Being a Sportsmen’s and conservation advocate for over 20 years now, I’ve had the pleasure (and sometimes, disgust) in hearing from a lot of sportsmen and women, as listening to opinions, beliefs and values that vary like the wind whipping through Highmark stadium on a blustery winter day, is the only way to temper recommendations and actions this community has trusted me to represent them in.

 Of constant talk, throughout this 20- year span, especially related to deer hunting, has been deer management and mandatory antler restrictions, limiting what buck is “old enough” to harvest. In conjunction, the debate over hunting for food vs trophy hunting inevitably bubbles to the surface.  Conversations ultimately devolve, as passionate subjects often do today, with one of the points brought is AR favors trophy hunting – something the overwhelming public at large has deep feelings about, and opposition to, as perception harkens images back to the days when hunting was not regulated, and hunters could literally kill everything that walked, year-round. Some of these hunters were even documented to simply just want the head, leaving the rest of the animal to rot. This understandable aversion to wasting a resource has, over time, in my opinion, warped the idea of a “trophy”, as, unlike in competitive games, where the winner gets a trophy, the perception has pigeon holed what a trophy, to the sportsman, must be.

 Yet, history reveals a much different thing. From cave paintings depicting the successful, and tribe saving from starvation hunts, to the royalty of European castles commonly displaying the most impressive, and enduring through time, elements of animals taken by the lords, it is easy to draw conclusions.

 A trophy actually is in the eye of the hunter, not a standard set by some nebulous third-party overlord.  And although many believe that giant racked bucks are the trophy when it comes to deer hunting, and many will laugh when someone decides to spend $800+ to have their small 4 point or 6 point preserved, wondering why anyone would spend so much for such a “common” young deer,  a trophy is in the eye of the hunter, not something that is a set rule or standard; trophies are only so small, as if to classify the meaning of a trophy, into something it is not.

 The true trophies are the memories made.  That small buck may be the first buck harvested by a young hunter, and dad wants to immortalize that memory that he and his son shared. It may even be the buck dad shot while hunting with his son…  it’s no never mind who pulled the trigger or loosed the arrow, it represents a milestone or achievement that, to the one who harvested it, it’s important enough to immortalize, as to always remember that special moment, regardless of its size, or its value in another’s eyes.

 Isn’t that what a trophy really is?  A special moment that happened. that you always want to remember?  Why do the football players receive a championship ring?  Why not just save a newspaper clipping, or a few photographs?  Because it was special, and worth more than a picture to remember it by long after the playing days are over.

 This is very much similar to the outdoors experience.  Except you’re not competing against another, you’re interacting with the natural world. Memories fade, through time and increasing number of trips/ hunts you have had. But some memories are more special than others, and those moments are worth remembering. After all, when your days grow shorter, and when time takes its toll, forcing you from the field you enjoyed so much, the memories of what you did and with who you may have shared them with, is all you have left, and remembering is the ultimate trophy.

 I’ve been hunting for 40 years, fishing for a bit longer. I have made thousands of casts, and spent many hours in the stand, and at camp. All great experiences, most remembered, but many details from those days gone by, diminish. But of all the moments, all the crazy shit I’ve experienced, some of those moments were truly worth always remembering, and, to this day, when I look at the handful of taxidermy I have hanging, I can recount every detail of the day of that success, as that “trophy” is the reminder, not just of the hunt or the accomplishment, but those who shared it with me, some of them no longer here. And the detail that is recalled is sharp.  This includes the faces, and even the voices of those who shared the experience, now long gone.

 To me, that is the trophy.  It’s worth reverence and respect. The fish or animal itself, while being a tribute to its magnificence, is what brought what was important to me…  the day, the circumstances, the people with me, and the breathtaking magnificence that the natural world truly holds. It also reminds me that the fish, or animal, lost is life by my hand.  Although I ate it, sometimes that animal is worth more than the delicious meals provided.  That fish, or bird, or deer you see on my wall?  That isn’t the trophy. It’s the memory, one that I found worth never forgetting…

As the NY Southern Zone Big Game Regular season winds down, it’s a good time to reflect on the efforts of sportsmen and women, not just in doing their part to manage the herds, but, perhaps more importantly, review the efforts put in to assure the most effective means of wildlife conservation continues to have a thriving and effective hunting community.  Hunters keep the herds at healthy population levels, feed many hungry families through venison donations, while learning about the animals, their use of habitat (and the quality of habitat they reside in), and a respect for the natural world only being in the natural world can deliver. 

