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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that remaining Deer Management Permits (DMPs) in several Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) will be available to hunters beginning Nov. 1, 2021. 

DMPs allow hunters to harvest antlerless deer and are issued for specific WMUs to help control deer populations. In some WMUs, all applicants received permits during the initial application process, and the DMP target has not been reached. In these units, DEC will re-open the DMP application process starting Nov. 1, on a first-come, first-served basis. Hunters may apply for up to two additional DMPs in these WMUs at any DEC license sales outlet beginning Nov. 1. 

While Hudson Valley deer populations are robust and long-term population impacts from Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease are not anticipated, DEC will not be issuing leftover DMPs in several Hudson Valley WMUs most heavily affected by the disease. In other affected WMUs, DEC will evaluate the impact of EHD and modify DMP issuance next year, as needed. 

Leftover DMPs are not available by phone, mail, or internet. Applications must be made at license issuing outlets. Applicants who previously paid the $10 DMP application fee during the initial application period, or are exempt from the application fee, will not be charged for this additional application. Hunters who did not previously apply for a deer management permit are required to pay the $10 application fee. 

Applications for leftover DMPs will be accepted for the following WMUs: 1C, 3M, 3R, 3S (bowhunting-only), 4J (bowhunting-only), 6P, 7F, 7H, 7J, 7R, 8A, 8C (bowhunting-only), 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 8N, 8R, 9A, 9F, and 9G. For WMU locations, refer to the 2021-22 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or visit DEC’s website at https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8302.html. 

During this extended application period, DEC will issue DMPs for an individual WMU until the target issuance quota is achieved. The status of permits will be reviewed each night, and as individual units are filled, they will be removed from the list of those available effective the following day. A list of units with available leftover DMPs will routinely be updated on DEC’s website or via the DMP Hotline at 1-866-472-4332. 

Additionally, Bonus DMPs are available for hunters who successfully take an antlerless deer in WMUs 1C, 3S, 4J, or 8C.

Streams only, not ponds

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today reminded anglers that the State’s new catch-and-release trout stream season begins on Oct. 16, expanding recreational opportunities. The new catch-and-release trout stream season is a product of DEC’s Statewide Trout Stream Management Plan, developed to improve and modernize the State’s management of its trout stream fishing resources. The new season, which runs from Oct. 1 – March 31, requires anglers to use only artificial lures and immediately release trout they catch. The catch-and-release season applies to trout streams only. Fishing for trout in lakes and ponds is prohibited after Oct. 15, unless these waters are managed under a special regulation that allows for angling. Anglers should consult DEC’s regulations guide for regulations associated with lakes and ponds that harbor trout before fishing.

This time period was traditionally closed to trout stream fishing as a precautionary measure during the reproductive period for wild trout. DEC biologists concluded that fishing during the spawning season will not result in negative fishery impacts. To provide due diligence, DEC will conduct an Angler Use and Wild Trout Young-of-Year Recruitment Study to gauge angling pressure and young-of-year trout abundance on a statewide sample of 19 wild trout stream reaches from 2021-2024. DEC biologists will use the results of the study to evaluate the new regulation and guide future management. Anglers are reminded to use best practices when releasing fish to ensure trout are returned to the stream immediately and unharmed. Visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9223.html for more information on catching and releasing fish. 

Anglers venturing to inland trout streams this fall should check out the DEC’s Interactive Trout Stream Fishing Map on the DECinfo Locator. The map provides anglers with a one-stop-shop for information about stocking, fishing access, season dates, and regulations. DEC encourages anglers to use this resource before hitting the water, so they are aware of all the trout stream fishing opportunities available to them both locally and afar.

For more information on freshwater fishing in New York waters, go to DEC’s Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide at https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html. Anglers interested in receiving information about fishing and fisheries management in New York can subscribe to the Fishing Line Newsletter at https://www.dec.ny.gov/public/65855.html.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that most small game hunting seasons open on Friday, Oct. 1, across New York State. Season dates, bag limits, and other hunting regulations for New York’s small game species are available in the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide, which can be obtained from a license-issuing agent or on DEC’s website.

Waterfowl Hunting and Special Youth and Military Days

New York offers vast waterfowl hunting opportunities as hunters may harvest more than 30 species of waterfowl. New York has five waterfowl zones and nine Canada goose zones that help to maximize hunting opportunity across diverse habitats. Most waterfowl zones also have special hunting days for youth and members of the military (both active duty and veterans) that often begin prior to the regular hunting season, giving these hunters the opportunity to hunt with less competition and hunting pressure.

Youth Waterfowl Days:

• Southeast and Lake Champlain zones: Sept. 25-26
• Western Zone: Oct. 2-3
• Long Island Zone: Nov. 6-7

Military and Veteran Hunting Days:

• Northeast Zone: Sept. 18-19
• Southeast Zone: Oct. 9-10
• Western Zone: Nov. 11 (Veterans Day) and 13
• Long Island Zone: Nov. 13-14
• There are no special Military/Veteran days for the Lake Champlain Zone.

Opening dates for the Regular Duck Seasons:

• Northeast Zone: Oct. 2
• Lake Champlain Zone: Oct. 13
• Western and Southeast zones: Oct. 16
• Long Island Zone: Nov. 20

For more on waterfowl hunting season dates and bag limits, visit the Waterfowl Seasons page on DEC’s website.

Ruffed Grouse Hunting Continue reading →

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and JT Granshue LLC announced the completion of a modification to the Long Pond conservation easement, which is located in the towns of Colton and Clare, St. Lawrence County. The modification allows for 15 hunting, fishing, and recreation camps originally slated for removal to remain on the property in perpetuity. A conservation easement is a voluntary, legal agreement that protects the natural resources of a parcel of land by permanently restricting future land use and/or development on the property. 

In 1999, DEC purchased the conservation easement on 18,950 acres west of State Route 56. Under the 1999 Long Pond conservation easement, 37 of the 43 hunting, fishing, and recreation camps present at that time were to be removed on or before Feb. 16, 2015. Prior to the deadline to remove the camps, Danzer Forestland Inc., the successor landowner to Long Pond LLC and New River-Franklin, LTD, requested a modification of the conservation easement to allow a number camps beyond the six noted at the time to remain on the property in perpetuity. 

DEC and the current owner JT Granshue LLC recently approved a modification to the conservation easement to allow for 15 camps to remain on the property in perpetuity. The other camps have been removed by the landowner.

Modifications to a conservation easement are required to result in a net conservation benefit to the people of the State of New York. To satisfy this requirement, an appraisal determined the full market value of the camps and corresponding one-acre camp envelopes to be $183,000.  JT Granshue L.L.C. transferred these funds to the State, and DEC then used these funds toward the purchase of 947 acres nearby to add to the Forest Preserve as the net conservation benefit. 

The new 947-acre Adirondack Forest Preserve parcel protects more than six miles of the scenic South Branch of the Grass River. The parcel provides public recreation opportunities and consolidates portions of the Grass River Wild Forest near the hamlet of Cranberry Lake. The parcel also has a direct connection to the Long Pond conservation easement tract via other protected conservation easement and Forest Preserve lands.