New
Opportunities Designated for Active-Duty Military and Veterans to Go Waterfowl
Hunting this Fall
New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos
today announced that several small game hunting seasons open Oct. 1 across New
York State, including special youth hunts and new hunting opportunities for
active-duty military members and veterans.
"Public
and private lands across the state present a diverse array of small game
hunting opportunities," Commissioner Seggos said. "Pursuing small
game is a great way to introduce someone to hunting and in addition to our
youth hunting seasons, DEC is offering waterfowl hunts this year specifically
for active military and veterans. I encourage experienced hunters across the
state to take advantage of these opportunities, bring a new hunter afield, and
follow hunter safety requirements to have a rewarding experience this
fall."
Several
special youth-only hunting seasons for pheasants and waterfowl occur prior to
the start of the regular season. 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.
Special
Waterfowl Hunting Opportunities for Youth and Active-Duty Military
Hunting
seasons for waterfowl (ducks, geese, and brant) begin in early October in many
parts of the state. However, there are opportunities for youth hunters to get a
jump start. This fall's youth waterfowl days are:
Sept. 19 and
20 in the Northeast and Southeast zones;
Sept. 26 and
27 in the Lake Champlain Zone;
Oct. 3 and 4
in the Western Zone; and
Nov. 7 and 8
in the Long Island Zone.
Junior
hunters must be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter, and both the junior
hunter and adult must be registered with the Harvest Information Program (HIP).
Adult hunters must also have a federal migratory bird stamp and the adult
hunter supervising a youth may not possess a firearm, bow, or crossbow afield.
In addition
to youth dates, DEC is providing special hunting opportunities for active-duty
military personnel and veterans. Participating hunters must carry
identification that verifies their active duty or veteran status. This fall's
active-duty military and veteran days are:
Sept. 19 and
20 in the Northeast Zone;
Oct. 10 and
11 in the Southeast Zone;
Nov. 11
(Veterans Day) and Nov. 14 in the Western Zone; and
Nov. 14 and
15 in the Long Island Zone.
There are no
special active-duty and veteran military days in the Lake Champlain Zone.
Ruffed
Grouse Hunting
Ruffed
grouse hunting season runs from Oct. 1 through the last day of February in most
areas of the state. In Northern New York, the season opens on Sept. 20, and
runs through the last day of February. In New York City and Long Island, the
season is closed.
Ruffed
grouse hunters in the Northern Zone are reminded to positively identify quarry
before shooting. The Northern Zone, specifically Wildlife Management Units 5C,
5F, 6F, and 6J, is also home to the spruce grouse, a State-endangered species
that is not legal to hunt. Loss of a single spruce grouse, particularly a
female spruce grouse, could be a significant setback for a small local
population.
Spruce
grouse exist in lowland conifer forests in the Adirondacks. Although ruffed
grouse occur in upland hardwoods statewide, during the fall and winter, ruffed
grouse may be found in spruce grouse habitat. Small game hunters in the
Adirondack region must be able to distinguish between these species so that
spruce grouse are not shot by mistake. For tips on how to discern the two
species, view the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or the Ruffed Grouse
Hunting Information page on DEC's website.
DEC encourages
ruffed grouse hunters to take part in the grouse hunting log program and submit
feathers from harvested birds in order to assess recruitment (number of young
produced per adult female grouse) for different parts of the state. Interested
hunters should visit the DEC website.
Pheasant
Hunting
Approximately
30,000 adult pheasants will be released on lands open to public hunting for the
upcoming fall pheasant hunting season. The pheasant hunting season begins:
Oct. 1 in
northern and eastern portions of New York;
Oct. 17 in
central and western portions of the state; and
Nov. 1 on
Long Island.
Since 2007,
DEC has offered a special youth-only season to provide junior hunters the
opportunity to hunt pheasants during the weekend prior to the regular pheasant
hunting season. In Western New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is Oct. 10
and 11. In northern and eastern New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is
Sept. 26 and 27, and on Long Island, it is Oct. 24 and 25. Both the junior
hunter and their adult mentor must have a hunting license. Only the junior
hunter is allowed to carry a firearm and harvest birds on these dates.
All release
sites for pheasants provided by State-funded programs are open to public
hunting. Pheasants will be released on State-owned lands prior to and during
the fall hunting season and at several sites on New York City Watershed lands
thanks to a partnership with New York City Department of Environmental
Protection. Pheasant hunting opportunities have also been augmented by private
landowners who have opened their land to public hunting. DEC is grateful for
their help in providing high quality hunting experiences for New York's
hunters. A list of statewide pheasant release sites and sites receiving birds
for the youth-only pheasant hunt weekends can be found on DEC's website.
Squirrel,
Rabbit, and Hare Hunting
Opportunities
to pursue squirrels and rabbits can be found throughout the state, including on
many public lands. Squirrel seasons started Sept. 1 in Upstate New York and begin
Nov. 1 on Long Island. Rabbit hunting begins on Oct. 1 in Upstate New York and
on Nov. 1 on Long Island. With ample opportunities and mild weather, squirrel
and rabbit hunting are great ways to introduce novices to hunting.
Snowshoe
hare (or varying hare) season starts Oct. 1 in the Northern Zone. Hare hunters
in the Southern Zone, where the season starts in late fall or early winter, are
encouraged to report their observations to DEC through the DEC website.
Wild
Turkey Hunting
Wild turkeys
enjoyed better reproductive success this summer compared to last year. As a
result, turkey hunters can expect to see more birds while afield this fall.
Wild turkeys are less vulnerable to harvest in areas with abundant food (e.g.,
hard and soft mast), because they don't have to roam far and wide foraging, so
scouting before the season is important. Season dates for fall 2020:
Oct. 1 - 14
in the Northern Zone;
Oct. 17 -
Oct. 30 in the Southern Zone; and
Nov. 21 -
Dec. 4 in Suffolk County, Long Island.
The
statewide season bag limit is one bird of either sex. Hunting hours are sunrise
to sunset.
Citizen
Science
Citizen
science efforts such as the Grouse and Woodcock Hunting Log, Ruffed Grouse
Parts Collection, and the Bowhunter Sighting Log provide hunters the
opportunity to partner with DEC to monitor game species. To learn more about
how to participate in these efforts, visit the DEC website.
DEC
Encourages Hunter Safety
While
statistics show hunting in New York is safer than ever, mistakes are made every
year. DEC believes every hunting-related shooting incident is preventable, and
Commissioner Seggos is encouraging hunters to use common sense this season and
to remember what they were taught in their DEC Hunters Education Course.
Firearms
Safety:
Point your
gun in a safe direction.
Treat every
gun as if it were loaded.
Be sure of
your target and beyond.
Keep your
finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
DEC also
encourages hunters to wear blaze orange or blaze pink. Wearing orange or pink
prevents other hunters from mistaking a person for an animal or shooting in a
hunter's direction. Hunters who wear blaze orange are seven times less likely
to be shot.
