New York Deer Management Update
Tuesday, 10 May 2016
7:00 - 8:30 PM
White-tailed Deer on the Heron Marsh Trail at the Paul Smiths VIC (18 June 2013)
On 10 May, the VIC is hosting one of a series of public meetings held by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation: New York Deer Management Update. This event is intended to inform NYS deer hunters and the public about current issues in deer management and to set the stage for updating DEC's Management Plan for White-tailed Deer in New York State. DEC staff will be present to answer questions and discuss public concerns about deer management. DEC will:
- Provide an overview of NY's deer management program;
- Outline progress on current deer program activities, including a brief explanation of DEC's recent decision to encourage hunters to voluntarily pass up young bucks; and
- Discuss current management priorities, including urban-suburban deer over abundance, reducing deer impacts on forests, and other issues.
The current Management Plan for White-tailed Deer in New York State covers 2012 to 2016. This document outlines the components of DEC's deer program and provides strategic direction to focus management efforts where they can best meet the biological and social demands associated with deer. The plan describes six primary goals that encompass the current priorities for deer management and the values and issues expressed by the public:
- Manage deer populations at levels that are appropriate for human and ecological concerns;
- Promote and enhance deer hunting as an important recreational activity, tradition, and population management tool in New York;
- Reduce negative impacts caused by deer;
- Foster public understanding and communication about deer ecology, deer management, economic aspects and recreational opportunities;
- Manage deer to promote healthy and sustainable forests and enhance habitat conservation efforts to benefit deer and other species; and
- Ensure that the necessary resources are available to support sound management of white-tailed deer in New York.
A PDF version of this plan – Management Plan for White-tailed Deer in New York State, 2012-2016 (PDF) – may be found by clicking here. A discussion of the pros and cons of various ways to control the deer population, including the possibility of fertility control and reintroducing predators such as wolves and mountain lions (both of which DEC rejects as ineffective or infeasible), is available in the DEC's An Evaluation of Deer Management Options (PDF).