Roughly twenty years ago, some concerning data was revealed, indicating the average age of a NY hunter was 55.  With alarm bells ringing concerning recruiting new hunters to replace today’s aging conservation stewards, many initiatives to bring more youth back into the lifestyle have been supported by hunters and conservationists.  The belief being, we need to expose and introduce youths to hunting earlier, while offering more opportunities for youth to experience the hunt through special “youths only” opportunities, efforts to lower the minimum hunting age, and expanding hunting implement choices thought to be helpful in recruiting kids, and women, while affording senior hunters another avenue to return to the woods they may have left due to physical deterioration that is the curse of aging.  The sporting community even bought into restructuring the opening days of big game hunting seasons, believing the empty promise of a Saturday opening day would go a long way to helping bring more youths to the sport, as the need to miss a day of school for opening day participation would be eliminated, coupled with their parents not having to take time off work, and the projection that opening day participation would rise, slightly, would outweigh the traditions lost, and would help in recruiting more hunters to the ranks.

 One thing I have noticed that is never done, is a review of these efforts to see whether they worked, or backfired.  Honest and frequent assessment of ideas implemented is critical for success, as any business will tell you.  With many volunteer sportsmen and women holding successful track records in the business world, it mystifies me that this basic practice evaporates when it comes to the development and perpetuation of wildlife conservation.  And this is causing us great harm.  A rough timeline of actions taken or supported by the sporting community is below:

 2005 – Big Game opening day restructuring, across early archery, regular season and extended archery/ black powder.

2008 – Minimum age for firearms big game hunting lowered from 16 to 14.  Youth mentoring law expanding who can legally mentor a youth enacted.

2011 – Minimum age for Jr archers lowered from 14 to 12

2012 – Early archery opening day moved from 3^rd Saturday of October to October 1, creation of special youth firearms deer hunt Columbus Day weekend.

2014 – Crossbow introduced in NY in limited fashion, minimum age for big game archery hunting lowered from 14 to 12.

2021 – Minimum age to hunt big game with firearms lowered from 14 to 12, but required each county to pass an affirming law to permit 12-year-olds to hunt big game with a firearm within their respective county.

2025 – Full inclusion of crossbow throughout early archery and moved requirements to the archery privilege.  Youth hunt tag issuance changes*.

 * With 2025 being the first season of full crossbow inclusion, time is needed to see how this impacts recruitment and retention.

 The measure of success of these initiatives should be found in recruiting new and younger hunters to the fold, with the hope of increasing hunter numbers in NYS to strengthen management efforts well into the foreseeable future.  But, have these changes worked?

 The answer is NO.

 NYS showed the largest hunting community in 1996, where, according to USFW Surveys on Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Watching, the hunting family was 665,000 strong, with over 90% of those hunters identifying as deer hunters.  Outside of a short-term bump experienced during the covid pandemic (when people were looking to get out of the house), hunter numbers in NY remain on a downward trajectory, with last numbers indicating 511,000 hunting license holders exist in NY.  That’s still 150,000 fewer hunters than in 1996, and the average age of a NY hunter has ticked upwards, not downwards.  In fact, in the late 1990s, the average age of a deer hunter as @ 46 years old.  By 2010, that average age shot up to 50.  Although numbers for 2025 are yet to be calculated, the trends suggest this number has risen.  Another distressing trend – the population of hunters falling into the age group of 16-35 has dropped big, while hunters over the age of 65 has grown. 

 NY has abundant deer populations, with many areas seeing an overpopulation issue once again.  Our seasons offer ample time for hunters with busy lives to get afield.  NY has established special youth hunts for just about everything.  So, it isn’t the hunting quality (we had more hunters and far fewer deer in the 1990s!), the opportunity to get afield (our seasons are longer, across the board, today than in the 1990s), and we have more implement choices today with expansion of crossbow and rifle inclusion across most of NYS.

 With the average hunter age being much lower in the 1990s, coupled with showing 30% more hunters through year 2000, when hunting age was higher, seasons shorter, and deer abundance much lower, there can be only one answer why we are failing the future.  And it is an answer that, strangely, many in the hunting ranks ardently refuse to address – ECONOMIC!  That’s right, folks, the evil, almighty dollar is at the root of this.  More accurately, the affordability of the sports themselves is the reason, the only reason, why all these efforts have borne no fruit, and until we drop the sanctimony, this will worsen.

