With the hunting season set to begin this month, the Department of Environmental Conservation wants to remind hunters of responsibilities and safety measures.
Bear and deer hunting with firearms is set to begin in the Southern Zone on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022.
This means hunters will be able to keep hunting for longer hours like last year. The requirement for wearing bright orange and pink to maintain safe hunting.
“The regular firearms season for deer and bear in New York’s Southern Zone is the state’s most popular big game hunting season, drawing hundreds of thousands of hunters afield each year,” Seggos said. “As a cherished annual tradition in New York State, these hunting seasons are managed to maximize conservation value and balance deer and bear populations, while providing more than 11 million pounds of quality, locally grown, organic meat to families statewide. I wish all hunters a safe and successful season.”
While the hunting season for deer and bear with firearms starts later this month, it will end Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022. About 85% of hunters this season are out of the total 550,000 licensed hunters in the state. On top of that, almost 60% of all deer harvested in the state happens during this season.
Late bowhunting and muzzleloading seasons will run from Dec. 12 through Dec. 20, then again from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1.
To participate, hunters must have a hunting license and either bowhunting or muzzleloading privileges.
The season in the Northern Zone will run until Dec. 4. It started Oct. 22. The Northern one is made up of the Adirondacks, Tug Hill Plateau, Eastern Lake Ontario Plain, and the Champlain and St. Lawrence valleys.
The late bowhunting and muzzleloading season for this area will be from Dec. 5 through Dec. 11.
Tips for responsible hunting
Hunters are asked to follow basic firearm safety, which includes the following
- Point your gun in a safe direction
- Treat every gun as if it were loaded
- Be aware of your target and beyond it
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
In tree stands, use a safety harness and climbing bet to get in and out of the stand. You should never climb into or out of a stand with a loaded gun.
The DEC asks that you choose to let the young bucks go and watch them grow. Doing this yields larger, older bucks which have more meat and larger antlers.
Tagging and reporting your deer has been made easy by the DEC, which gives you the ability to do it electronically through their app. You can report your kill immediately after getting it, but you’re required by law to report it.
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