For Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Michael Fraser
Monday,
March 1, 2004 (518) 402-8000
DEC RELEASES
STATISTICS FROM 2003 DEER HARVEST
Hunters Enjoy Productive Season, Management Efforts Successful
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty today announced harvest results
of the 2003 deer hunting seasons. The total deer take in the 2003 season was
slightly more than 253,000, and includes more than 107,000 bucks and nearly
146,000 antlerless deer. As
anticipated, modest declines in total deer take were recorded in all of the
major hunting zones, except for Long Island where a slight increase was noted.
“New York’s deer hunters took more than 94,000 adult females in 2003, about 90 percent of the female take objective,” Commissioner Crotty said. “Achieving this objective is an important component of DEC’s management program to maintain deer populations at desired levels in New York. The role deer hunters play is crucial to our management program’s success and we sincerely appreciate their participation.”
The 2003 total deer take of 253,000 deer is well above the previous 10-year average total take of 239,000. The 2003 buck take reflects a reduction over the 2002 total of 128,000 and was anticipated after several years of increased harvests. The winter of 2002-2003 saw a return to some of the harsh winter conditions that can occur in New York, especially in the Northern Zone and in portions of the Catskill Region and the Lake Plains. Winter mortality was documented in many areas and the reductions in deer takes in some areas were expected. DEC estimates the total deer population in New York State to be more than 1 million, prior to big game season.
DEC-initiated law changes enacted in 2002 were intended to increase hunter participation and antlerless harvest, and the resulting record deer take of 2002 has also served to lower deer numbers and bring populations closer to desired levels in many areas, especially portions of western New York.
As a result of winter mortality in 2002-03 and lower deer numbers in many Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), DEC issued fewer deer management permits (DMPs) during the 2003 season. The final total of 684,000 DMPs was about 90,000 less than were issued for the 2002 season. DMPs are valid only for the taking of antlerless deer and serve as the cornerstone for statewide deer management efforts.
(MORE)
-2-
In New York State, Steuben County had the highest deer take in 2003, with 17,768 deer, including 6,242 bucks, harvested. Cattaraugus County was second, with 15,606 deer, including 5,283 bucks, followed by Allegany County, 14,680 deer, including 5,262 bucks. Chautauqua County (10,628 total, 3,925 bucks) and St. Lawrence County (9,070 total, 4,516 bucks) rounded out the top five counties in the State.
A key part of the overall deer program is the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) which offers site-specific relief for farmers and others suffering from deer damage. The DMAP program has been in existence since 1999 and after five years of growth, the program has begun to stabilize with more than 12,000 deer taken again by hunters from approximately 2,200 problem areas during the past season.
Deer populations vary considerably
throughout New York, and approximately one-quarter of the current WMUs have
deer populations that are within 10 percent of desired levels. About one-third of the units have
populations above desired levels, and the remainder of the areas, about 40
percent, have lower than desired
populations. The goal of DEC’s deer
management program is to maintain deer numbers at levels that meet local
interests and habitat conditions, while also providing quality hunting
opportunities for New York’s 650,000 deer hunters who go afield each fall in New York in pursuit of the
white-tailed deer. Opportunities to participate in deer hunting activities are
many and include a multiple seasons, spanning several months duration. Complete information about New York’s deer
management program and hunting opportunities is available on DEC’s website at: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/deer/
For more than a decade, DEC has utilized local citizen task forces to establish deer population objectives for most WMUs. The task forces represent a broad range of public interests and consider concerns of farmers, foresters, conservationists, landowners and hunters. Each WMU’s desired deer population level is expressed as a Buck Take Objective (BTO) and reflects the approximate buck take per square mile that would be taken when the deer population is close to the desired level.
Weather conditions this winter will be carefully assessed by DEC because consecutive years of winter kill can have longer reaching effects on deer numbers, especially in some of the more critical areas in the Adirondacks and the Catskills. Deer populations have been more closely aligned with desired levels in other areas, and the reduced deer take in the 2003 season reflects well on the continued success of New York’s deer hunters as the most effective tool for managing deer numbers on a landscape scale. Opening day in the Southern Zone will be Monday, November 22, 2004.
The accompanying charts and tables provide details on New York’s 2003 deer harvest.