 There’s an old saying – money talks, and BS walks.  This is true 100% of the time.  We rely on many attitude surveys presented to us by the NYSDEC and Cornell University, but I have learned that surveys are a weak indicator of the truth – whereas the cash register tells no lies.  After spending more than a dozen years as a market analyst for the retail food trade, I have seen many a new product launch, touted by consumer surveys as being the next best thing since sliced bread, fail miserably when it comes to consumers actually buying these products that they told researchers they wanted.  Basically, many consumers tell you what you want to hear, but when the cash register is empty, they are telling you the truth.

 To uncover the root cause of the issue, we must look deeper into the numbers, but one doesn’t have to look very far.  The answer is found in demographic profiles – where hunters live based on metropolitan statistical areas and household income levels.  Let’s look.

 2001 statistics

642,000 total resident hunters estimated in NYS

37% of hunters resided in MSA of over 1 MILLION population, 41% of hunters came from outside MSA, or in rural communities where population is under 50,000.

29% of NY hunters in 2001 showed a household income of under $40,000/ year, breaking down as 10% from $20,000-$29,999, and 19% from $30,000-$39,999.  The remaining 71% showed HH income levels of $40,000 and up.  29% of 642,000 = 186,180.

 2006 Statistics

502,000 total resident hunters estimated in NYS

31% of hunters resided in MSA of over 1 MILLION population, 34% came from outside the MSA

0% of NY hunters came from a HH income under $40,000/ year.

 The growth segment which offset losing 29% of hunters due to economic affordability was found in the income range of $50,000-$74,999, and where these hunters reside is within an MSA population of 250,000-999,999, showing the moves from urban to suburban areas, most likely connected to income and affordability.  Although we added a little over 40,000 hunters from higher income brackets, NY lost over 186,000 hunters making under $40K/ year.

 The National USFW Surveys of 2022, the most recent report, shows that across the Nation, only 4% of hunters come from $20,000-$29,999 and $30,000-$39,999 HH incomes, respectively, making up a mere 8% of the total hunter numbers.  However, in higher cost states, like NY and CA on the west coast, if you don’t make over $50,000/ year, chances are you cannot afford to hunt anymore.  It is noteworthy to observe that the largest economic group that hunters come from is now over $75,000/ year.

 The pressures forcing hunters out due to cost are several folds, with most of this being driven by government itself, in the form of ever escalating property taxes, household energy costs, transportation costs, and recent inflationary periods forcing everything else like gear, and clothing upwards.  When taxes and cost of necessities rise, disposable income, and choices, diminish.  Access to hunting lands, too, has become very pressured.  Landowners who once granted permission for hunters to hunt, now seek ever-escalating lease fees to offset the ever-rising property tax liabilities.  Odorous regulations, such as the recently adopted firearms transport rules and potential lead ammunition bans will push costs in only one direction, while adding uncertainty of being in compliance with the law.  When a parent can spend a few hundred on a gaming console, vs. over $1,000 on a firearm and ammunition, it doesn’t take an economic expert to understand the motivation.  And when a $60.00 video game can provide months of entertainment, vs. $3,000 and up per year on a hunting lease, the motivation is clear.

Add in the costs of re-outfitting your growing boy or girl every season with new hunting clothes and boots, and we actually think a special youth hunt, or lowering the hunting age is the answer?

 Only in fantasyland.

 Some additional insight related to cost

Average annual hunting expenses for hunting in NY

2001 – $1,135.00 annual expenditure on average per hunter

2006 – $1,237.00 annual expenditure on average per hunter

2022 – $3,146.00 annual expenditure on average per hunter

 Until the ranks of the organized hunters and sportsmen get serious in understanding the actual problems, and actually fighting to reduce these mainly government-induced escalation of costs, we’re all just whistling Dixie past our grave.  One cannot solve a problem until the problem is first correctly identified.  Once that is done, game plans and campaigns can be implemented.  But, we’re way behind, being led around by those who don’t know reality with ideas that do not address the problems, but sure feel good to support, as who doesn’t want to virtue signal that you’re “for the children”?  Well, I hate to tell everyone this, but children don’t pay the bills, and neither does making changes or offering new youth hunts, etc., but these changes sure can piss off some of your consumers.  Some people will always be unhappy with changes, but those changes better be addressing the problem, otherwise you’ve only furthered your own erosion.

