacts to the trail tread due to erosion and protects alpine vegetation. When encountering mud on low elevation trails, hikers should walk through the mud instead of around it to help reduce trail widening and minimize damage to trailside vegetation.

DEC encourages hikers to avoid all trails above 2,500 feet in the Adirondacks, particularly high elevation trails in the Giant and High Peaks Wilderness areas, including the former Dix Mountain Area in the northern Adirondacks. Please avoid the following trails until trail conditions improve: 

• High Peaks Wilderness – all trails above 2,500 feet where wet, muddy, snow conditions still prevail, specifically Algonquin, Colden, Feldspar, Gothics, Indian Pass, Lake Arnold Cross-Over, Marcy, Marcy Dam – Avalanche – Lake Colden, which is extremely wet, Phelps Trail above Johns Brook Lodge, Range Trail, Skylight, Wright, all “trail-less” peaks, and all trails above Elk Lake and Round Pond in the former Dix Mountain Area;
• Giant Mountain Wilderness – all trails above Giant’s Washbowl, “the Cobbles,” and Owl Head Lookout;
• McKenzie Mountain Wilderness – all trails above 2,500 feet where wet, muddy, and snowy conditions still prevail, specifically Whiteface, Esther, Moose and McKenzie mountains; and
• Sentinel Range Wilderness – all trails above 2,500 feet where wet, muddy, snowy conditions still prevail, specifically Pitchoff Mountain. 

DEC urges hikers to postpone these hikes until further notice to protect the Adirondack trail system. Until conditions improve, hikers are encouraged to explore lower elevation trails close to home and enjoy other forms of recreation.

DEC and Waterfowl Hunter Task Force Seeking Input on 2021-2022 Canada Goose and Special Season Dates
DEC and the Waterfowl Hunter Task Forces are seeking input on your preferences for Canada goose, brant, scaup, youth, and military hunting season dates. Season frameworks for each zone:

In the West Central, East Central, Northeast, Lake Champlain, and Hudson Valley are anticipated to be 30 days long with a one-bird bag limit;
In the South Zone where very few migratory geese are harvested will remain 80 days with a 5-bird bag limit.
The Long Island goose zone season lengths and bag limits will remain the same length as last year.
Brant season is expected to be 50 days long with a two-bird bag limit.
The scaup season will be a “hybrid season” similar to 2020-21, where the bag limit will be two per day for 20 days and a one-bird limit for the remaining 40 days.
Please provide your feedback to: mailto:seasonwaterfowl@dec.ny.gov. Comments will be forwarded to the appropriate task force members. Be sure to include the waterfowl hunting zone that your comments apply to in the e-mail subject line.

Anticipated 2021-2022 Duck Season Dates
Starting with the 2019-2020 duck season, DEC, with the assistance of Cornell University and the Waterfowl Hunter Task Forces, implemented a structured process for selecting duck season dates in the four main zones of the state. The process incorporated input from a greater number of duck hunters through a survey and recent duck migration and abundance trends that were specific to each zone to maximize opportunity. With no changes anticipated in the federal frameworks (i.e., season length) for 2021-2022, the duck seasons dates in each zone will be:

Northeastern Zone: October 2nd – October 24th and October 30st – December 5th
Southeastern Zone: October 16th – November 28th and December 4th – December 19th
Western Zone: October 16th – November 7th and November 27th – January 2rd
Long Island Zone: November 2oth – November 28th and December 11th – January 30th

For more information on how these dates were determined for each zone, visit DEC’s website: https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/40737.html. DEC intends to reassess hunter values after the 2023-2024 hunting season. At that time, DEC will also update duck migration data to ensure there have been no significant changes to the timing of duck movements through each zone.

Lake Champlain Zone Virtual Public Hearing
Waterfowl hunting seasons in the Lake Champlain Zone are set by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Management Board with input from DEC and waterfowl hunters in New York and Vermont. Although there is no formal task force for this zone, hunters are invited to attend a virtual public hearing on the status of migratory game bird populations and proposed 2021 migratory game bird hunting seasons for Vermont and the Lake Champlain Zone in New York on Thursday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, including the season recommendation and to join the online hearings, go to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website  and click on the “Public Hearings Schedule” on the home page.

In addition to the public hearings, anyone can provide feedback on the season dates to DEC by email to: seasonwaterfowl@dec.ny.gov or directly to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Management Board by calling 802-265-0043 or by emailing ANR.FWPublicComment@vermont.gov.

The deadline for comments is Wednesday, March 31. Comments received, as well as input and recommendations from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, will be reviewed by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board in making final 2021 hunting season decisions.