###
04-18
NEW YORK STATE
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
Proposed Buck Take Objectives and Actual Buck Take
for the NYS 2003 Deer Season
(FIGURES IN BUCKS PER SQUARE MILE)
|
Wildlife Management Unit |
Proposed Buck Take Objective |
Actual Buck Take |
|
Wildlife Management Unit |
Proposed Buck Take Objective |
Actual Buck Take |
|
1C |
not
set |
0.8 |
|
6H |
not
set |
1.0 |
|
3A – |
3.0 |
1.1 |
|
6J |
not
set |
0.5 |
|
3C • |
2.7 |
3.1 |
|
6K U |
1.8 |
2.0 |
|
3F • |
2.4 |
3.2 |
|
6N |
not
set |
1.0 |
|
3G – |
4.1 |
3.0 |
|
6P U |
1.3 |
1.4 |
|
3H – |
4.2 |
2.7 |
|
6R • |
0.7 |
1.1 |
|
3J U |
3.4 |
3.7 |
|
6S – |
2.5 |
1.6 |
|
3K – |
3.5 |
3.0 |
|
7A – |
1.8 |
1.4 |
|
3M • |
3.3 |
3.9 |
|
7F • |
1.5 |
1.9 |
|
3N • |
2.7 |
3.4 |
|
7H • |
2.8 |
3.3 |
|
3P U |
2.5 |
2.7 |
|
7J • |
2.2 |
2.7 |
|
3R |
not
set |
0.8 |
|
7M – |
3.5 |
2.3 |
|
3S |
not
set |
1.3 |
|
7R • |
3.6 |
4.2 |
|
4A – |
1.9 |
1.4 |
|
7S • |
3.0 |
3.5 |
|
4B • |
1.2 |
1.5 |
|
8A • |
1.5 |
2.4 |
|
4C – |
4.5 |
3.0 |
|
8C • |
0.5 |
0.9 |
|
4F – |
3.4 |
2.6 |
|
8F • |
1.9 |
2.4 |
|
4G U |
2.3 |
2.5 |
|
8G • |
2.3 |
3.3 |
|
4H – |
3.4 |
2.7 |
|
8H • |
2.8 |
4.2 |
|
4J |
not
set |
0.9 |
|
8J • |
2.1 |
2.5 |
|
4K – |
3.0 |
2.3 |
|
8K |
not
set |
5.0 |
|
4L – |
2.0 |
1.4 |
|
8M U |
3.9 |
4.1 |
|
4M U |
1.9 |
1.8 |
|
8N |
not
set |
7.0 |
|
4N – |
3.5 |
2.8 |
|
8P • |
4.2 |
4.8 |
|
4O – |
3.3 |
1.9 |
|
8R • |
4.2 |
5.0 |
|
4P – |
2.2 |
1.9 |
|
8S – |
4.2 |
3.4 |
|
4R – |
5.1 |
1.9 |
|
8T – |
4.8 |
4.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
class=Section4>
4S – |
3.3 |
2.3 |
|
8W U |
3.8 |
3.5 |
|
Wildlife Management Unit |
Proposed Buck Take Objective |
Actual Buck Take |
|
Wildlife Management Unit |
Proposed Buck Take Objective |
Actual Buck Take |
|
4T • |
2.9 |
3.4 |
|
8X |
not
set |
4.8 |
|
4U – |
4.1 |
3.1 |
|
8Y – |
4.5 |
3.8 |
|
4W – |
4.0 |
1.6 |
|
9A • |
1.1 |
1.7 |
|
4X |
not
set |
0.6 |
|
9F • |
2.5 |
3.7 |
|
4Y U |
3.9 |
3.8 |
|
9G • |
2.0 |
2.8 |
|
4Z – |
4.7 |
3.3 |
|
9H U |
4.0 |
3.7 |
|
5A |
not
set |
0.9 |
|
9J U |
3.5 |
3.7 |
|
5C |
not
set |
0.4 |
|
9K U |
3.7 |
3.9 |
|
5F |
not
set |
0.4 |
|
9M U |
5.1 |
5.2 |
|
5G |
not
set |
1.1 |
|
9N U |
3.5 |
3.9 |
|
5H |
not
set |
0.6 |
|
9P – |
6.0 |
5.0 |
|
5J |
not
set |
1.3 |
|
9R – |
4.1 |
3.1 |
|
5K |
not
set |
1.5 |
|
9S U |
3.1 |
3.3 |
|
5N – |
3.2 |
2.4 |
|
9T – |
4.4 |
3.7 |
|
5P – |
3.9 |
3.2 |
|
9W • |
4.4 |
4.9 |
|
5R U |
1.2 |