 Are we awake yet?

The fourth Saturday of September, since 1972, has been the day the United States Congress dedicated as National Hunting and Fishing Day; a day of celebration recognizing the indispensable value hunting, fishing and shooting sports delivers to wildlife and fisheries conservation across the fruited plain.

 September 27, 2025 was no different, as the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (ECFSC) marked the 54^th annual day of celebration, with this family-friendly, and free event was hosted by member club Elma Conservation, located at 600 Creek Road, Elma, NY.  Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted enthusiastic attendees, as roughly 17outdoors related exhibitors shared their knowledge and expertise to an eager and appreciative public at large.

 Sportsmen’s groups offer special events across the Nation, but the ECFSC celebration is one of a few that offer hand’s on instruction across most disciplines – from traditional archery instruction under supervision of Hawkeye Bowmen, to crossbow handling supervised by the NY Hunter Ed instructors, to an air rifle range operated by TenX shooting, where youths and adults alike gain insight into marksmanship demands, and how to best execute the operation of these implements.  For those attendees age 12 and up, ECFSC experts and certified instructors also offered trap shooting – which simulates the flush of a pheasant – with many trying their luck at wing-shooting.  Elma Conservation provided the range operation and supervision.  The use of 20-gauge shotguns helped reduce recoil that often intimidates youth shooters.  For those who sought to cast a line, members of the Lakeshore Exempt Sportsmen’s Club assisted youths and adults alike, with rods and reels, bait and tackle and pro tips at the ready.

 The Erie County Trappers Association always delivers a great informational exhibit, including how specific traps work, the importance of trapping to help maintain population balance for wildlife that may be destructive if not kept in check, and the fur handling that helps trappers put to good use the animals harvested.  In fact, the Trappers also donated several fox tails to the ECFSC to raffle off to the youth attendees, something that hit a high note with lucky youth raffle winners offered a choice between a rod & reel combo, or a fox tail.  4 lucky winners opted for the trappers’ work, instead of a rod & reel, showing their curiosity and enthusiasm for this outdoors activity.

 The NYSDEC represented the department well, with timely information provided concerning the new crossbow law recently adopted, insight into our myriad of wildlife in WNY, and information for concerned people regarding the Ishua Creek incident near Franklinville.  Sheri Voss, a Lyme Disease prevention expert, also provided a couple informational seminars on Lyme disease and reducing tick exposure, while offering tick first aid kits and tick repellents to the engaged audience.

This event, over time, has grown to become a favorite with those who attend, with many young boys and girls not wanting to leave.  This year, over 350 attended this 6 hour celebration, showing steady growth over the years.

 A special thank you is extended to all those who set up exhibits, and the volunteers and committee members that help make this annual event possible.  And, of course, to Elma Conservation, whose venue is absolutely perfect for this outdoors community oriented event.

 Next years’ event is slated for Saturday, September 26, 2026.  Mark your calendars and come out next year to help us celebrate the importance of conservation that hunting, fishing, trapping and shooting sports helps fund and delivers insight and management to assure the future generations of healthy and abundant wildlife and fisheries, perpetuated forever.

Another Labor Day has passed, another summer season is winding down, but this season in WNY will be forever remembered as the “Year of the Walleye,” as the bite on Lake Erie continues its mind-boggling frenzy that seems to have been sustained since the walleye opener on May 1.

The 2025 season started as they all have in the past, with a solid night bite in the shallows, with a twist – usually these post spawn feeding areas have defined sections, such as from Woodlawn to Wanakah, or Barcelona to the PA line.  Little did the night anglers know the stage was being set, with fast limits and consistent action evening to evening.  Even the Upper Niagara River saw a night bite accessible from shore from places like Freedom Park and the foot of Ontario Street’s Black Rock Park.  As May progressed into June, and the night bite gave way to the daytime activity, the walleye fishing seemed to only improve.

Catch rates this year seem to have remained consistent and steady, cross the NY waters of the Eastern Basin, and according to DEC Lake Erie Fisheries Unit personnel, this year’s catch rate has broken every record since records have been kept.  Anglers have been taking to social media, charter captains and hobbyists alike, showing off the photos of limit catches achieved in 2 hours of fishing, or less.  This June success continued – throughout July, throughout August, and now into September, the action has not slowed down.

