DEC 2010-11 sporting licenses now on sale

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reports 2010-11 hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses and deer management permits are now on sale.

Licenses and permits can be purchased at one of DEC's 1,500 license sales outlets statewide. Sporting licenses can also be ordered by mail or by telephone and via the Internet at www.dec.ny.gov (look for the "Purchase a Sporting License" link on the home page). Sporting licenses are valid beginning Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2011.

License buyers should have the following items ready when applying: complete name and address information, customer ID number if available, proof of residency information (driver's license number or non-driver's ID number to qualify for a resident license), and, if purchasing by phone or Internet, credit card and card expiration date. Hunting license purchases require individuals to provide proof of hunting education certification or a copy of a previous license.

The DEC's Automated Licensing System (DECALS) provides information for issuing sporting licenses and tracking license sales and revenues. For questions regarding license purchases, call the DECALS Call Center at (1-866-933-2257). Hours of operation for the call center are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, now through Oct. 16. Regular weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. will resume on Oct. 18.

Sales of all sporting licenses are deposited into the Conservation Fund, which is used for the management of New York's fish and wildlife populations and for protection and management of wildlife habitat.

New Regulations for 2010-11

DEC notes that hunters and trappers should be aware of several new regulations in effect for 2010-11. Air guns may now be used for hunting small game. Pheasant hunting areas and seasons have been modified. The chronic wasting disease containment area has been decommissioned, and hunters in that area are no longer required to have their deer checked for CWD.

Several trapping regulation changes have been made, including elimination of the requirement of furbearer possession tags and pelt sealing for beaver. More details for each of these changes are available in the 2010-11 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide (www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/37136.html).

DEC issues deer management permits, often called "doe tags," to move the population closer toward objective levels in each wildlife management unit. DMPs will be available at all license-issuing outlets and by phone, Internet or mail, now through close of business Oct. 1. DMPs are issued through a random selection process at the point of sale, and customers who are selected for DMPs will receive their permits immediately.

If a significant number of DMPs are still available in a WMU after Oct. 1, leftover DMP sales will commence on Nov. 1 and continue on a first-come/first-serve basis until the end of the hunting season or until all DMPs have been issued in the WMU.

Adult hunters and trappers are encouraged to pass along their traditions and become a mentor for a junior hunter or trapper. The junior hunter and trapper-mentoring program allows 14- and 15-year-olds to hunt big game with a firearm while accompanied and supervised by an experienced adult hunter. It also allows unlicensed youth younger than 12 to accompany and assist a licensed trapper who is at least 18 years of age and has at least three years of trapping experience.