I personally think the DEC needs to take more of a hands on approach to our herd. They base harvest numbers on the call in report system, and some mathimatical calculations. Buck harvests per square mile determines how many doe need to be harvested! I see less and less deer check stations these days. I used to volunteer in college to work deer check stations. There used to be alot more then. The DEC changed to the Sat. opener to allow more hunters, and youth in the woods for 2 days on a wknd. I head home on Sun. afternoon, drive by the Lafayette deer check station on Rt.81. The sign is always up, and running that Sun. "Deer Check Station OPEN Ahead". I driveby, and noones ever there. Now you tell me how does the DEC get good input from 1 day deer check stations? I know they get more than #'s for info. But 1 day hardly seems enough. I know other states like Ohio have mandatory deer check stations. You must check your deer in, and recieve a ear tag in order for it to be legal. Imagine the data, and harvest #'s the DEC could collect from mandatory deer checks?
Right now the DEC is looking to once again restructure the tag system to better control doe harvests in every WMU. Why?, becasue they can't keep track of actual herd #'s in several WMU's. I think its time the DEC changed its system of tracking our herds!