Historically, the eastern basin of Lake Erie has truly relied upon the annual migration of western basin walleye that follow the baitfish each summer as they move to the cooler, deeper waters the east side of this Great Lake offers.  Historically, the eastern basin has had low levels of resident walleye, and if you were fortunate to find an active school of “resident” fish, it was somewhat normal to see trophy class fish, but very few smaller walleye, until the migrating fish arrived.  Limits were nowhere near as common, until those western fish arrived as well.  Once summertime hit it stride, and our local waters warmed, many of the fish found near Buffalo would move to deeper waters offered further west, from Sturgeon Point to Barcelona.  Some years anglers would need to work west of Sunset Bay to find good fishing from mid-July – end of August. 

It would appear the eastern basin resident walleye numbers have exploded, and if the DEC telemetry studies inform us, these fish that call the WNY waters home remain in the eastern basin; they do not migrate west!  It seems that spawning success on the eastern basin has improved tremendously, as it has across the entire lake, which, to me, indicates the lake’s health from the days Erie was declared dead, continues to improve, with additional cleanup projects and remediation of old toxic sludge and habitat restoration, has brought a more stable and healthy spawn into play.  Over the past 15 years or so, based on trawl surveys conducted each fall, the annual spawn is appearing more consistent.  Gone seem to be the days when anglers and biologists would see a great spawn year, followed by several year of low production, then another spike.  This condition appears to be giving way to more consistent annual spawning success, and the walleye population estimates, which are truly based on western basin observations, continues to show growth and stability.  The result is a great mix of fish, as multiple year classes of fish are now present.  Throughout the 2025 season, anglers have reported all sizes being caught, but very few of those double-digit wall hangers, which is a more normal condition for a well-balanced, healthy fish population.

As mentioned earlier, this year’s catch rates have broken all records.  Where it once was normal to expect an average catch rate of just under 1 fish an hour – a high-quality fishery by any measure – seems like many boats are experiencing just over 1 fish every 10 minutes!  Participants of the Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout and the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club Walleye Derby this year reported each day bringing nearly 100 fish caught, with many reporting putting well over 30 on the deck (with most released, due to the 6 fish per man daily possession limit.)  And the action continues, despite the cooling waters and the usual late-summer lull that comes with the western basin fish making their return journey back to Ohio waters.

This bodes well for our region, as walleye is the 2^nd most popular freshwater gamefish in the USA, behind black bass.  Regional tourism, despite taking some hits with cross-border visitors due to the weakened Canadian dollar, has been buoyed by the lure of Lake Erie and the mind-boggling walleye fishing.  Many states’ license plates are represented in the launch parking lots, from Sturgeon Point to Barcelona.  I believe a good 30 of the 50 states were represented at this year’s Sunset Bay Shootout.  Sportfishing tourism in WNY continues to rise, a testament to the marketing efforts of the Eastern Lake Erie Charter Boat Association and their “Come Fish Lake Erie” promotion.  Word of mouth is doing the rest, and with the National Walleye Tour making another stop in Dunkirk this past August, the area can expect more good reports delivered to friends and family back home.  Add this to the incredible bass fishery found nearshore in close proximity to Buffalo, and this region has a one-two punch for traveling anglers to capitalize on.  The private sector is making the most of this opportunity and millions of dollars of economic impact and thousands of jobs for our residents is the result.

The good old days are right now, with a fishery large and healthy enough to share with those from other parts of the country who do not have such quality walleye fisheries back home.  When the fishing is this good, and we show and promote this gift, the entire region rises, increased funding for continued restoration programs and fisheries monitoring through increased non-NY resident fishing license sales, and the many secondary businesses, like restaurants, hotels, B&Bs and campgrounds have all seen this significant uptick in business; and the future is looking very bright indeed.

On August 26, 2025, NY Governor Hochul signed the overwhelmingly supported NY Crossbow Bill into law, marking the end of a decades long battle to include the crossbow as a choice for NY hunters, without special medical restrictions or modification.  I would like to applaud the Governor for hearing the will of the people and enacting this bill into law, which has taken effect immediately.

 Let’s take a moment to review some of the changes this law brings with it.  First, the restrictions placed on a legal crossbow, including maximum draw weight of 200 lbs., and minimum limb width of 17 inches have ben removed.  NY hunter may now use any modern crossbow regardless of draw weight (still must meet a minimum draw weight of 100 lbs.) and limb width.