1.3 |
|
9X – |
5.8 |
4.4 |
|
6A U |
1.7 |
1.9 |
|
9Y U |
5.0 |
5.4 |
|
6C U |
2.0 |
1.9 |
|
93
WMU’s Statewide |
||
|
6F |
not
set |
1.0 |
|
74
WMU’s with a Buck Take Objective |
||
|
6G • |
1.7 |
2.7 |
|
19
WMU’s without a Buck Take Objective |
||
• 2003
buck take is 10% or more above the objective..........25 WMUs (34%)
U 2003
buck take is within 10%. of the objective..................19 WMUs (26%)
– 2003
buck take is 10% or more below the objective..........30 WMUs (40%)
No mark Buck
take objective is not established or unit not open...19 WMUs
The Buck Take Objective for a Wildlife
Management Unit represents the desired number of antlered bucks harvested
annually per square mile. Buck take
objectives are based upon recommendations made by Citizen Task Forces in each
WMU. On average, hunters take a
consistent percentage of the adult bucks available each year. DEC biologists use buck takes as an index of
the success in reaching and maintaining deer populations at the recommended
levels within each WMU.
2002 - 2003 PAGE 1
CALCULATED DEER TAKE BY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT UNIT
(WMU)
N
U M B E R O F D E E R BUCKS PER
2002 2003 SQUARE MILE
WMU
BUCKS TOTAL BUCKS TOTAL 2002 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------
1C
691 2,148 759 2,456 0.8 0.8
3A
1,042 1,345 694 940 1.7 1.1
3C
866 1,790 986 1,984 2.7 3.1
3F
1,113 2,522
1,061 2,302 3.4 3.2
3G
1,540 3,672 1,359 3,013 3.4 3.0
3H
1,954 3,676 1,483 3,057 3.5 2.7
3J
1,268 2,544 1,316 2,505 3.6 3.7
3K
1,332 2,465 1,150 2,049 3.5 3.0
3M
3,062 7,639 2,899 7,347 4.1 3.9
3N
696 1,390 747 1,639 3.1 3.4
3P
401 878 336 637 3.2 2.7
3R 172
272 158 273 0.8 0.8
3S
559 1,658 557 1,633 1.3 1.3
4A
800 1,174 615 1,061 1.9 1.4
4B
325 785 244 642 2.0 1.5
4C 648
1,489 495 974 3.9 3.0
4F
3,227 6,951 2,499 5,464 3.4 2.6
4G
1,107 2,100 931 1,958 3.0 2.5
4H
944 2,043 789 1,635 3.3 2.7
4J
133 542 141 537 0.9 0.9
4K
390 785 354 646 2.5 2.3
4L
315 432 256 383 1.8 1.4
4M
357 991 249 564 2.5 1.8
4N
803 1,869 570 1,369 3.9 2.8
4O
2,075 4,107 1,429 2,990 2.8 1.9
4P
1,089 2,156 679 1,473 3.0 1.9
4R
740 1,334 559 1,124 2.5 1.9
4S
555 902 506 846 2.5 2.3
4T
467 1,124 445 1,069 3.5 3.4
4U
477 1,033 392 888 3.8 3.1
4W
1,514 3,060 721 1,663 3.4 1.6
4X
74 80 50 61 0.9 0.6
4Y
848 2,284 669 1,811 4.8 3.8
4Z
957 2,338 832 1,823 3.8 3.3
5A
630 951 700 943 0.8
0.9
5C
350 446 409 526 0.4 0.4
5F
585 705 537 619 0.4 0.4
5G
1,249 1,698 1,184 1,292 1.1 1.1
