Mixed reactions as NY adds a week to deer season with Holiday Deer Hunt in Southern Tier

The holiday season may mark the start of a new tradition for New York’s sportsmen.

This month features the debut of the “Holiday Deer Hunt,” an extension of the late bow and muzzleloader hunting seasons from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 in New York’s Southern Zone.

The extra week was announced by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in February. The DEC solicited input from the public last fall and received more than 3,000 comments on the proposal.

Now, as the first Holiday Hunt draws near, sportsmen across the state are weighing how the extra week will impact their plans — and the deer population.

“My gut feeling is it’s a good thing,” said Jeff Culver, President of the Broome County Sportsman’s Association. “I think it will help with the harvest in this time when meat prices have gone through the roof. It will help people have more of a chance to put meat in their freezer. There’s sport hunters, but there’s also a lot of subsistence hunters out there who hunt for meat.

“Anytime anybody can get out, get exercise and enjoy wildlife, that’s a good thing.”

Mixed reaction to new Holiday Deer Hunt

The number of licensed big game hunters increased 7% in 2020, up to just over 588,000 statewide. Many observers attributed the bump to the COVID-19 pandemic creating increased demand for outdoor activities and venison in the freezer. The number of youth hunters ages 14 to 15 also increased by 23 percent after several years of declining participation.

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said initiatives like the Holiday Hunt aim to capitalize on that surge in interest.

“The Holiday Deer Hunt will provide new opportunities for New Yorkers and visiting hunters to venture afield during a time when families and friends are gathered together for the holidays and students are home on school break," said Seggos. “The extended season is also a great time for younger hunters to go afield with experienced mentors and nurture their knowledge and skills as responsible members of the hunting community.”

When Sean Burdick first learned of DEC’s plan for the Holiday Hunt, one of his first thoughts was how the extra week would open up hunting opportunities for college students and visitors from out of town who miss most of the season.

“This extra week is certainly a good way to get more hunters out. I hope people take advantage of it now that it's available,” said Burdick, who leads the National Deer Association’s Upper Genesee Chapter in Allegany County. “The timing certainly is convenient for when families and friends are gathering and away from work and school, so I can see new traditions being started. It might only be getting one hunt together, or it could be a few days at camp.”

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Overall, Burdick and many of the Upper Genesee chapter members are taking a wait and see approach to the new policy. Some hunters think deer season is already too long. Early bow season in the Southern Zone opens Oct. 1 and hunters can hit the woods in some fashion through Dec. 21. With the onset of the Holiday Hunt, deer will receive a brief four-day reprieve before hunters with a bow or muzzleloader can resume the chase through Jan. 1.

Is the addition of the Holiday Hunt too much of a good thing?

Mike Warren, President of the Steuben County Federation of Sportsmen, thinks so.

“We already have a very, very long deer season,” said Warren. “The length of the season tends to create less hunting pressure over a longer period of time. That may sound like a good thing, but it actually isn’t. What happens is the deer will get into areas they aren’t being bothered by hunters and they’ll stay there for most, if not all, of the season.

“In general, we prefer to have a shorter, more compact season,” added Warren. “The hunters are mostly out at a similar time and keep the deer moving and the harvest doesn’t wear the animals down nearly as much. The pressure isn’t there for such a long period of time.”

Warren is a native of Hornell in Steuben County, which often leads the state in total deer harvest. More than 15,000 deer were harvested in Steuben County in 2020, by far the most statewide. Chautauqua and Allegany were the only other counties to top 10,000.

Because the Holiday Hunt is limited to bow and muzzleloader hunters who still have an unfilled deer tag, DEC biologists do not anticipate a significant effect on deer harvest or local deer populations.

“I’m anxious to see what kind of harvest numbers are reported and to see how many hunters participate,” said Burdick. “I likely won't participate myself. I hunt pretty hard throughout all of the archery season and early rifle season not only in New York, but also in Ohio and Pa. each year. By the time Thanksgiving comes around, I'm ready to do something else.”

Addressing potential conflicts with snowmobilers

Don Zeigler, who sits on the Chemung County Rod & Gun Club Board of Directors, noted that the Holiday Hunt may offer a greater chance of snow than most of the season. That would be a welcome sight for hunters and snowmobilers alike, but the Holiday Hunt could interfere with the opening of snowmobiling season in some areas.

Allegany County has an active ridership with over 380 miles of trails managed by volunteers from the Allegany County Federation of Snowmobilers. The riding season typically starts Dec. 22, but the Federation has already resolved not to open its trails until Jan. 2 after the conclusion of the Holiday Hunt.

“We’ll follow the rules and hopefully all the snowmobilers abide by the rules,” said Paul Coleman, president of the Federation. “The landowners are No. 1. We have to protect them. A lot of them are hunters, and they don’t want anyone on their land during hunting season.”

The DEC has proposed a regulation that would allow counties to opt out of the Holiday Hunt. The move came after some stakeholders across the state expressed concerns about the hunt interfering with local snowmobiling opportunities, which drive tourism in many rural areas.

The DEC accepted public comment on the proposal through Nov. 14 and, if adopted, counties that decide to opt out must pass a local law each year renewing the policy. This year, counties that pass a local law must send a copy to the DEC before Dec. 25. In the future, the deadline is May 1.

Zeigler, for one, would like to see the Holiday Hunt become an annual tradition.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” he said. “I hope it works out for everybody and they continue to do it. To me, it’s another opportunity to bag a deer a different, slightly old-fashioned way.”

Chris Potter can be reached at cpotter@gannett.com or on Twitter @ChrisPotter413. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: New Holiday Deer Hunt is set for Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 in Southern Zone