 Second, the new law allows crossbow use throughout any early archery season.  This replaced the permissible timing during early archery season, which, in NY southern zone for example, was limited to the final 14 days of early archery.

 Third, and perhaps most importantly, crossbow use now requires hunters to successfully complete the bowhunter safety course, moving crossbow away from the muzzleloader privilege.  This means, effective immediately, if a hunter in NY wishes to use the crossbow – regardless of whether it is chosen during early archery, regular season, or extended season and holiday hunt (S. Zone only), or for it to be used in pursuit of small game and wild turkey, the hunter must now take the bowhunter safety course.  If you have been using the crossbow in its limited form under the ML privilege, but have never taken the bowhunting course, you will now have to.

 This law addresses some shortcomings of the old law, eliminating any confusion as to whether your crossbow is “legal,” and, perhaps most importantly, proper education on how the bolt lethality works, which is identical to the broadhead on an arrow, requiring the hunter to give more time before recovery efforts, most effective shot placement and blood tracking skills not taught in the basic hunter’s safety course.  Over the past several seasons, Deer Search, Inc. has tracked massive increases in calls during those last 2 weeks of early archery, as crossbow hunters, as it stood prior to 8/26/2025, relied upon what was taught in terms of safe and effective firearms use, but may be unaware of the different demands a successful archery harvest and recovery carries.

 As for its use and who really benefits most from this new law, although benefits are attached to crossbow in recruiting women and youth hunters to these critical conservation activities, the biggest winners are senior bowhunters who, through attrition of time, can no longer draw and hold a vertical bow effectively for an ethical kill.  These experienced bowhunters, having opportunity to return to the early archery woods, brings with it the hands-on mentoring of the new generation, imparting not just the skills needed to be an effective and successful bowhunter, but also passing on the knowledge required to become a woodsman, not just a hunter.  Returning these hunters to the woods will deliver profound benefit to the next generations, something not readily measurable, but will be noticed as increased harvest and reduced calls for deer recovery help.

 This is a very positive moment for hunting in NYS, something that would not have happened without the dedication to this effort from New York State Conservation Council, New York Crossbow Coalition, and the overwhelming majority of County Federations, like Erie County, not giving up and presenting facts, harvest history and recruitment insights gleaned from past ML stamp sales.

 Since this act was written to take effect “immediately upon enactment”, the new law starts THIS season.  Although the enactment happened after the deadline for updating the print version of the hunting regulations guide book, you will be able to get the updated regulations from the DEC website, as they will be able to update the online PDF of the booklet rather quickly.  In fact, I’m sure it is already completed and ready to roll out.  For more information, check the DEC website in the coming days to read and familiarize yourself with the new rules for crossbow use starting in 2025.

 We’re a little over 30 days from early archery opener in the Southern Zone, less than 30 days for northern zone early archery.  Hunters still have time to pick up a crossbow, bolts, broadheads, and practice bolts, get familiar with the operation and marksmanship before hitting the woods, if you so choose to use a crossbow.  Remember, you aren’t required to use a crossbow – it’s your choice.  But it’s a choice long overdue in New York. 

We applaud the Governor for the action and wish to recognize and thank the NYS DEC for their quick response and implementation.

On June 20, 2025, the NYSDEC released for public comment, a handful of regulatory changes impacting the Big Game hunting rules, stating with the 2025 season.  Below are the proposals, and my take on these actions.  

Move to e-Carcass tagging:  dove-tailing on last year’s change to the issuing of carcass tags, the DEC is proposing elimination of the need to physically “tag” your harvest, provided you report your filled tag using the HuntFishNY App.  Exceptions to this requirement (when you do need to affix a carcass tag to the animal) include when you are not in immediate possession of the harvest, when the harvest is dropped off to a deer processor, or taxidermist.  Hunters will still be able to print out the issued carcass tags through your web portal, which began last season. 

Within this proposed change, some other changes are parts of this proposal, including the change in required reporting time from 7 days to 48 hours.  DEC claims you can use the HuntFishNY App to report your harvest, even if you have no cell service, and the report that you have completed will transmit to DEC once cell service is restored. 

