JF Griffin - Index

JF Griffin - magazine - Index

Changes
C hanges to hunting regulations are established by the Fish and Game Council
through revisions to the Game Code. The Council voted to accept the following
Game Code amendments which are scheduled to be effective in 2009. Visit our Web
site at www.NJFishandWildlife.com for the upcoming public meeting and comment
period. NOTE: These changes WILL NOT be in effect for the 2008-09 seasons.
4.) Beginning with the 2009 spring turkey lottery, successful
applicants will have a deadline for claiming permits.
After the claiming deadline, unclaimed permits are forfeited and
become available for over-the counter sale.
White-tailed Deer
There are seven proposed changes for deer.
1.) Expand the use of crossbows to all hunters during the three
existing archery seasons.
(For more on this proposal, see Crossbows Coming to a Treestand
Near You, page 6.)
2.) Grant authority to the Fish and Game Council to shift the
assignment of a deer management zone (DMZ) into a different
deer regulation set, provided certain criteria are met. (For current
Deer Season Regulation Sets, see page 44.)
Amendments to the Game Code formerly followed an annual
cycle; currently, a three year cycle is in effect to accommodate the
regulatory process. With the authority to make changes within
this three year cycle, the Council can affect a timely response to
unforeseen or undesirable deer population changes to better
achieve deer management goals, and to avert potentially damaging
situations.
3.) Add a new “Regulation Set 9” to the existing deer regulation sets.
(For current Deer Season Regulation Sets, see page 44.)
The regulations in the proposed Regulation Set 9 will be more
liberal than the most liberal, existing Regulation Set 8
Harvest results from the 2007-08 deer seasons show an antlerless
deer harvest reduction during this first year of regulation changes
in the Set 8 DMZs. These changes included the removal of the
Earn-A-Buck regulation from all seasons except the first three
weeks of the Fall Bow Season, and moving the antlerless-only
days of Permit Shotgun and Permit Muzzleloader seasons from
the week of Thanksgiving to the week after Thanksgiving. The
proposed Regulation Set 9 will allow the Council to respond to an
undesired population growth, should current harvest trends result
in undesireable effects.
Regulation Set 9 will have four additional days of antlerless-only
hunting for both the Permit Shotgun and Permit Muzzleloader
seasons during Thanksgiving week. Data from previous years shows
a significant portion of the overall antlerless harvest occurred
during these early November days.
4.) Add a new “Regulation Set 0” to existing deer regulation sets. (For
current Deer Season Regulation Sets, see page 44.)
The regulations in the proposed Regulation Set 0 will be more
restrictive than the most restrictive existing Regulation Set 1.
Certain DMZs in Regulation Sets 2 and 3, namely Zones 21, 23, 24,
34, 43, 45 and 46, have experienced harvest declines; all are below
their population goal. Harvest data from the past six years shows
the majority of the antlerless harvest being taken during the Permit
Muzzleloader Season. Adoption of a more restrictive regulation set
will allow the Council to increase deer populations in DMZs having
less productive habitat.
Regulation Set 0 will reduce the Permit Muzzleloader Season by
four days and reduce the antlerless bag limit to one per season.
5.) Implement a Deer Management Assistance Program.
Fish and Wildlife has proposed a plan for landowners to better cope
with undesirable deer densities on their properties while utilizing
the current hunting season regulations and hunters to remove
additional antlerless deer. The Deer Management Assistance
Program (DMAP) will be available for the 2009-10 deer seasons.
see our Web site at www.NJFishandWildlife.com for details.
6.) Change regulation sets for DMZs 18, 22 and 26. (For current Deer
Season Regulation Sets, see page 44.)
These zones have been experiencing declines in harvest and/or are
below the population goal. Zones 22 and 26 will be moved from
Set 4 to Set 3; Zone 18 will be moved from Set 3 to Set 2. Moving
these zones down one regulation set into a set with more restrictive
seasons will allow moderate population increases.
7.) Change a portion of the boundaries between Zones 23 and 25.
A portion of the boundary between Ancora and Hammonton
running along Blue Anchor Brook and Albertson Brook will be
changed to routes 30 and 206. The brooks comprising part of this
border are run seasonally. Changing the boundary to roadways will
provide a more definitive border between zones.
August 2008 For more information contact New Jersey New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Digest | 81
Division of Fish and Wildlife at (609)292-2965 2008 Hunting and Trapping Issue