I am honestly shocked that the DEC would even release the statement. I think they just say the things they think we want to hear sometimes. I get it, the state tries to maintain the balance between hunters, farmers, insurance companies. They all have their own special interests and NY will never manage the herd in favor of deer hunters (unlike the Midwest). I would like to know what the states official management plan is. I would think it is in writing somewhere???
I am not a big believer in antler regulations. IMO, it puts the pressure on great racked young deer (with great genes) and takes all the pressure off spikes and fork horns. In high pressure areas this could change the genetic makeup of the herd over time. I am the last person to believe the solution is more government regulations for anything EVER (but thats a whole different rant). LOL.
Although all of my hunting time is spent targeting mature deer and I would never like the thought of pushing that ideology on anyone. Its a torturous existence. I have absolutely no issue with anyone shooting any deer they choose to shoot. We all have that one neighbor... I have a neighboring farm that kills every set of horns they can. Every gun season they show up as the orange army and nothing is safe. They start their deer drives at 730-800 opening morning every year and push all day long. 20+ guys. Its insanity. But its a family tradition that probably been in place for over 60 years.
Good news is I think the hunter population mindset has changed dramatically. It is easy to see that is very different from last generation or two or three ago. Everyone is a big buck hunter now. We are much more educated (or we think we are) then our fathers and grandfathers when it comes to hunting whitetails. The past belief was to shoot at every set of horns you saw and god save the does. And now there seems to be a growing trend to give small bucks a pass and shoot a doe for the freezer instead. Voluntary restraint.