Cornell "Earn-a-Buck" Hunting
News and Updates
1) Boundaries and parking for Zone A11 have changed. See map below for changes. All treestands in the Town of Ithaca portion of the previous A11 must be removed within the next few days. We apologize for any inconvenience.
2) Signing in for hunting during opening day of firearms season will begin at 4:30am.
3) Cornell University Police will be actively patrolling and enforcing Earn-a-Buck polices during opening weekend. In response to trespassing in F1, we are posting this hunting zone with standard yellow "POSTED" signs. These signs do NOT affect our Earn-a-Buck hunters.
4) DMAPs are no longer available. Hunters currently holding DMAPs may keep them until further notice. Thirty-six out of 100 DMAPs have already been used during archery season.
5) To date, 58 deer have been harvested (39 does, 8 female fawns, 8 button bucks and 3 mature bucks). Click here for current 2009 buck harvest photos.
6) Currently there are no blood tracking dogs close to the Ithaca area.
Maps:
New lands have been added to the E-a-B program (map). See below for detailed maps of the individual hunting zones.
Bow: A1 - A2 - A3 - A4 - A5 - A6 - A7 - A8 - A9 - A10 - A11 Bow/Gun: F1 - F2 - F3 - F4 - F5 - F6 - F7
Reports:
2008 Deer Harvest Report
Introduction
NY State is blessed with a healthy and productive deer herd. White-tailed deer are revered by sportsmen and non-hunters for a variety of reasons. Through the 1900’s, NY’s deer herd rebounded from perhaps 20,000 to over 1,000,000. This remarkable recovery is due to wise management and improved habitat conditions. The total statewide deer harvest has more than doubled over the past 20 years. The 2008 harvest of 223,000 was up 18% from 2006. Unfortunately, in some parts of the state, the deer population has created health and economic concerns. Visit the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) website for more information: http://www.dec.ny.gov/.
DEC Bureau of Wildlife is responsible for maintaining deer population levels compatible with the carrying capacity of the habitat and with human interests. Historically, management has been primarily focused on optimizing the reproductive capacity of the state’s deer herd through hunting regulations that restrict the harvest of does, while permitting more liberal harvest of bucks. Consequently, the sex ratio is skewed in favor of does and relatively few bucks live past 1.5 years of age. The number of Deer Management permits (DMP) was significantly lower (statewide) in 2007. Hunters can take up to an additional 2 antlerless deer on properties where Deer Management Assistance Permits (DMAP) are available.
Prime deer habitat in the Southern Tier, consisting of agriculture and forest/brush cover, supports population densities greater than 40 deer per square mile in some locations. Hunting, as under current regulations, may soon no longer be adequate to control deer populations as hunter numbers decrease and more land becomes inaccessible to hunting. In other NE states with similar histories, the explosive growth of the deer herd has resulted in unstable deer herds and significant damage to habitat and forest health.
Situation on Cornell University lands
Increasing interactions between deer and various properties on and around Cornell University lands have resulted in the need to implement and evaluate a deer research and management program to reduce negative impacts. Discussions and actions regarding deer damage management reflect the University's goal to maintain the integrity of Cornell lands, while being cognizant of related neighborhood impacts. The project will be implemented in an effective and cost-efficient manner, for the primary purposes of supporting the research, teaching, and outreach functions of Cornell University. A critical component of this research is implementation of a deer hunting system that will reduce the overall deer population. As in most areas of the state, hunting is still the most effective manner by which to control deer populations. Hunting has been, and continues to be, compatible with the philosophy of multiple-use management on Cornell lands.