5H
2,055 2,470 1,801 1,897 0.7
0.6
5J
1,356 1,969 1,006 1,115 1.7 1.3
5K
332 1,026 251 404 2.0 1.5
5N
1,576 3,944 1,077 1,965 3.5 2.4
5P
104 385 104 224 3.2 3.2
5R
705 1,634 482 1,251 1.9 1.3
6A
3,401 7,651 2,857 6,131 2.3 1.9
6C
1,975 4,624 1,649 3,615 2.2 1.9
6F
1,516 1,969 1,190
1,609 1.2 1.0
2002 - 2003 PAGE 2
CALCULATED DEER TAKE BY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT UNIT
(WMU)
N
U M B E R O F D E E R BUCKS PER
2002 2003 SQUARE MILE
WMU
BUCKS TOTAL BUCKS TOTAL 2002 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------
6G
2,857 6,901 2,777 6,828 2.8 2.7
6H
441 533 167 404 2.6 1.0
6J
1,171 1,745 879 1,437 0.7 0.5
6K
2,665 6,147 2,155 4,824 2.5 2.0
6N
716 862 479 638 1.5 1.0
6P
274 596 275 540 1.3 1.4
6R
752 1,615 611 1,347 1.4 1.1
6S
1,261 2,343 950 1,731 2.1 1.6
7A
1,086 2,050 754 1,501 2.0 1.4
7F
1,365 3,402 1,277 3,058 2.0 1.9
7H
1,152 2,606 1,189 2,597 3.2 3.3
7J
2,282 5,070 2,238 4,894 2.7 2.7
7M
4,494 7,950 3,851 6,794 2.7 2.3
7R
3,372 9,304 3,111 8,542 4.6 4.2
7S
3,021 8,127 2,609 7,359 4.1 3.5
8A
1,140 3,029 1,001 2,816 2.7 2.4
8C
93 370 123 447 0.7 0.9
8F
1,956 5,263 1,739 4,441 2.7 2.4
8G
2,409 6,989 2,297 6,358 3.5 3.3
8H
2,656 7,692 2,438 6,590 4.6 4.2
8J
2,012 5,498 1,762 4,483 2.9 2.5
8K
4 75 76 229 0.3 5.0
8M
1,494 4,306 1,265 3,920 4.9 4.1
8N
2,502 7,755 2,215 6,907 8.0 7.0
8P
2,160 5,559 1,707 4,533 6.1 4.8
8R
1,658 4,946 1,507 4,543 6.1 5.6
8S
1,105 3,355 882 1,749 4.3 3.4
8T
2,172 6,221 1,628 4,793 5.6 4.2
8W
1,850 4,454 1,551 3,535 4.2 3.5
8X 2,703 8,336 1,934 6,320 6.7 4.8
8Y
1,701 4,046 1,357 3,182 4.8 3.8
9A
802 1,940 807 1,842 1.7 1.7
9F
898 2,420 1,022 2,248 3.2 3.7
9G 617
1,619 641 1,550 2.7 2.8
9H
4,013 11,624 3,582 8,557 4.1 3.7
9J
3,149 9,083 2,599 7,486 4.5 3.7
9K
1,985 5,770 1,748 4,362 4.4 3.9
9M 2,251 6,382 1,725 5,305 6.8 5.2
9N
1,034 2,906 804 2,272 5.0 3.9
9P
4,070 11,438 2,883 8,062 7.0 5.0
9R
1,020 2,868 671 2,126 4.7 3.1
9S
429 1,246 299 839 4.7 3.3
9T
1,299 3,315 916 2,731 5.2 3.7
9W
1,588 4,293 1,221 3,633 6.3 4.9
9X
1,316 4,107 958 2,302 6.0 4.4
9Y
922 3,010 676 2,026 7.4 5.4
----------------------------------------------------------------
TOT
128,292 308,216 107,533
253,088
CALCULATED DEER TAKE BY
COUNTY 2002 - 2003 PAGE 1
N U M B E
R O F D E E R
BUCKS PER
2002 2003
SQUARE MILE
COUNTY BUCKS
TOTAL BUCKS TOTAL 2002 2003
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALBANY 1,181
2,826 955 2,341 2.2 1.8
