Senator Bonacic Urges Sportsmen to make their Voices Heard as DEC Proposes Hunting and Trapping Rules Changes for 2016 Season

(Middletown, NY)-Senator John J. Bonacic (R/C/I-Mt. Hope) today urged local sportsmen in his Senate District to make their voices heard after the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced it will be accepting public comments on several regulatory proposals for hunting black bear and white-tailed deer, and for fisher and general trapping regulations.

“I would urge the men and women of the 42nd Senate District who enjoy hunting and  trapping to provide comments to the DEC,” said Senator Bonacic. “I applaud the DEC for engaging with sportsmen around the state in an effort make positive changes to the 2016 season.”

The proposed changes for deer and bear hunting will increase opportunities for junior hunters to take bears, rescind an antlerless-only rule from 2015 in portions of southeastern New York and Lake Plains, reduce antlerless harvests in two management units in the western Adirondacks, and clarify when special season tags may be used by bow and muzzleloader hunters.

The proposed changes for fisher trapping reduce the trapping season in selected Adirondack Wildlife Management Units (WMU’s) in Northern New York where populations have declined in recent years, and establish a limited open trapping season in selected WMU’s in Central/Western New York, to provide new opportunities for sustainable use of this natural resource.

For a more detailed explanation of these proposals, and for instructions on submitting comments, please visit the DEC’s website, www.dec.ny.gov.

Comments on the proposed deer and bear hunting regulations must be received by June 25, 2016. Comments on the proposed fisher and general trapping regulations must be received by June 10, 2016.