Preliminary Southern Zone hunting report
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John Mitty Friday, November 23, 2012
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Regular firearms season for deer and bear in New York's Southern Zone began this past Saturday, and for most hunters, the opening weekend is a time not to be missed. Roughly 85% of NY's 550,000 deer hunters participate at some point in the Southern Zone regular season, and over 90% of those hunters are afield opening day. Too, opening weekend of the Southern Zone regular season typically accounts for about 20-25% of the statewide annual reported deer take, roughly 1/4 to 1/3 more than the total reported take for the entire Southern Zone bow season, and nearly double the reported take during all seasons in the Northern Zone.
This year was likely no different, and with crisp, frosty mornings and mild afternoons, this past weekend was a great time to be deer hunting. Our biologists and technicians were spread out across the state examining deer at meat cutters and likely escaping for a few hours of hunting themselves. Despite the typical variation around the state, reports from the field generally point to a heavier harvest than last year. This is consistent with hunter harvest reports through DEC's phone and internet reporting system. Reported deer take during the Southern Zone opening weekend was 9% higher than in 2011, and now through the first 4 days of the season (Saturday through Tuesday), reported take is running about 13% higher than last year.
However, opening weekend in the Southern Zone was not nearly as productive for black bears this year. Despite strong bear harvests early in the bowhunting season, by late October bear harvest reports were just trickling in. Now, for the opening weekend of the Southern Zone regular bear season, hunters have reported taking about 125 bears, down substantially from the 317 taken on opening weekend in 2011 and more akin to the 2010 harvest level. We suspected that bear take during regular season might drop off due to possible early denning behavior associated with the lack of fall soft and hard mast (apples, acorns and beechnuts), and it appears that prediction is playing out.
More info is at http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/63801.html
jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com
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Sports & Recreation
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