Outdoors with Larry DiDonato - October 1st is a Big Day for NY Sportsmen

October 1st is one of the most significant dates on the New York sportsmen’s calendar. It is the last day you can apply for a Deer Management Permit (DMP), and the first day of both the statewide small game season, as well as opening day to hunt big game with a bow or crossbow in the Southern Zone. In the Northern Zone, archery season for deer opened on September 27th and bow season for bear opened on September 13th.

Back to the deadline to obtain a DMP, you must submit your application before midnight on October 1st. Make sure you know the Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) you intend to apply for to hunt. DEC’s DMP Availability and Probability of Selection webpage has more information regarding DMP availability and chances of being selected in each WMU. 

New for this Year: Crossbows Now Legal to use During ALL Bow-only Seasons. 

Here’s what you need to know to hunt big game with a crossbow:

• You must have successfully taken an accredited bowhunting safety certification course

• You must possess a current NYS archery hunting privilege. Purchasing a muzzle loading privilege and filling out a self-certification is no longer valid to hunt big game with a crossbow

• Minimum width and maximum draw weight requirements for crossbows have been eliminated. This will allow New York hunters to now legally access the majority of crossbows on the market. 

• Without landowner permission, crossbows may not be discharged within 250 feet of any home, school building or playground, public structure, farm structure in use, or occupied factory or church. In Suffolk and Westchester counties, this setback distance is 500 feet.

*You can read more about Crossbow Hunting on DEC’s website.

Youth Big Game Hunt Scheduled for Columbus Day Weekend
New York's annual Youth Big Game Hunt occurs over Columbus Day Weekend, October 11-13 for junior hunters (hunters aged 12-15) accompanied by an experienced, licensed adult hunter. Only the junior hunter may carry a firearm during the youth hunt.  

The Youth Big Game Hunt takes place throughout the State, except in Suffolk and Westchester counties and bowhunting-only areas. Licensed 12- to 13-year-old hunters may only take deer with a firearm in counties that participate in the youth pilot program. Though junior hunters may have multiple deer tags, they may only take one deer with a firearm during the Youth Big Game Hunt. Antlerless deer taken with a firearm may be tagged with a regular season tag, DMP, or a Deer Management Assistance Program tag, while antlered deer may only be tagged with the regular season tag. 

Additional rules that apply to junior hunters and their adult mentors can be found on pages 44 and 45 of the Hunting and Trapping Guide or on DEC’s Youth Firearms Hunting webpage. 

For more information about DEC's big game hunting seasons, recent rule changes, and hunter safety information including new requirements to wear hunter orange or pink, go to DEC's website.  

Happy hunting, fishing, and trapping until next time!