For this project, Cornell lands have been divided into two zones: a core campus area and outlying areas adjacent to the core campus (map). The primary objective for the core campus zone (1,103 acres) is to reduce deer damage to unique plant collections or research plots, and minimize safety risks associated with deer. We plan to monitor complaints about deer damage to plants, reported deer-vehicle accidents, and deer abundance. The goal is to reduce deer associated complaints using fertility control research, fencing, and repellents. The outlying areas comprise a zone (2,518 acres) that contains agricultural fields, woodlots, and natural areas (map). Limited hunting has been allowed on most of these properties for decades. The primary objective for these areas is to reduce deer damage to agricultural fields and natural areas through the use of controlled hunting on areas with safe shooting zones that meet state discharge regulations. The focus will be to increase the harvest of female deer and lower the reproductive potential and herd size near campus in areas that can be safely hunted. Close to campus, archery hunting will be the primary approach. Where practical, shotgun and muzzleloader hunting will be permitted based on input from the Cornell University Police and land managers. Temporary electric and other fencing designs will also be used to protect research plots during the growing season.
Earn-a-Buck Program on Cornell University lands
The 2008 big game season was the first year we implemented these new hunting regulations, modeled after a program initiated by the Sand County Foundation in Wisconsin. E-a-B has been implemented at Cornell University's Arnot Forest since 1999. Similar to Quality Deer Management, the goal of E-a-B is to improve the quality of the deer herd, improve the quality of the habitat, and improve the quality of the hunting experience. Through E-a-B we will strive to balance the sex ratio and allow a higher proportion of bucks to reach maturity (e.g., >2.5 years of age).
Cornell lands that fall outside of the Integrated Deer Research and Management Study zones may not be subjected to E-a-B rules. For information regarding deer hunting on other Cornell University lands, see "Cornell Deer Hunting Links" on the top right side of this page. Other Cornell hunting opportunities will require additional permit applications.
2009 Deer hunting regulations for Cornell University lands that fall within the Integrated Deer Research and Management Study:
1) Have a valid 2009-2010 DEC Big Game license and a Cornell University hunting permit. Do not apply for a Cornell University hunting permit until you have acquired a 2009-2010 DEC Big Game license. Applications must be received by October 15. Applications will not be accepted after this date.
2) Non-mandatory hunter orientation meetings will be scheduled for October. Check top of this page for updates on meeting dates and times.
3) DMAP permits will be distributed to hunters on a lottery or first-come, first-served basis just prior to opening day of archery deer hunting season. Hunters do NOT have to use their own antlerless permits or DMPs before receiving a DMAP permit. Hunters may hold DMAPs for one week at a time. However, hunters may renew DMAPs each week, depending on availability.
4) For each hunt, sign in and out at the deer check station located on Stevenson Road (between Dodge and Turkey Hill Roads; map). Sign-in may begin 2 1/2 hours before sunrise. Please close sliding door if you are the last one out. If you are the last person to sign out at the end of the day for your hunting zone (e.g., A4), remove sheet from clipboard and place in lock box.
5) Record number and type of deer seen daily on the hunter sighting form. Hunters must fill out a deer sighting form every time they sign out, even if they did not see any deer.
6) Check in all harvested deer at the deer check station. When unstaffed, take photo with camera and fill out a deer harvest report (instructions). Remove one side of the lower jaw with the tools provided at the check station (instructions). Label provided envelope with name, date and deer tag number. Insert jaw into envelope and place in refrigerator. If a hunter wishes to preserve their deer for taxidermy, they should contact Jay Boulanger to make arrangements for aging.
7) Document the harvest of two female deer BEFORE gaining the privilege to take one legal, antlered deer. Harvest records for female deer are cumulative from season to season. For example, if a hunter harvests two female deer and no bucks in 2008, that hunter will still be buck eligible on opening day of deer season in 2009.
8) Display Cornell Parking Permit (supplied with hunting permit) on dash of vehicle.
9) Wear E-a-B ID tag (supplied with permit) at all times while hunting. We no longer supply plastic ID tag holders. Thus, we recommend hunters reinforce their ID tags with see-through tape and secure with a large safety pin.
10) Wear a “hunter’s orange” hat and/or vest at all times while deer hunting during firearms seasons in zones where firearms are permitted. Archery only areas are exempt from this rule.
