As the temperatures begin to drop, and the trees quickly shed their leaves for winter, hunters in the Central Adirondacks are becoming more and more excited for deer hunting season, which begins in the Northern Zone on Saturday, October 22.
Deer hunting has been a long-standing tradition in New York and has played an important part in the heritage and traditions of many Adirondack families as it continues to be a means of shared recreation, an opportunity to pass-on family values and traditions; an opportunity to instill in future generations a reverence for nature, and most importantly, by providing a valuable source of food.
However, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the numbers of area hunters are dropping faster than the deer population.
The DEC reported that last year, over 566,600 hunting licenses were sold.
While that may seem like a reasonable number, since the mid-1980’s, the number of hunters in New York has seen a slow decline of nearly 40 percent.
A five-year strategic plan recently released by the DEC reports that hunters in New York State are, on average, between the ages of 40 and 59 years old, with 36 percent of all hunters being over the age of 60.
Out of all hunters in New York, less than 20 percent are between the ages of 18 and 39.
In the plan, the DEC expresses concern that without the recruitment and education of young hunters, we may begin to see even more of a boom in the deer population.
This, according to the DEC, is most likely due to an increase in the numbers of families moving from rural areas to suburban and urban areas, and due to an increase in the rates of private ‘posted’ lands.
The DEC currently estimates that approximately 80 percent of all private lands in New York are posted and that while some may still allow hunting, most private land is becoming reserved for exclusive use by a relatively small number of people.
If the accessibility of huntable land continues to decrease, and the numbers of hunters do not start increasing, the DEC fears strong implications for hunter activity and deer management efficacy.
They fear that private lands will begin to function as refuge areas for deer, which could then compromise the DEC’s ability to manage deer numbers to levels desired by the public.
Frequently, lack of population management results in locally abundant deer populations, negatively impacted forests, and numerous problems for homeowners and motorists.