ALLEGANY 7,292 20,873 5,262
14,680 7.0 5.0
BROOME 2,220
5,614 1,827 4,877 3.1 2.5
CATTARAUGUS 7,001
19,788 5,283 15,606 5.5 4.1
CAYUGA 1,954
4,639 1,951 4,381 2.8 2.8
CHAUTAUQUA 4,546
13,034 3,925 10,628 4.3 3.7
CHEMUNG 1,874
4,394 1,594 3,726 4.6 3.9
CHENANGO 2,660 4,753 2,302 4,012 2.9 2.5
CLINTON 528
763 675 870 0.5 0.6
COLUMBIA 2,665 6,518 2,247 5,385 4.1 3.5
CORTLAND 1,234 3,023 1,090 2,640 2.5 2.2
DELAWARE 4,518 8,933 2,617 5,700 3.1 1.8
DUTCHESS 2,700 6,346 2,477 5,514 3.3 3.0
ERIE 2,962
7,985 2,963 6,662 3.5 3.5
ESSEX 1,094
1,365 1,102 1,150 0.6 0.6
FRANKLIN 1,572 2,627 1,390 2,278 0.9 0.8
FULTON 690
1,170 540 730 1.3 1.0
GENESEE 1,685
4,971 1,619 4,490 3.5 3.3
GREENE 1,466
2,575 1,341 2,416 2.2 2.0
HAMILTON 955 1,081 745 798 0.5 0.4
HERKIMER 1,679 2,840 1,448
2,318 1.2 1.0
JEFFERSON 3,508 7,726 3,207 7,548 2.7 2.5
LEWIS 1,777
3,299 1,337 2,575 1.4 1.0
LIVINGSTON 3,125 9,180 2,586 7,664 4.8 4.0
MADISON 1,555 3,120 1,405 2,840 2.3 2.1
MONROE 1,974
5,397 1,907 5,090 3.0 2.9
MONTGOMERY 629 1,011 494 849 1.5 1.2
NIAGARA 932
2,242 920 2,113 1.8 1.8
ONEIDA 2,342
5,016 1,980 4,200 1.9 1.6
ONONDAGA 1,790 4,055 1,706 3,706 2.2 2.1
ONTARIO 3,365
9,704 2,968 8,322 5.2 4.6
ORANGE 3,370 8,073 3,152 7,417 4.0 3.7
ORLEANS 1,104
3,111 946 2,754 2.8 2.4
OSWEGO 2,206
4,522 1,575 3,331 2.3 1.6
OTSEGO 3,367
7,411 2,607 5,821 3.3 2.6
PUTNAM 695
1,365 715 1,507 3.0 3.1
RENSSELAER 1,800 3,968 1,429 2,753 2.7 2.1
ROCKLAND 167 259 152 268 1.0 0.9
SARATOGA 1,572 2,779 1,175 1,968 1.9 1.4
SCHENECTADY 264 497 201 397 1.3 1.0
SCHOHARIE 1,918 3,667 1,440 3,091 3.0 2.3
SCHUYLER 1,547 4,202 1,282 3,218 4.7 3.9
SENECA 980
2,703 841 2,124 2.9 2.5
ST LAWRENCE 5,664
11,623 4,516 9,070 2.0 1.6
STEUBEN 8,176
23,002 6,242 17,768 5.7 4.4
SUFFOLK 691 2,148 759 2,456 0.8 0.8
CALCULATED DEER TAKE BY
COUNTY 2002 - 2003 PAGE 2
N U M B E R
O F D E E R BUCKS PER
2002 2003 SQUARE MILE
COUNTY BUCKS
TOTAL BUCKS TOTAL 2002 2003
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SULLIVAN 3,545 6,750 2,696 5,546 3.5 2.7
TIOGA 2,680 6,992 2,415 6,408 5.1 4.6
TOMPKINS 2,197 5,804 2,196 5,402 4.5 4.5
ULSTER 2,960
5,587 2,885 5,452 2.6 2.5
WARREN 740
938 586 627 0.8 0.7
WASHINGTON 2,333 5,772 1,740 2,925 2.8 2.1
WAYNE 1,689
4,682 1,499 3,924 2.8 2.5
WESTCHESTER 559
1,658 557 1,633 1.3 1.3
WYOMING 2,554 7,627 2,192 5,791 4.3 3.7
YATES 2,041
6,208 1,872 5,328 6.0 5.5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS 128,292 308,216 107,533 253,088