11) Only archery equipment will be allowed in archery-only areas during archery, firearms, and muzzleloader deer hunting seasons. Archery-only zones are closed to all other types of hunting (e.g., turkey, small game, waterfowl, etc.).
12) A new archery zone, A11, has been added to the program for 2009. Most of this zone falls within the Village of Lansing and is subject to additional rules. Archery hunters in A11 must have their arrows (e.g., fletching or shaft) labeled with their name using permanent markings. Also, deer may not be bled or slaughtered on adjacent residential properties that fall outside of Cornell lands. Parking is restricted to the two areas depicted in the map. Hunters may not park in Winston Court Apartment parking areas.
13) Zones F6 and F7 are located at the Reynolds Game Farm, owned by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Only archery equipment may be used in these zones through November 30, 2009; legal firearms may be used thereafter. Zones F7 and F8 are closed to all other types of hunting. Hunters are prohibited from tampering with DEC boundaries and gates and should be aware that DEC staff maintain operations throughout the deer seasons. Pre-season scouting may commence 2 weeks before the start of the archery season. Hunters may not park at the NYS DEC Reynolds Game Farm parking lot.
14) Any big game hunting legal implement may be used in Zones F1-F5 during their respective seasons. Only deer may be harvested in Zones F1-F5 during the archery, firearms, and muzzleloader deer seasons.
15) TURKEY, SMALL GAME & WATERFOWL HUNTING: Outside of the deer seasons, Zones F1, F3, F4, and F5 will be open for other types of hunting (e.g., turkey, small game, waterfowl, etc.). These types of hunting are free from the sign in/sign out procedure. Exceptions: Zones F1 and F5 include blue shaded areas in their respective maps that are closed to all hunting outside of the deer seasons. All other Plantations and Cornell E-a-B lands are closed to all hunting outside of the deer seasons.
16) Note that other users may be using the natural areas. Please treat other users with courtesy. Several sites have public access and trails. Please check your map to familiarize yourself with these locations.
17) Guest hunters are not allowed. If you have a friend that you want to hunt, have them fill out an application. If they are well-qualified they may be granted a permit.
18) A hunter may be accompanied by no more than one non-hunter (e.g., spouse, child, friend, or cameraman). The non-hunter 1) must stay with the hunter at all times, 2) may not carry a weapon, and 3) may not trade roles with the hunter while in the field. The hunter agrees to take full responsibility for a child, to keep the child within sight and reach, and to directly supervise the child at all times. On the sign-in sheet, a hunter and non-hunter must sign in together on one line (e.g., John Doe/Jane Doe - non-hunter).
19) To keep on good terms with our neighbors - do not enter a neighbor’s property to track deer without their permission.
20) TREESTAND INFORMATION: All treestands must now be clearly marked with owner's first and last name. Any treestand found that is not clearly labeled will be removed. No permanent treestands or screw-in tree steps may be used on Cornell University lands. Most current climbing and fixed treestands are acceptable as long as they do not utilize screws that pierce through the layer of tree bark. Small tree limbs (< 1 inch diameter) may be trimmed to set up the stand. Hunters may install temporary stands two weeks before archery season and must remove stands by one week after muzzleloader season closes. Treestands should be hidden from public view. Cornell is not responsible for stolen treestands. Ground blinds may be used but must be set up and removed for each hunt.
21) There is a chance that radio collared deer may be seen in the hunting zones. Any deer with a radio collar may not be harvested. However, ear-tagged deer without radio collars may be harvested. If a deer with ear tags is harvested, ear tag numbers must be recorded on the deer harvest form at the deer check station. Click here for an image of deer fitted with ear tags and radio collars.
22) Hunters must hike into and out of the natural area. Motorized vehicles are prohibited.
23) Comply with reasonable requests (e.g. parking, show license/permits, dispose of trash, etc.) of Cornell staff while on the forest.
Failure to comply with any of the above rules will result in a warning or immediate termination of hunting privileges, at the discretion of the E-a-B Committee. Blatant disregard for Cornell E-a-B policies will result in permanent loss of hunting privileges on Cornell University lands.
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