Hunting season takes off in New York

HOLLAND, N.Y.(WIVB) - Hunting season has officially begun, and safety comes first before anything else.

"There's no deer out there that's worth risking the safety of another human being. We want you to be sure of your target, and what's behind your target," says DEC Big Game Biologist Tim Spierto. "Approaching about a million animals statewide, and its continuing to go up."

Wear orange, go out with another hunter if you can, and be sure of your target before shooting are a few, yet simple rules to remember when heading into the woods.

2012 is looking to be a successful year for hunters throughout New York State, thanks to the flourishing deer population.

There are now so many deer, Spierto says, the DEC needs hunters help to get the population to a manageable level.

The DEC is asking hunters to bring their game to deer check stations where technicians will check for ticks and lime disease, and collect other biological information that can help them get an assessment of the local deer population.

Hunters can also bring harvested bears due to Black Bear Season starting today as well.

DEC wants hunters to know for next week when deer hunting begins in Pennsylvania, about the outbreak of chronic wasting disease among the deer population in PA. 

Therefore, hunters cannot bring a whole deer back over the border, but have to make sure it is processed before it id brought back in NYS.