For Release: Tuesday, October 3, 2017
DEC Announces Youth Pheasant Hunting Weekend for Western New York
State’s Pheasant-Raising Programs Bolster Hunting Opportunities
A special youth-only pheasant hunting weekend will be held in Western New York on Oct. 14 and 15, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. The hunt is one week prior to the regular pheasant hunting season and will provide junior hunters ages 12-15 years old the opportunity to hunt pheasants with a licensed adult companion when fewer hunters are afield. The 2017-2018 regular pheasant season opens Oct. 21.
“The youth-only pheasant hunting weekend helps acclimate junior hunters to upland game bird hunting, and provides a terrific opportunity for experienced hunters to share safe hunting values and skills with our future sportsmen and sportswomen,” said DEC Senior Wildlife Biologist Emilio Rende.
As required by law, junior hunters must be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter during the youth pheasant hunt. Accompanying adults are not allowed to possess a firearm or take a pheasant during this special season. During the two-day youth hunt, junior hunters will be allowed to take two birds per day, as allowed during the regular season. The pheasant hunting boundary descriptions should be reviewed prior to going afield and can be found on page 43 of the 2017-2018 Hunting and Trapping Regulation Guide. All other pheasant hunting regulations remain in effect.
A special permit will be required to hunt at Joseph Davis, Golden Hill, and Wilson-Tuscarora state parks in Niagara County. An individual permit will be required to hunt on Saturday, Oct. 14 and Sunday, Oct. 15. This year’s youth hunt will allow for a second youth hunter to be named on the permit.
There will be two separate hunts each day that a permit is required: the first hunt will be from sunrise until 12:30 p.m.; the second hunt will be from 12:30 p.m. until sunset.
Junior hunters interested in entering the Permit Lottery at Golden Hill, Wilson-Tuscarora, and Joseph Davis state parks should mail a separate, standard-size file card for each date and park they would like to hunt. Only one permit will be issued to each hunter per day. Cards may be put into an envelope for each respective park and mailed together to the appropriate addresses below:
Golden Hill State Park
Attn: Renee Campbell
9691 Lower Lake Rd.
Barker, NY 14012
(716) 795-3885
Joseph Davis State Park
Attn: Josh Bodie
1 Maintenance Ave.
Youngstown, NY 14174
(716) 745-7273
Wilson Tuscarora State Park
Attn: David Giambra
Lake Rd., P.O. Box 324
Wilson, NY 14172
(716) 751-6361
Information on the file card should include the junior hunter’s name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, hunting license back tag number, hunt date, and desired park location. Entries will be computerized to avoid duplications. All lottery entries must be received by noon on Friday, Sept. 29. Questions regarding the permit lottery should be directed to the respective Park Managers at the numbers provided above. There is no fee for the permit and junior hunters awarded permits have the option of naming one additional junior hunter on their permit.
Approximately 770 adult roosters and hens will be stocked in DEC Region 9 immediately prior to the youth hunt weekend. All the birds will be provided from the DEC Reynolds Game Farm. Please refer to the attached table for a summary of release sites in each county.
Youth hunters interested in hunting pheasants in Allegany State Park are reminded that they must pick up a free hunting permit at the park’s administration building near Redhouse Lake before hunting in the park. For questions about pheasant hunting in Allegany State Park, call (716) 354-9121.
Questions about the Youth Pheasant Hunt can be directed to DEC’s Bureau of Wildlife at (716) 851-7010 in Buffalo, or (716) 372-0645 in Allegany. See the table below for Youth Pheasant Hunt Stocking Locations. To apply for a permit, contact the New York State Park Managers identified above. Additional information about pheasant hunting is available on DEC’s website.
Outdoor recreation, including hunting, angling, and wildlife watching, is a significant contributor to New York’s economy, particularly upstate. An estimated 823,0000 hunters contribute an estimated $1.6 billion to the state’s economy every year. An estimated 1.9 million anglers fish in New York’s waters annually with nearly $2 billion in economic impact. In addition, an estimated 4.2 million wildlife watchers contribute nearly $4 billion in annual economic impact.
Under the FY 2017 budget, Governor Cuomo’s NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative provides $3 million for State land access projects and $4 million for hunting and fishing infrastructure. The FY 2016 budget also created a new capital account, which, along with federal Pittman-Robertson funds, will be used to manage, protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat and will improve and develop public access for fish and wildlife-related recreation.
This year’s commitment builds on the previous $6 million in funding for 50 new projects to provide access to approximately 380,000 acres of existing State lands for recreation, including boat launches, bird-watching areas, trails and hunting blinds, and $8 million for upgrades and improvements to fish hatcheries statewide.