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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty today announced that the 2003 Northern Zone muzzleloader hunting seasons for deer and bear open at sunrise on Saturday, October 11, 2003. The Northern Zone Regular Big Game season begins on the following Saturday, October 18, 2003, and runs through Sunday, December 7, 2003.
"Fall is a wonderful, exciting time to be afield in New York State," Commissioner Crotty said. "As the 2003 hunting season gets into full swing, I encourage everyone to have a safe and rewarding experience."
Northern Zone big game hunting opportunities will be productive and offer enjoyable time afield for sportsmen and women. DEC reports that hunters can expect the deer population at numbers that are similar or slightly lower than last year. Northern Zone deer populations were affected by the harsh winter of 2002–03 in portions of the Adirondack region. As a result of prolonged snow cover and cold temperatures, field checks confirmed that deer were lost to winter mortality in some areas. Winter mortality can result in decreases in deer harvest by as much as 30 percent in some of the higher elevation units. Hunting opportunities in the peripheral Adirondacks will be average.
Hunters participating in the muzzleloader seasons are reminded that bag limits were modified in a number of Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) for 2003 to allow deer numbers to rebound. Specifically, muzzleloader hunters will be allowed to take only antlered bucks in WMUs 5F, 5G, 5H and 5J. Although muzzleloader hunters possess tags which allow the taking of deer of either sex, the 2003 unit–specific regulations take precedence, and, accordingly, their tags cannot be used to take antlerless deer in these four WMUs. Additionally, the late muzzleloader season in WMU 5A has been eliminated for the 2003 season.
The Northern Zone archery season began September 27, 2003, and runs through October 17, 2003. Junior archers should be aware that they can continue to hunt with a bow during the regular season, while accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. The 2003 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide contains an error which mistakenly does not include junior archers' regular season hunting opportunities.
Hunters are also reminded that Deer Management Permits (DMPs) that were issued for taking antlerless deer in certain Northern Zone WMUs are not valid for use until the beginning of the regular season on October 18, 2003. In the Northern Zone, DMPs were only available in WMUs 6A, 6C, 6G, 6H, and 6K.
The Northern Zone generally includes the Adirondacks, Tug Hill Plateau, Eastern Lake Ontario Plain, St. Lawrence and Champlain valleys, and some adjacent areas. The description of the Northern Zone line from the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide indicates a line that: commences at a point at the north shore of the Salmon River and its junction with Lake Ontario and extending easterly along the north shore of that river to the Village of Pulaski; then southerly along Rt. 11 to its intersection with Rt. 49 in the village of Central Square; then easterly along Rt. 49 to its junction with Rt. 365 in the City of Rome; then easterly along Rt. 365 to its junction with Rt. 28 in the Village of Trenton; then easterly along Rt. 28 to its junction with Rt. 29 in the Village of Middleville; then easterly along Rt. 29 to its junction with Rt. 4; then northerly along Rt. 4 to its junction with Rt. 22; then northerly and westerly along Rt. 22 to the eastern shore of South Bay on Lake Champlain in the Village of Whitehall; then northerly along the eastern shore of South Bay to the New York–Vermont boundary.
A comprehensive unit–by–unit forecast of deer hunting for the upcoming season is available on the DEC's website at 2003 Deer Hunting Season.
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