New York Archery Season (2008)

[SteveMcD]

Well.. I was just going through the new 2007-2008 Hunting & Trapping Reg's for the coming season and noticed that based on last year's fiasco and the DEC's tinkering with the season dates. Next Year 2008 we are scheduled to lose a full week of the early Archery Season and one full weekend! I think New York Bowhunters need to speak up.

[SteveMcD]

P.S. I counted... we go from 35 Hunting days in 2007 to 28 hunting days in 2008 in the Early Archery season.

[Al Dente]

We have been speaking up.  This was a major concern 2 seasons ago.  When the Regular Season(Firearms) opener was moved from the Monday to the Saturday, we expressed dismay.  We are losing days, and the DEC ignored us.

They felt it better to used skewed judgement than factual data.  They wanted to get more children into the woods on opening day.  They claimed that parents do not want their kids to miss ONE day of school for the opener, so a Saturday opener would solve the problem.  When we asked what percentage increase they anticipated for the opening weekend.   Sit down for this one...A total increase of 1-2% in participants, not just youth, but ALL hunters.  

We responded with asking the DEC to get behind us in the push to lower the hunting ages for bow to 12 and gun to 14.  That's how you get kids interested in hunting and keeping them there...start 'em young.  Also, how about the parent letting the kid take the first deer.

We've tried.  Hopefully with a new regime, Director, and Chief Biologist, we can make some headway.