Longer NY Season - Southern Zone

[Stumpkiller]

There was a blurb on last night's local TV news that the NYS DEC is considering opening the Southern Zone bow season on OCT 1st - two weeks earlier than normal.  Nothing on the DEC website to confirm this, but the WBNG-TV website says the DEC "is accepting comments" until JUL 28th.

[LongStick64]

They already open on Oct 1st on Long Island, why not the rest of the state ??? Makes sense to me.

[Stone Knife]

There's going to be a youth gun hunt thrown into the mix also.

[Stumpkiller]

Cool.  Wonder if they'll open it up to bow, eventually.

Is 45# enough to harvest a youth?      

 (sorry)

[swampsSonny]

I,m all in favor of getting the youths involved however a gun hunt during the early archery season            

Maybe we can get them to open up a trad archery season from Sept 15 - Oct 15 after all they have muzzle season and they took our best weekend and started gun season then instead of leaving it on Mon for the opener

[Stumpkiller]

We've also now got a crossbow season added in with muzzleloader and late bow for the 9 days after regular deer season.

[MikeS]

New York Bowhunters has been pushing for the Oct. 1 opener to compensate for the loss of time we had a few years ago at the end of the season.  Personally, I liked the later time frame as the rut was either heating up or in full swing later.  NYB also suggested opening the northern zone on Sept. 1 but most of the guys I know up here don't want to see it, including me.  We don't have enough deer as it is in the Adirondacks and I routinely see fawns with spots in early Sept.  I don't believe it is ethical to kill a doe that early in the season with such young fawns.  But, that may be just me.
Mike

[BrownA5]

Charlie, thanks for the heads up.  This is the first that bI have heard of this.  If it happens it is going to interfere with Grouse hunting!

[Flying Dogg]

A few years ago NY Bowhunters offered the DEC the last week of bow season to be used as an early muzzle loader season in exchange for the first 2 weeks in October for archery. They did not ask what the NY Bowhunter members wanted, the leaders just did this because it is what they wanted. That is when I quit the organization.

[IndianaBowman]

The proposals being offered are not in the best interest of bowhunters. Read through them carefully. The number of dedicated bow hunting days is reduced considerably.

[Ydanny]

I've heard about the October 1rst opener.  I didn't hear about the youth gun hunt.  Does anyone know what dates are being proposed?

Another thing I heard rumored but don't know if it was true, is the expansion of the 3 point rule into WM unit 3A.

[J.Williams]

Ditto what IndianaBowman said.

[crotch horn]

Not sure what I think about this yet. This is all part of the "5 year WT management plan." have to have some give & take. The youth age was lowered to 12 for bow hunting. I will admit I am not thrilled about guns going off during bow season but if it gets the kids out there I am for it. They have a week of muzzle loader in October in PA where I hunt & it hasn't hurt my bowhunting, but there will be more action with a youth hunt. They are the future & we need to get them out when the weather is nice & deer are moving. Just not sure how well it will work.

[crotch horn]

Not sure what I think about this yet. This is all part of the "5 year WT management plan." have to have some give & take. The youth age was lowered to 12 for bow hunting. I will admit I am not thrilled about guns going off during bow season but if it gets the kids out there I am for it. They have a week of muzzle loader in October in PA where I hunt & it hasn't hurt my bowhunting, but there will be more action with a youth hunt. They are the future & we need to get them out when the weather is nice & deer are moving. Just not sure how well it will work.

[babs]

Sometimes here in PA the rut isnt really in until the season is almost over or over already. Last year I seen nine differnt bucks the last day of archery season. Funny thing is I already had taken a buck and was trying to shoot a doe. PA's bow season keeps getting shorter too, we have a early youth program and a inline muzzleloader season too. I just wish they would leave our archery season alone, good luck this year

[babs]

I am in favor of the antler restrictions though each year I have seen a increase of bigger and more mature bucks in PA. I have no problem with the youth program but I think they could do that some other time during our hunting season.

An October 1st opener, which coincides with small game, upland and pretty quickly, duck and turkey seasons, does little for us. I am afraid we will get a gun season thrown in during the best part of the bow season, which is the first couple of weeks in November here in NY.

[drewsbow]

looked on the DEC site and didn't see it ?

[Shawn Leonard]

I say leave it alone, there is always give and take and as said above all of a sudden they will say since bow is open early we will open gun season the 7th or 10th 0f November.No Thanks!! If dec wants to get the kids involved lower the age for gun hunting 12 like lots of other states!! Everything dec is doing seems to cut into our bowhunting lately!! NYB also does some things without asking the consensus of its members as well!!! Leave it be!!! Shawn

[adkarcher]

I have the 5 year deer plan if anyone is interested.  There is a 3 day youth hunt on Columbus day weekend, potential for a 4 day MZ season immediately after the youth hunt, resulting in a 7 day gun season in the middle of bow season.  10/1 opener in SZ. The day structure appears to be different, but looking to get that clarified.

Unless I am really misunderstanding something, this is pretty much the same plan offered back in 2005.  

Up North, same youth hunt, could use DMPs in bow season in areas that offer DMPs, gun season pushed back one week and can bowhunt the late season.

Adkarcher