Thanks to last year’s across-the-board fee increases for all New York hunting, fishing and trapping licenses, many took advantage of the deadline date to purchase Lifetime licenses before the fees went up, thereby saving themselves money. The sudden rush created a temporary euphoria of “found money” for the NYSDEC and money-strapped Conservation Fund. Since these Lifetime license purchases were a one-time deal, that reality is about to set in as the upcoming years arrive.
For those not familiar with these licenses, purchasing one means the holder will no longer need to purchase an annual license for that license activity or activities – whether to fish, hunt or trap – for as long as he or she lives. In other words, the State loses that annually received revenue for years to come. With people living longer, that could translate to many millions of dollars no longer annually flowing into the DEC’s coffers for years … and this during a period when the State is already in deficit spending and strapped for money, with little relief in sight.
Further complicating the issue is, according to several polls conducted among licensed sportsmen and women, many are becoming disenchanted with hunting, fishing and trapping opportunities available today. Declining habitat quality, loss of access to private property they once had permission to, physical restrictions due to aging, and reduced economic abilities were some of the primary factors expressed in these polls.
Other factors that are impacting and will probably continue to impact the DEC’s Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources are fewer younger people taking up participation in the license-required outdoor activities, thereby replacing aging ones that cease the activities, especially those who have historically purchased annual licenses to do so. With less license and fee money coming in, the State will be forced to reduce applicable programs and personnel thereof, which will no doubt have a negative ripple effect on the overall quality of outdoor experiences, thereby possibly motivating more to quit the activities.
So, the question facing the State and especially the DEC is how to reverse and jumpstart these activities while also increasing the income they annually generate? And how do they motivate people to either start participating or continue to participate?
In New York State we’re fortunate to have a variety of readily available natural and renewable resources at our disposal, but there has been a noticeable lack of imaginative measures implemented to not only take full advantage of their monetary but also their conservation management worth. Steps have been taken to extend hunting and fishing seasons, in some cases daily and seasonable limits have been liberalized, but these have generally failed to reverse the general downward trend in several once dependable and popular activities.
I assume a major stumbling block in trying innovative new programs and approaches has to do with our State legislature that has the power to approve or disapprove changes in the seasons, limits and regulations, regardless of their approval by the DEC. One positive move was to lower the mandatory age for youth big game hunting. Doing so helped get youths involved in outdoor activities sufficiently early to hopefully build on that interest throughout their lives. Another has been the special youth hunting days set aside for turkey and waterfowl hunting, and special free fishing days for residents of all ages. However, there are several other opportunistic considerations that should be at least considered. All have proven effective in many other states.
Thirty-nine of the lower-48 states have dove hunting seasons of up to 70 days, with daily bag limits of up to 15 birds in some states. Many dove seasons occur during the month of September – a period when the weather is normally quite comfortable. Despite its national classification as a migratory game bird, just like waterfowl, mourning doves are protected in New York, despite those that migrate being hunted in just about every southern state they pass through, including neighboring Pennsylvania.
The misconceptions about doves being a “songbird” have been the primary reason they aren’t hunted in our state. I’m just happy that Canada geese are no longer viewed in the same light, and are now hunted to manage their numbers. The abundant and prolific dove population we have in New York is indeed healthy, and of the annual natural mortality nationwide, hunters account for only about 10 percent, and the dove population continues to thrive. However, many people still think of them, not as a prolific and stable migratory game species, but as the naive birds that visit their bird feeders.
Doves are not hunted on the ground, but rather by pass-shooting as they fly to and from feeding areas, usually grain and corn fields. They fly fast and dip and dive as they fly. Avid dove hunters often feel that getting one dove for every five shots fired isn’t a bad percentage. Dove hunting is also a standard in most states for introducing youths to the challenges of bird hunting …the weather’s comfortable and there’s seldom a lack of doves zipping by or overhead. Doves are also good to eat.
Another consideration is how to keep more of the state’s aging archery hunters actively involved during that season. The normal physical aging effects are causing increasingly more bowhunters, even avid ones, to give the activity up. And as more bowhunters age, they too will discover why … although it may not occur to them right now. Many states have discovered that legalizing crossbows for hunting during the archery season has revitalized the activity, keeping more hunters involved longer, attracting new hunters, generating more income, and all without unduly increasing the annual deer harvest. It also expands deer management opportunities in problematic areas where firearms aren’t legal to use for hunting deer.
As Lee Iacocca once said: “You lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Here in New York I think it’s time we followed … those successful natural resource programs being enjoyed in so many other states.