My take:  Although the intention appears good with this proposal, and several other states have successfully moved to e-carcass tagging, like Ohio, we’re talking about NY.  Being an IT/ OT professional for nearly 30 years, and experiencing many initiatives pushed by NYS leveraging technical solutions, I can tell you with certainty this program will crash and burn due to insufficient quality assurance and product testing.  Let’s review the history.  2002 and the DECALS rollout – web servers crashed, making it impossible for license sales to occur, a problem that persisted for about a month after rollout.  Changes to the reporting methodology, from mail-in report card to harvest reporting via phone in system was difficult and non-intuitive and, coupled with a 24-hour reporting requirement, was the root cause of reporting compliance drops.  If a system doesn’t work out of the box, user confidence gets crushed.  To address the issues of reporting, DEC extended the reporting deadline to 7 days after harvest.  This seemed to improve reporting compliance, as many complained that while afield, no cellular service existed where they hunt.  Although the call-in HIP system worked, it wasn’t perfect, with some hunters not being presented with the right towns while leveraging the voice activated reporting.  Let’s also not forget recent history, when DEC cut over to eLicensing without first testing the HIP call in system and the mobile application, the NY Pocket Ranger, which wound up not working, the HIP call system was broken and a new app had to be developed, post rollout!  A better direction would be working this new approach in parallel with the physical tagging, as to assure all bugs are identified and corrected before pissing off the sporting community.   A larger concern in my mind, being a cybersecurity professional, is the claim you can report offline, and your harvest report will automatically upload upon restoration of cellular service.  How is authentication handled?  Does this pass a simple cookie to your phone, leveraging this as your token to securely connect to your account and transmit the proper data?  What if you have multiple accounts tied to your user ID?  This scenario exists with parents and their children.  My experience is the app will default to whatever account was last active.  How does one switch without authentication and verification?  What about the app itself?  Does this need to be running in the background to maintain session information?  If this is the case, what does this do to battery life?  If the phone shuts down the background application to conserve power, how does that report transmit “automatically”?  We should walk before we fly, and when it comes to NY and technology, well, they barely crawl. 

Youth Hunt additional permits – a commonly reported flaw in the special youth firearms hunt, held during Columbus Day weekend, is the youth hunter must use their regular season tag (antlered, or “buck” tag) if they successfully harvest a deer during the special youth firearms hunt.  If the youth did not secure a DMP, they are effectively locked out of the regular season deer hunt if they successfully filled their tag in October.  To address this, the DEC is proposing issuing a special regular season tag, for a deer of the opposite “sex” of that harvested during the youth hunt, but only to kids that did not receive a DMP.  How this would work is, upon reporting a harvest, DEC would examine whether the account has a valid DMP issued, and if not, a special regular season tag would be issued.  If the youth hunter harvested an antlered deer, the special permit would be for antlerless only.  If the youth harvested an antlerless deer during the youth hunt, an antlered deer tag would be issued.  This would preserve the opportunity for the parent to hunt with their child during regular season. 

My take:  Although the intentions are good, this proposal seems a bit over-complicated.  A wise man once told me to embrace the KISS method for best success – KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!  Why would we want to introduce such complexity to this problem?  If the October harvest doesn’t successfully report, what happens?  If the youth hunter harvested a buck, would that antlerless only tag be valid statewide, or be WMU specific?  What would this do to the deer management program (antlerless harvests by WMU, not statewide)?  Seems to me, the best approach would be to ask the parent whether the qualifying youth will participate in the October youth hunt.  If yes, issue a special youth hunt deer tag, valid for a deer of either sex, but valid for the 3-day youth hunt ONLY.  This would eliminate the rigamarole, simplify the process, and assure the youth and the parent that, despite filling their tag during the youth hunt, that youth will still be able to hunt with dad or mom during the regular. 

DMAP Changes – eliminate the 4 DMAPs per hunter limit, and review DMAP program every 5 years, vs. 3 years. 

My take:  This move appears long overdue.  The deer management assistance program is geared to assist specific land owners that show negative deer damage, requiring additional antlerless deer management.  If this program is rolled out for a property, the property owner has a problem.  Getting hunters to voluntarily assist in removing overabundant numbers can sometimes be challenging, as time is what it is, can’t make more of it.  If a landowner has a successful hunter filling DMAPs, why limit that successful hunter to four (4) animals?  Reviewing the impacts of DMAP every 5 years makes more sense than the 3-year review, as getting a deer problem under “control” using DMAP is a longer process than 3 seasons affords. 

DEC is accepting comments on the proposed regulations through Aug. 18, 2025. Submit comments to wildliferegs@dec.ny.gov (subject: “e-tags and DMAP”) or to: NYSDEC, Attn: Deer Hunting Regs, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754.